7 Reasons I Will Never Get Tired of Nail Art
My best friend will do anything for her hair. She'll blow through her savings to stay on top of these new hair treatments and trends, and she wouldn't miss a salon appointment even if her life depended on it.
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Me? There's no way I'll sacrifice an entire hour giving myself a blowout, and I definitely wouldn't spend cash on getting it professionally done. Plus, my boyfriend likes it when I wear ponytails. Guess these "dirty hair" hairstyles are sexy enough for him. (What a keeper, right?)
But what I will spend time and money on is my nails. The tiny, bare canvases are always begging to be decorated, and I'm more than willing to spend an afternoon trying out new nail art looks. My most recent obsession is with this new batch of nail art. I'd say gorgeous malt shop nails like these cancel out a bad hair day, don't you agree?
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Click here to see even more great nail art designs, or scroll down for my top seven picks. Then tell us: What's the longest you've gone without painting your nails?
Look no. 1: Candy Hearts
We love this super romantic, candy-inspired look. Here's how blogger FabFatale got the look:
1. Apply a base coat.
2. Once dry, paint on two to three coats of nail polish to each nail. Vary the colors so each nail (per hand) is a different color.
3. To get that Sweetheart chalky look, finish each nail with a matte topcoat, such as Essie Matte About You.
Click here to see how to get the tiny messages on each nail, along with polish recommendations.
Look no. 2: Retro Love
This design reminds us of banana splits, roller skates, and a great jukebox. Here's how to steal this style:
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Apply two coats of tropical green nail polish to your nails.
3. Take a French tip manicure sticker and cut a zigzag pattern across one edge. We recommend using tiny scissors (like the ones for trimming eyebrows) to make the cuts.
Click here to get the rest of this tutorial, along with polish recommendations.
Look no. 3: Ikat Pattern
This ikat pattern is one of the hottest nail art trends right now. While the pattern may look complicated, it's actually pretty simple to create. Here's how to steal the style:
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Once dry, apply two coats of the blue nail polish.
3. Using the pink polish, make a few blotches on each nail. (These will look like shapeless clouds at first.) Your thumb will probably fit three blotches, and your pinky one blotch. The rest can have two.
Click here to get the rest of this tutorial, along with polish recommendations.
Look no. 4: Cloudy Sky
These clouds may look a little threatening, but we prefer to focus on the gold lining ahead. Here's how to get the look:
1. Apply a base coat that dries clear.
2. Once dry, apply two coats of sheer pink polish.
3. To make the cloud shape, apply the gold polish in three strokes. Start each stroke by placing the tip of the brush on the tip of the nail. Wait until enough polish has dripped off forming a round starting point, and swipe up. Each stroke should touch, but be shorter than the one before it.
Click here to get the rest of this tutorial, along with polish recommendations.
Look no. 5: Missoni Madness
Weren't able to get the Missoni goods at Target? No worries. Here's a great way to take their iconic pattern and put it on your nails. The girls from The Beauty Department show us how:
1. Apply a base coat.
2. Once dry, apply two coats of a deep brown polish.
3. Next, use a Sharpie Peel-Off China Marker (you can find these online or at an art supply store), in white and black, to draw a repeating chevron (aka zigzag) pattern going across the nail.
Click here to get the rest of this tutorial, along with polish recommendations.
Look no. 6: Floral Wallpaper
This nail design is a cool update of your grandma's kitchen wallpaper. Show her a little love by trying this nail trend. Here's how to get the look:
1. Start with a base coat.
2. Once dry, apply two coats of light blue polish to the nails.
3. Take the yellow polish and splotch it around on the nail.
4. Make random circles/globs on each nail with the pink polish. (They don't have to line up with the yellow splotches.) Once those are dry, take the darker red polish and make smaller smears on the edges of each pink splotch. The pink will make the flowers look more dimensional.
Click here to get the rest of this tutorial, along with polish recommendations.
Look no. 7: Preppy Collar
We're head-over-heels in love with Peter Pan collars right now. So when we saw this nail design, we just had to include it in this gallery. The girls from The Beauty Department show us how to get the look:
1. Start with clean nails -- no polish or base coat.
2. Apply a binder paper ring sticker to the base of your nail. (This will keep the base of your nail clean, and make it easier for you to achieve the collar shape.)
3. Apply two coats of black nail polish, from the tip of your nail to the curve of the sticker.
Click here to get the rest of this tutorial, along with polish recommendations.
Want more nail art ideas? We've got a whole gallery of them here. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all of the newest nail news.
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