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3 Tricky Nail Trends Made Easy!

Stylin’ nails are HUGE this year! But, so many of the looks seem impossible to create. Everything from the classic French Mani, to crazy pattern nails can seem like very overwhelming looks to make. Luckily, I have discovered some awesome tricks for creating trendy nails with little hassle!


The French Manicure:
You can create this look the classic way (with beige and white polishes) or you can add some spunk to it. Personally, I have loved combining nudes and neons for this look! All you need for the perfect French Mani look are notebook paper reinforcements and two polish colors of your choice!

1) Paint all of your nails the base color of your choice. (Do 1 or 2 coats, depending on the opacity of the polish!)

2) Allow nails to dry completely! (To help speed up the process you can use a hair dryer or soak your nails in ice water for a few minutes).

3) Once your nails are completely dry, place the reinforcements on your nails such that only the tips are showing. (Make sure to press hard to secure them in place!)

4) Paint the tips of your nails with the color of your choice and immediately remove the reinforcement! Voila, you have a French Tip Mani!

5) Finish off with top coat and you are good to go!


The Crescent Moon Manicure:
This new trend is gorgeous and different! You can use an infinite number of color combinations, but if you want to keep the look summery I would recommend a gold polish at the base of the nail with a bright color on the rest of the nail.

1) Paint all of your nails with the BOTTOM color of your choice.

2) Allow nails to dry completely! (To help speed up the process you can use a hair dryer or soak your nails in ice water for a few minutes).

3) Once your nails are completely dry, place the reinforcements along the base of your nails so that there is a crescent shape at the bottom of your nail covered by the sticker.

4) Paint your nails the main color of your choice, and remove the reinforcement immediately!

5) Allow nails to dry and add a top coat!

The Zebra Stripe: Time to get a little animalistic with your nail polish! Animal strips are very fun to add some attitude to your nails. You could just paint one accent nail with these stripes, or paint all ten of them! To achieve the classic zebra stripe look all you need is a white nail polish and a (super opaque!) black one.

1) Start by applying an opaque base with the white polish on your nails.

2) Once the white polish has dried completely, use a small tipped eyeliner brush (or any thin brush from an art store) and dip the brush in the black polish.

3) Using a light hand, create the zebra stripes on your nails by flicking the brush across your nails. Make sure you’re not too perfect with it to create an authentic look!

4) Let your nails dry completely then apply a top coat!

Do you know any tricks for achieving this year’s hottest nail trends? Let us know in the comments below!
 

Alex Horvitz is a junior at Tufts University in Boston, MA. She is double-majoring in Economics and Psychology and minoring in Communications and Media Studies. With a passion for beauty blogging, Alex is a contributing beauty blogger for Her Campus. Alex is a Co-President of Her Campus Tufts and she also worked as a Sales & Marketing Associate for Her Campus during the Summer of 2012. Email AlexHorvitz@hercampus.com with questions or connect with her on Twitter @Alex_Horvitz or LinkedIn!