A brand new year means brand new beauty crazes, but one of the biggest to this early part of January is actually something we’re very familiar with – nail art.
Yes, the art of decorating your nails to within an inch of their lives is back and stronger than ever before, but in reality, did it ever really go away completely? You could argue that one nail with a dash of glitter is still nail art, after all!
The major difference in this year’s nail art craze is that the decoration is more ‘out there’ than ever before. Think textures, patterns, and gems. Yes, it’s likely that you cannot do the washing up with these nails, but that’s a great excuse to get out of it!
A few trends to be on the lookout for include:
- Reverse/Alternative French Manicure – Rather than the classic peach and white design, the alternative is a strong colour on the tip, e.g. a blue or a purple, with the rest of the nail left nude.
- Pointed Tips – If you’ve seen a horror film lately, it’s likely the demon on the loose will have those classically pointed nails; yes, we have a trend emerging! This design isn’t about rotting yellowed nails that wouldn’t be out of place at Halloween however, but long, pointed nails which are decorated in a strong, bold shade.
- Raised Textures – Nail embellishment with gems and beads have never really gone too far, but this year we are seeing raised textures which take embellishment to the next level. Think feathers, plastics, as well as the regular beads and gems we regularly see. Again, not the greatest for household chores, but who cares?
- Animal Prints – Animal prints have always been in fashion, but this year we are seeing more wildlife inspired prints on nails, especially tortoise print.
- Transparent Nails – If you’re set on nail extensions, think about going for transparent tips and have the whole nail decorated with sparkling gems, keeping everything neutral and see-through.
- Nail Quotes – Yes, you read that right, literature on the nails! You can opt for a letter on each nail, to spell out a word, or you can go for small words painted intricately onto each nail. Whichever you go for, quotation nails are a big thing.
The great thing about nail art is that it can be as individual as you are, and provided your workplace or college don’t have a strict policy on artistic nail expression, you can mix and match as much as you like!
Nail Art Dos And Don’ts
The nail art craze has been resurrected, but you still need to follow a few general rules.
- If you have embellishments applied to your nails, never pick them off! It can be oh-so-tempting when you eventually lose one gem, to suddenly pick the rest off, but they have been applied with glue, and pulling the top layer of your nail off is never an advisable thing to do.
- Choose wisely, and remember that whatever you opt for, you are stuck with for the next 4 weeks at least. You might think its cool to go crazy with your nails, but you might not have the same thoughts in a week’s time!
- Head to a quality nail technician for the best results. Yes, you can give it a go yourself, and it’s a great skill to learn, but for the best results and the most artistic outcome, a nail tech is the best option.
- Protect your nails with a layer of clear varnish. If you do your nail art yourself, always protect your nails against the sheer amount of products you’re going to apply.
- Always wear protective gloves when doing any cleaning or household chores. You could try and avoid them, and if you can, that’s great, but if not you will need to protect your nails from the harsh cleaning products we often use. Even washing up can chip away at your perfect nails!
Whilst nail art designs have never completely left the beauty world, this new push towards artistic nails is a great theme to play around with this coming season!
