Floral Fun

Tuong-Vy Nguyen double-loads her brush to create this floral design

Polish the nail red. Double load a brush with red and white polish and apply it to the nail to create four flower petals.

Use a nail art brush and white polish to draw curved lines around the petals.

Use a dotter tool to make lines of white dots around the flower. Accent using a thin brush with silver glitter nail art polish. Add three rhinestones to the flower center.

Nails by Tuong-Vy Nguyen, American Nails, Pensacola, Fla.

It's So Easy Stripe Rites Nail Art

Whether you’re looking to channel your inner tiger or complete a modern-day Picasso on a nail, It’s So Easy Stripe Rites come in handy.

Whether you’re looking to channel your inner tiger or complete a modern-day Picasso on a nail, It’s So Easy Stripe Rites come in handy. With a flick of the fine tip, a perfect line shoots across the nail or a leopard gets its spots. The wide range of finishes includes everything from creams, metallics, glitters, and neons in shades covering the rainbow.

Amy MacGregor, It’s So Easy’s brand manager, shows us how to make psychedelic tiger stripes using the Stripe Rites.

You will need:

> Neon Green
> Neon Blue
> Neon Pink
> Neon Purple
> For Rhinestones Only!! base coat/top coat

1. Apply It’s So Easy For Rhinestones Only!! base coat/top coat to the nail.
2. Starting at the edge of the nail, paint Neon Purple Stripe Rite towards the middle.  Lift the brush as it reaches the middle of the nail to get a tapered look. Continue this process down the nail towards the tip, alternating between the right and left sides of the nail.
3. Taking the Neon Pink Stripe Rite, repeat the above process, starting directly underneath the Neon Purple. (You don’t have to wait in between Stripe Rites in this design, since the colors aren’t touching each other.)
4. Repeat the above process with the Neon Blue Stripe Rite, alternating between the right and left edges directly underneath the Neon Pink.
5. Complete the design using the Neon Green Stripe Rite by adding short, horizontal lines down the center, ending at the nail bed.
6. Wait until the nail dries. (It will look matte.) Seal with For Rhinestones Only!! base coat/top coat for shine
and durability.

Red-dy for Love

Mimi Nguyen jazzes up a traditional red nail.

Polish the nail red.

Use a white striper to draw swooping lines as shown.

Add a white heart on either side of the lines.

Add two trails of white dots. Fill in the hearts with silver glitter.

Step-by-step by Mimi Nguyen, Nail LUV, Thomaston, Ga.

Red Romance

Diane Self uses Nubar products to create this lovely design.

Apply Nubar red acrylic one third of the way down the nail.

Mix Nubar pink with a little glitter, then apply it to the nail, fading it into the red.

Add Nubar Ultra White acrylic at the free edge, fading it into the pink.

Use Nubar clear acrylic to attach holographic hearts. Add white and red dots around the hearts. Apply UV top coat. Cure.

Nails by Diane Self, Revive Salon and Spa, Gilbert, Ariz.

Queen of Hearts

Katie Pfaff uses hot pink glitter acrylic to create this loveable French.

Apply hot pink glitter acrylic to the free edge to create a French.

Apply clear acrylic to the rest of the nail. File the nail smooth, but do not buff.

Use white acrylic to create 3-D hearts. Buff and apply top coat.

Nails by Katie Pfaff, Just Teasin’ Hair and Nail Salon, Lolo, Mont.

Love Letter

A special delivery of nail art from Lorri Silvetre.

Use a black striper to draw an angled rectangle on the nail. Use the striper to draw a diagonal line above it.

Use the striper to add the lines to turn the rectangle into an envelope and the diagonal line into an arrow.

Add small pink and red hearts all over the nail, including as a “seal” on the envelope.

Nails by Lorri Silvestre, Nail Designs by Lorri, Grover Beach, Calif.

Sealed with Kisses

Elongated M- and U-shapes create the handpainted lips on this design by Christina Culver.

Polish the nail a light color (shown is Butter London’s Pink Ribbon). Using a thin-tipped brush, draw an elongated “M” shape in a contrasting color.

Using the same color as the “M”, draw an elongated “U” shape below it.

Repeat steps 1 and 2, changing  the size, shape, and color of the kisses at your discretion.

Love These Nails

Nail artist Tina Alberino falls in "love" with nail stamps.
Shape the nail at an angle. Polish the nail pink. Use a brush saturated in acetone to remove polish from a semi-circular area at the corner near the eponychium. Fill in the semi-circle with sparkly silver polish.

Add a line of pink and silver glitter to separate the pink and the silver polishes. Either use a nail art stamp or an airbrush with a stencil to add the word “love” along the free edge (shown is a Bundle Monster stamp).

Apply top coat. Apply rhinestones.

Nails by Tina Alberino, Attitudes Total Body Image, Tampa, Fla.

Elegance In Pink

As round nails become increasingly popular, these pink-flavored nails should be a hit at any nail salon for Valentine’s Day .

Even though Oksana Cobb is a big fan of stilettos, it’s hard for her to wear the long and pointed extensions because of her work in the salon. So she came up with a design that is equally as impressive, but with a softer free edge. Here’s how she does them.

1. Sculpt a round-shaped nail with a nude colored powder.

2. File the sculptured nail with a 100 to 180-grit file and then with a 220 to 240-grit file to give it a distinctive oval shape. Apply a pearl pink nail polish stripe, then a snowy white nail polish right below the pearl pink.

3. Use silver nail art polish with a thin brush to go over the edge of the pearl pink on either side. Let it dry for at least three minutes, and apply UV top coat for a finished gloss look and nail protection. 

Beautiful Bubbles

Christie Gibson provides both a printable step-by-step and a video for this gorgeous blue nail art design.

Apply UV gel-polish base coat. Cure. Apply  two coats of teal gel-polish. Cure after each application. Leave the sticky layer on the nail. Use a natural bristle brush to press three different shades of glitter (light blue, silver, and dark blue) onto the nail. Press the glitter flat with your finger to create a smoother surface. Apply UV gel-polish top coat. Cure. Remove the sticky layer. Buff lightly.

Use a 20/0 liner brush and black acrylic craft paint to paint three horizontal wavy lines.

Paint varied circles in various spots on the lines to look like bubbles.

Use white acrylic craft paint to add accents to the lines and to give the circles dimension. Apply gel-polish top coat. Cure. Remove the sticky layer.

Nails by Christie Gibson, Christie’s Nails, Ocean View, Hawaii

Safari Nails

Joanne Millar uses enVogue products to create this animal print design.

(All products mentioned are enVogue. This application must be done on an extension.) Apply Gold Medal Colour Gel to create half of a chevron smile line. Cure.

Apply Bronze Medal Colour Gel to complete the chevron French. Cure.

Apply Active White Gel under the smile line. Use a brush to create a crisp smile line. Cure.

Wipe off the dispersion layer. Use black art paint and a fine liner brush to paint animal prints.

Apply Flashback glitter mixed with Modeling Resin  on each leopard spot.  Cure.

Apply Modeling Resin to cover the entire nail. Cure. File, shape, and buff. Apply Sealer.

Nails by Joanne Millar, Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Kiss Me, My Nails Are Irish

This festive St. Patrick's Day design was created by Jade Sewell.

Apply sparkly gold acrylic to the free edge, creating a French. Apply sparkly pink acrylic to the rest of the nail.

Use lime green acrylic craft paint and a fine point detail brush to paint a shamrock in the middle of the nail.
Use red acrylic craft paint and a fine point detail brush to add lips on the corner of the free edge.

                                                           

Using white paint and a fine point detail brush, write “Kiss Me I’m Irish” on top of the design. Apply UV top coat. Cure.

                                                           
Nails by Jade Sewell, Just Nails, Great Falls, Mont.

Lucky Leprechaun

Decals enhance this St. Patrick's Day-themed design by Rosa Vargas.

Polish the free edge green, creating a French. Add crushed gold mylar pieces.

Add a pot of gold decal, partially on top of the green. (All decals shown are from Designs by Donalyn.)

Use five different colors of polish to draw a rainbow.

Add a leprechaun decal. Add more mylar. Apply UV top coat. Cure.

Nails by Rosa Vargas, Nails by Rosa, Palm Springs, Fla.

Pot of Gold French

Cassi Banning creates a French that's perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Use pink acrylic to create a smile line at the free edge. Go parallel to the pink with green acrylic, creating a second smile line. Go parallel to the green with purple acrylic, creating a third smile line.

Go parallel to the purple with blue acrylic, creating a fourth smile line. Go parallel to the blue with orange acrylic, creating a fifth smile line.

Apply a dot of black acrylic to the free edge on top of the smile lines and shape it into a pot. Apply a dot of gold glitter acrylic along the top of the pot. Apply hologram top coat over the entire nail. Cure.

Nails by Cassandra “Cassi” Banning, Tips & Toes, Great Falls, Mont.