Four fresh, summer-ready ideas
After diving head-first into Zoom calls, home workouts and unprecedented amounts of government-imposed housemate bonding, it’s safe to say that we are all—in varying paces and levels of gravity—going nuts. I’ve seen it myself. There are little traces of crazy folded into our everyday now, glaringly obvious if you look hard enough. It’s in the shifty-eyed looks my officemates (can they even be called officemates right now?) shoot at their relatives who trespass into the rectangular no-entry zone that is their webcam frame. It’s in the way some of us would like nothing more than to socially distance ourselves from others even inside our own houses. It’s official: cabin fever has collectively taken over.
We’re all craving for the outside and pretty things and some color, but until it’s legal to step outside again, we’re turning to reinforcements. Enter: our DIY manicure inspo.
Ahead, we take you on a trip through our Instagram bookmarks to share the summer-ready energy of these nail art masterpieces. Round up your nail polish collection and get painting!
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Make a Solid Statement
Image via Mini.Nail Studio
A traditional manicure—a solid color painted all over the nail’s surface, that is—doesn’t have to be boring. Here, color is key, and the warm summer months make for the perfect time to play around with more adventurous palettes. Go for a signature summer look with nail polish in neon shades (this neon yellow is particularly refreshing!) and top it off with a glassy topcoat or a matte finish. Alternatively, go for something more classic with a deep shade of gator green. Or heck, why not wear all the colors you own at once and imitate Angela Lee of Mini Nail Studio’s multicolored mani?
White It Out
Image via Misspopnails
Image via Chillhouse
Image via Jessica Washick
Image via Mini.Nailstudio
Here’s a refreshing cocktail idea: white nail polish + negative space. Go minimal with a painted curve along the top arch of the nail or get creative with squiggles or sparkle shapes. If you’re feeling a hundred and find yourself armed with the right tools and ample skills, go all out with a more intricate pattern like flames or florals.
Ring Around the Rainbow
Image via nails_and_soul
If you find that solid-colored nails too loud and white patterns too understated, here’s a favorable compromise. Master the art of restraint with these minimalist takes on rainbow-colored nails.
File your nails to rounded perfection and offset it with multicolored polish right by the cuticles like Insta-nail artist mynameismikinail did here. Leave a little brightness in everything you touch with this vivid take. Alternatively, fill the entire surface of the lunula (those are the moon-like shapes by the root of your nail!) with a punch of color.
Pattern Play
Image via Gabs Gibbs
Image via Mynameismikinail
If you’re a go big or go home type of person, then patterns are obviously your best bet. Take cues from the Gibbs sisters’ florals and mini cow prints, mynameismikinail’s abstract pattern, or this cherry-themed nail art idea by Nia Ho.
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Which of our dog-eared inspirations are you adding to your nail art bookmarks?
Banner image via Unistella Korea
Art Alexandra Lara
