As cute as they are, you can only alternate orange and blue nails for so many game days. We’re here to spice up your nail designs with easy yet adorable techniques — no fancy equipment required!
Nail Taping
The easiest of our techniques is nail taping. Making lines is hard to do freehand — especially when using your non-dominate hand — so use tape to help you make cool designs without the hassle.
You’ll need: two or more colors of nail polish, masking tape, scissors
- Paint your nails with one color. Let them dry completely (seriously, they need to be really dry).
- Cut masking tape into small strips and create a design (using negative space) by sticking them onto your nails. You can do a fake French manicure, triangles or even lightning bolts!
- Paint the exposed parts of your nails with your other color. Make sure to go right up against the tape so you get a clean line.
- Let your nails dry, then remove the tape. Awesome, right?
Water Marbling
Water-marbling your nails creates a cool tie-dye look. The instructions found here (and adapted below) will let you have a sophisticated-looking design without having to pay for a manicure.
http://www.thefashionspot.com/beauty/news/165855-beauty-diy-water-marbled-nails
You’ll need: scotch tape, two colors of nail polish, cup, water, toothpick
- Apply a base coat of the lighter of your two colors. Most of your nail design will come from the marbling, but this ensures that any gaps will be filled in.
- Tape around the nail on the tips of your fingers. It takes a while, but is worth it so you’re not picking polish off your skin for days! If you don’t want to use tape, you can use Vaseline, but it may not work as well.
- Fill a cup with room temperature water. Drip a drop of polish into the water. Repeat. Alternate with your other color for a bull’s-eye effect.
- With a toothpick, quickly swirl the polish so you have the desired marble effect.
- Dip your nail (fingertip up) into the water. Keep your nail under the water. With your toothpick, move the excess polish away from your finger.
- Remove finger. Any water bubbles will go away over time.
- Repeat with all of your nails, remove tape and you’re done!
Newspaper Nails
If you’re a journalism major, book enthusiast or just like cool designs, newspaper nails could be your thing. Grab a copy of The Alligator, a friend and try this. (http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Newspaper-Nails)
You’ll need: rubbing alcohol, a light-colored nail polish (white, lavender and pale green work well), newspaper, top coat
- Paint your nails with a base coat of the light-colored polish. Let dry.
- Pour a bit of rubbing alcohol into the cap of the rubbing alcohol bottle.
- Cut your newspaper into small strips. The denser the print, the better your nails will look. Try the Classifieds – they usually use small fonts.
- Dip your nail into the rubbing alcohol for five seconds. Upon removing, press a strip of newspaper firmly to your wet nail for ten seconds.
- Peel away newspaper strip carefully.
- Repeat with all of your nails, then paint with top coat so the ink does not rub off. Cool, huh?