Nailin’ It!

In the first of our new series, beauty guru Holly O’Brien takes you through summer’s nailtastic trends.

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It’s no lie that we all love a good play with nail varnish, and the newest trends for Spring/Summer ’13 are imaginative, eye-catching nail designs. From holographic to tribal, floral and even leather and denim-effect nails, there’s no better time to get creative with those claws.

Round one: Nailin’ patterns

Patterned nails are the best way to dress up them paws. You can play around with any colours you like to create your own fun patterns .  With these techniques, you can create any desired look just by using items that are laying around the house – a simple hair grip, and some sello/masking tape.

Get claw-creative. Let’s nail it.

1. Choose a base coat. You can go for whatever colour you want- I’ve chosen to go pastel-pretty and started pale, but you can go for whatever takes your fancy.

2. Lightly place the sellotape so it covers half of your nail. This will act as a guide so you get a nice straight edge.

3. Paint the uncovered part of your nail in a different colour to your base coat and let it dry. Once it’s completely dry, gently peel away the tape, leaving a half/half colour effect.

4. Now for the elusive hair grip! This works just as well as professional nail-art tool at creating a dotty effect, as the tip of the hair grip creates perfect-sized spots for your nails. Open the grip a little so it’s comfy to hold and dip it in another nail colour, using the straight edge from the tape to align dots.

These techniques are really versatile, allowing you to be experimental with colours and decorations. The most important part is to have fun with it, especially as you know it’s not breaking the bank! Give old and unwanted nail polishes a bit of love and re-life by practising these techniques with them – that discarded, free-with-a-magazine colour will become your new favourite. Be experimental and enjoy!