Grab the nail file and the cotton balls because it’s time for your nails to get a little love! With so many techniques and creative ideas flooding your favorite board on Pinterest or being featured on your favorite blog, tips can run together and seem confusing. Luckily, Her Campus Mizzou has compiled the hottest must-have manicures this winter season along with some simple how-tos. Nail blogger Zara Petkovi? of never-unpolished.com has advice for the easiest ways to achieve these looks. Don’t get scared off – she assured me these styles aren’t as difficult to do as they might seem!
How to prep
As a novice, um, nail polisher, I am probably just as confused as the next collegiette™ on the correct way to prepare my nails for a maximum-effect manicure. How important is the base coat? Top coat? Color selection? So many questions. “First of all, base coat is always important,” Zara says. “It makes manicures last longer. It keeps your nails from staining – come on, who wants blue nails? – and can even help keep your nails from splitting or peeling.” Zara also recommends top coat for the shiniest manicures. Both top coat and base coat cost around $5 to $8 and are essential for any nail-polish wardrobe.
“As far as color recommendations, I would really encourage people to go for whatever they feel comfortable with,” Zara says. “Like fashion, there are general trends that can be fun to follow, but it’s also important to do what you like.” This winter, try one (or all!) of these four surefire trends for the best mani in the room.
Back to basics with nude or red polish
As Zara points out, the best thing about going with a solid color like nude or red is that it goes with everything and can serve dual purposes. Family gathering? Party downtown? No problem! Not to mention that this manicure will look just as classic paired with ice-skating gear or comfy-casual clothes. Don’t count these manicures out because they seem too safe. The two colors are actually hot trends right now. Red is a bold statement against a glittery or black dress, and although nude nails have been a no-no in the past, they are now considered chic and no-fuss. (Check out Kate Middleton’s nude nails on her wedding day and tell me they aren’t ladylike and sleek!) Picking the right nude polish is like picking out foundation, Zara says, and it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. However, she recommends Zoya for the best selection of skin tone colored polishes. As for red polish, Zara picks OPI Red My Fortune Cookie.
A little shine with glitter and shatter
A total 180 from red and nude polish is glitter polish or shatter, both of which you have probably drooled over on Pinterest. To achieve an opaque (solid) look, Zara says that three or four coats are essential. Even though it’s glitter or shatter polish, top coat is still a must. Combine glitter and shatter together to instantly add even more depth and shine to your look. If you do combine the two, the nail blogger recommends putting top coat on the glitter polish before adding shatter, and then adding the shatter “when the polish underneath is neither wet nor completely dry but just a little tacky.” My personal favorite glitter polish for the season is China Glaze Some Like It Haute. Zara recommends OPI’s glitters; the company’s most recent Muppet collection has six to choose from.
Patterned with a bold stripe
To put even more spice into your winter look, try a bold stripe. It’s one of the easiest patterns to master and is certainly eye-catching. Two methods can be used to achieve this look: nail tape or freehand. Zara says nail tape results in the crispest lines but takes longer because you have to wait for your polish to dry completely before putting on the tape. Zara chooses to freehand hers, and she likes Nubar nail art pens, which combine the polish itself with a stripe brush. “Doing it free hand might take a little more practice for some people, but it can also take a lot less time,” she says. Taupe polish with a dark, bold plum stripe inspired me. Another fun idea is to use a solid base accented with a glitter stripe.
Leftovers with solid over glitter
Last but not least, we must look to regifting – manicure-style. We collegiettes™ have all experienced the frustration that occurs with chipped nails, and during the school rush we don’t always have time to take off all the polish and reapply. Luckily, there’s a chic and simple solution: paint over the chipped polish with new polish! This tip is ideal for chipped glitter polish. It will take just two minutes instead of the usual 15 to redo the manicure completely. Take the silver glitter polish you already have and apply a coat or two of red. It will be sheer enough that you can see the glitter but heavy enough to not see the minor chipping. Instant revamp and little effort – isn’t that what being chic is all about?
No matter which of these trends you choose, remember to play around and have fun with your nails. “It always makes me a little sad when people are afraid to be adventurous with their nails because they’re afraid that it won’t turn out well or that they won’t like it,” Zara says. “To me, one of the great things about nail polish is that you can just take it right off again if you don’t like it, so there’s no reason not to try something new.”