Ombre hair may not have been your thing, but it's hard to deny the subtle beauty of the ombre nail. Nonie Creme, Founding Creative Director of butter LONDON nail polish, loves this look. "It's sophisticated and artistic, but quietly so."
Creme shares her tips to get the look: Start by applying a base coat to clean nails, then do two coats of your lightest shade (the color that'll mostly show at the base of your nails) and let it dry. Then apply a blob of the second shade of polish to the tip of your nail. Wipe your brush thoroughly (so there's no extra polish) then drag the brush through the blob and towards the base of your nail so it feathers out. Repeat this step with a third, darker polish shade (use a smaller blob), but don't go as close to the base of your nail. Finish with a top coat.
Source: F*ck Yeah, Nail Art blog
Photo 12/14
Easiest ombre ever
Another way to do ombre on your nails is to paint each finger a different shade of the same color and go from dark to light. If you have an extensive polish collection this probably isn't too difficult, just gather up all your pinks, purples, whatever, and lay them out from darkest to lightest. Or if that sounds like too much work, try an ombre kit, $22, like the ones from The New Black nail polish, says Mismas. They lay out five coordinating shades, no guesswork needed.
Source: The New Black nail polish
Photo 13/14
Single standout
Technically this is more of a variation on painting your nails than typical "nail art," but it's a great option if you want to ease into the trend. Just take any two nail polish colors you want and paint all but one or two fingers with one shade and the remaining nails with the other. Mismas suggests putting a brighter or glitter shade on just your ring finger and thumb, your "texting fingers," so they'll stand out a bit.
Source: F*ck Yeah, Nail Art blog
Photo 14/14
Oooh, science-y
This looks tricky, but it's literally as easy as painting your nails. You just need to use magnetic polish, which uses a magnet in the lid to create that wavy design on your nails. "I'm really into magnetic polishes, they're totally gimmicky, but they're easier than crackle polishes," Mismas says. "They're really goof proof, if you mess up you can just polish over it and try again." Mismas used Layla Magneffect, $16 in this photo. She adds that since the colors are pretty on their own, you could just do the magnet effect on one or two nails and keep the rest simple for a subtler look.
Source: F*ck Yeah, Nail Art blog
Love it or hate it, nail art is a full-blown trend. There are literally thousands of blogs devoted to these souped-up manicures, and there are countless nail designs -- more than you could try in a lifetime of trips to the nail salon.
But while we love ogling the creative techniques and the how-did-they-do-that nail designs, let's face it: As adorable as pink glittered bows or neon stripes are, they don't exactly fly after a certain age.
This doesn't mean we're permanently relegated to boring nude or sheer pink manis. With a little digging and some help from a few experts, we found 13 nail designs that are perfect for grown-ups. It's all about "fine art for nails," says Nonie Creme, Founding Creative Director of butter LONDON nail polish.
What does that mean? Think sophisticated color palettes, simple (yet striking) geometric designs, and minimal glitter. But don't worry. Just because these nail designs are mature doesn't mean they're boring. Keep clicking to see the most amazing -- and wearable -- nail designs we could find.
