Easy nail art may seem like a beauty myth to anyone who has ever spent time scrolling through the many nail art masterpieces on Pinterest and Instagram. And while many nail designs can seem impossible to recreate without the help of a salon professional, there are indeed easy nail art looks that you can pull off yourself.
The struggle is real when you're trying to figure out how to make your nails grow faster. Even though fingernails grow about three millimeters a month, if you have brittle nails, peeling nails or are addicted to nail biting, this can seriously hinder your quest for strong, pretty nails.
Whether it's part of your girls-night-in itinerary or your budget-lockdown savings strategy, giving yourself a manicure always seems like a great idea -- at first. But somewhere between slathering on hand lotion, filing your nails to perfection and delicately dabbing on Ballerina Slipper, this charming at-home-spa fantasy tends to devolve into, well, a total nightmare.
Stiletto nails — the long, pointy nails that overtook our Instgram feeds seemingly overnight — may seem impractical to many a manicure enthusiast. Sure, the pointed nails may render everyday tasks like texting impossible, but just like their namesake the stiletto heel, stiletto nails offer some surprising benefits. For starters, sleek-and-slender stiletto nails elongate the fingers, as well as the nail beds — giving manicurists more room to create amazing stiletto nail designs. And whether you decide to go with minimalist white or black stiletto nails or more over-the-top pointy nail designs, one thing is for sure: razor-sharp stiletto nails add instant sex appeal to any manicure.
While most eyes were on the dresses and jumpsuits that came down the runway at last week's New York Fashion Week, we were laser-focused on models' manicures. If the nail art looks we saw most often are any clue to what will be on trend come spring 2016, we forecast minimalistic and geometric nail designs, along with wild splatter, ombre and dark, moody nails.
Summer is here. Time to free your feet of the confines of closed-toed shoes and break out your flip-flops, peep-toe espadrilles and platform sandals. But first … are your feet up to it? If your neglected toes have you wondering if the socks-with-sandals trend is really all that bad, don't give up on foot freedom just yet. We talked to celeb-trusted nail pros Roxanne Valinoti, Nicole Dihn and Jenna Hipp, who shared their top tips, tools and treatments to have your feet fit for flip-flops -- and you don't even have to leave your house.
Nothing puts us in a better mood than a brand-new manicure in one of the season's freshest colors. And this spring, those colors are pale pastels. While this isn't exactly a groundbreaking seasonal trend, the newest colors for 2015 are much more modern than the Easter egg shades of years past.
Put away your tweezers, magnifying glass, caviar beads and nail glue. The nail art at New York Fashion Week is simple, easy-to-achieve and elegant, while still making a statement. We stalked the runway to find the chicest, trendiest new looks at NYFW, and the verdict is in: elegant, understated nails are replacing over-the-top nail art of yore.
Be honest: You totally judge a nail polish by its name.
You go in for a mani/pedi and you spend a good 10 minutes eyeing colors you like, turning over the tiny glass bottles to see what's written on the bottom. If the nail polish name is a lame pun or just doesn't fit your personality (too girly, too silly, not enough sass) it goes right back on the shelf.
When freezing water is falling from the sky and the temperatures get uncomfortably close to single-digit territory, it gets difficult to stay on-trend under layers and layers of clothing.
The hottest nail polish shade for fall is barely a color at all. It's nude.
We know what you're thinking — "ugh, so boring." But trust us, it's so much prettier than it sounds. We're not talking about baby pinks or sheer beige tones. The nude nail polish colors that we're most excited about this season are opaque enough to make a statement, and they have trendy undertones that range from mauve to gold.
Smith & Cult is the latest creation from Dineh Mohajer -- the founder of Hard Candy, one of the most beloved beauty brands of the '90s. The new 30-shade collection, cheekily called Nailed Lacquers, is inspired by Mohajer's "Diary of a Beauty Junkie," the fictional journal of what we imagine to be a grown-up Cher Horowitz.
Of all the shelf lives of cosmetic products, nail polish sports the longest lifespan. Though experts suggest tossing it two to three years after opening, there's no real reason to throw it out -- it won't grow bacteria like a face wash from junior high might or coagulate like sunscreen from 2005 will. "Nail polish is naturally inhospitable to microorganisms due to the solvents in it," says cosmetic chemist Don Frey. Though it might get goopier over the years, it's not a danger to your health.
Essie's new nail polish collection just gave us the most exciting accessory for fall since the pumpkin spice latte. The fall 2014 collection, Dress to Kilt, encompasses all of the trends we saw walk down the runway, bringing them quite literally right to your fingertips.
When the New York City's cool girls treat themselves to a mani, they head to one place: Paintbox. Founded by former Cosmopolitan beauty editor Eleanor Langston, Paintbox changes the game of the nail salon experience, offering a seasonal menu of on-trend nail designs for a reasonable price in a chic setting. The salon's expert artists rely on Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes to execute their seasonal, ripped-from-a-fashion-editorial nail art looks. Langston gave TotalBeauty.com this exclusive look at the salon's new fall designs and how you can create them with Sally Hansen products.
Us trend spotters go back and forth on whether nail art is in or out, and whether it should be minimalist or bold and graphic. Regardless of what's in vogue, we'll always be fans of statement-making nail art -- and the nail looks at New York Fashion Week are some of our favorite designs yet. Fashion Week debuted gorgeous nail polish colors we're anxiously waiting for come spring, the new negative space manicure trend and a whole lot of intricate designs we're dying to DIY. Here, 12 Fashion Week nail art ideas to try at home.
If you don't have the time or know-how to do your own nail art, a slew of ingeniously formulated polishes are making it easy. Thanks to these cool textures, multichrome colors and chunky glitters, you can get a nail-art look with just one high-tech polish. Here, the sneaky multitaskers that are about to up your nail game.
She's already a go-to girl when it comes to setting fashion and even makeup trends (just check out her secret to the perfect cat eye), but now Alexa Chung is setting the trend in nail polish, too.
Christian Louboutin, he of crimson-soled-shoe fame, announced that he is releasing an eponymous beauty collection. His first foray is a nail polish line. It makes sense, considering it was an assistant's red nail polish that inspired the red soles of his shoes in 1992. The first shade, Rouge, hits stores on August 6, with 30 remaining shades following on August 31. At $50 a pop, these nail polishes aren't cheap -- but considering the faceted crystal bottle is a work of art in itself, the polishes can double as vanity decor. After all, Louboutins weren't meant to be put in a drawer.
