This season, take your nails to the next level. With a design in mind, and some patience, you can impress with these simple steps and spice up your typical neutrals. M&V friend and Dryfoos School of the Arts alum, Kremer Shell, shared with us her favorite go to nail designs and instructions. Enter to win your own nail gift kit from Ciate on our Facebook page!
Modern French
This is an easy way to update a classic. All you have to do is start with a sheer nude polish and paint the whole nail. Once that is dry, use blue painters tape to section off a triangle at the tip of each nail. Paint white onto what you have sectioned off, and remove the tape ASAP. If you wait, the polish starts to dry and it may pull up some of the white. If you’re in a hurry, try it freehand! Finish with clear top coat.
My Favorite Neutral
Leopard nails are much easier than they look, as long as you have a black nail pen. The color options are endless, but I like to go with a neutral look. I started off with an opaque nude polish that closely matches my skin. From there, I used a metallic polish to brush a few dots on each nail. Don’t be too careful! This turns out better when it’s a little haphazard. Once those layers have dried, take a black nail pen and trace are each dot. I find a C-shape with a small dot looks more cat like than tracing a circle all the way around. Add a few random dots or “C’s” if a nail is looking sparse. Wait until they are totally dry to add clear top coat! The black WILL smudge otherwise.
Party Up the Middle
Perfect for New Year’s! This look adds some glitz, without being too over the top. Start again with a sheer nude polish and paint the whole nail. Wait for that layer to dry. From there, I used a nail kit that has a clear polish and a pot of glitter (such as Ciate’s). You simply paint the clear in a stripe down the middle, and dip the nail in the the glitter. Shake off any excess, it should only stick to the stripe you painted. Follow up with top coat to make sure you don’t lose any bling. You could also just paint a center stripe with any glitter polish you already have, or, I have a sneaky suspicion it would work with clear polish and glitter from a craft store. Try it out!
