For the longest time I thought that nail art tools were expensive, that’s why I kept using bobby pins instead of specialized dotting tools and Scotch tape instead of nail art strips. But after lurking on Amazon this weekend I discovered lots of super cheap options out there! Yes, all of them are shipped from China, but how many of us don’t have products “made in China” in our houses?

So here are four super inexpensive nail art staples, all found on Amazon.

1. A set of five dual-ended dotting tools.
You can get these for $5.99 from MASH (reasonable price, isn’t it?). Or you can get them from Amazon for $1.68 shipped. Yes, you heard me right, $1.68 shipped! Here’s the exact same set I bought.

2. Assorted nail tape decorations/stickers.
Here’s another classic nail art necessity: nail tape. You can use these as a decoration, or to make perfect stripes on your nails. Either way, very few of us can freehand draw perfect lines and most of us need the help of tape stripes. You can get these for $6.50 at Claire’s… or for $1.02 from Amazon shipped. Here’s the one I bought.

3. Nail glitter, nail caviar, stars, rhinestones etc…
And another nail art staple – nail jewelry. It can be tiny rhinestones or big ones, plastic stars, nail caviar, tiny hearts and pearly flecks. You can get an assortment of 12 different types from BornPrettyStore for $6.45… or you can get an assortment of 20 from Amazon for $3.16 shipped. Here’s what I bought.

4. Nail art pens.
And last, but not least, nail art pens. Some pens are best used for cleaning up the cuticles, others for freehand drawing intricate designs or dusting powders and glitters over wet nails. The point is, if you are at least semi-serious about nail art you should definitely get some brushes. Brushes are pricey, right? You can get a set of 15 assorted brushes from MASH for $15.99… or from Amazon for $2.31 shipped. Here’s the set I bought.

Enjoy your savings, ladies!