Congratulations, you've made it about a year in your work-from-home setup. This past year, we've found solace in adorning our eyes in precious designs, changing up our hairstyles, and rocking our favorite fashion pieces during our daily neighborhood strolls, since half our faces have been covered this entire time. But something that seems to be a favorite form of expression amongst many? Decorating our nails with intricate designs to help us grab ahold of some normalcy as we continue to work from our kitchen tables. Given that working from home isn't going anywhere, our at-home nail art is following us into the spring season, too. Here are a few nail-art designs we've been gushing over and the tools you need to recreate them.
Pretty in Pink
This design is perfect for the transitionary period between winter and spring, as it has a subtle nude base with the smallest pop of vibrancy, reminding us that the season of light cardigans and longer days is upon us. We recommend using a nude base that is suitable to your skin tone and lightly brushing the edges of your nail with your neon color of choice.
Blue Monday
An ombre nail design will always have a special place in our hearts as a look we've endlessly tried to accomplish at home to no avail. It's quite difficult to master, especially when working with the little surface area of a nail. This season, we predict that ombre is back, but instead of having a gradient from the cuticle to the edge of the nail, it will be a horizontal gradient across all fingers. To achieve this look, choose five shades of the same color palette, and paint each nail from the lightest shade to the darkest shade, starting with your thumb and ending with your pinky finger. It's a design simple enough for at-home nail novices, yet chic enough for professionals, too.
Art-Deco French
This look screams '80s CHANEL, and we are so here for it. This modern twist on the French manicure is perfect for anyone looking to add an elegant flair to their minimalist vintage Jil Sander attire. To achieve this look, simply apply two coats of the brown or beige color of your choice, and wait about five to 10 minutes for this to dry. Then, with a fine nail brush, draw a black line on the perimeter of your nail. After that, connect the edges of that line with a curved line across your nail. Wait about five to 10 minutes for this to dry so as to avoid smearing as you finish off with the top coat of your choice.
Sunny Days Ahead
This nail design immediately reminds us of warm, breezy road trips with our closest friends along the West Coast, and luckily, it's just as easy to recreate at home as that simple and joyful experience. For this design, we recommend starting with a base coat that will both hydrate and strengthen the nails while masking any ridges in the surface. After that, use any three warm colors of your choice and draw swirly lines across your nails. Finish with a high-shine top coat, and you are good to go.
Checkmate
We’re elated to report that checkers aren’t going anywhere this spring. In fact, this iconic pattern is making its way into our nail art. For this look, we recommend applying different press-on nail designs onto all fingers. Opt for a checkered press-on, a simple block-color press-on design, and an alternate press-on design of your choice, like stars, hearts, or stripes.
Flower Power
What screams spring more than the blossoming of our favorite flowers? We love this design because, although we're not rocking intricate calla lilies on our digits, it's simple enough to do at home while still giving a light and airy feel to our manicures. To achieve this look, apply two coats of your preferred base color, and wait about five to 10 minutes for it to dry. After that, take a nail-dotting tool and place your petals on using a dropping motion—you won't want to press the color onto the nail, as that will cause an indentation. After that, take a smaller-size dotting tool and place a simple dot in the center to create the flower's pistil. Wait for the nails to dry for about five to 10 minutes, and finish the look off with a high-shine top coat to avoid smearing.
Top photo: Courtesy of Instagram/@nails.bysh
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