10 Easy Nail Arts You Can Do At Home
Updated: Apr 28, 2021
Feeling cooped up and need something to relieve your stress? Why not pamper yourself? And what's better for that than a fresh set of nails !? You might think you don’t have the tools or expertise for that, but everything you need for a fabulous manicure is right under your roof. So without much further ado, here are 10 shockingly easy nail arts you can do with simple tools.
1. Turquoise Gem Nails
Materials Required: Turquoise, gold and black nail paint. Plastic foil/wrapper.
Method: Paint your nails with the turquoise colour. Let dry. Then tip some of the black paint onto a flat surface. Crumple up a small piece of plastic foil and dip into the paint. Tap the excess off and dab onto your nails in an erratic manner so no two nails are the same. Let dry. Repeat with the gold colour and seal the manicure with a glossy topcoat.
Voila, low effort but high impact #gemstone #nails! You can switch the base colour to match other gems of your choice (e.g. pink for rose quartz).
2. Galaxy Nails
Materials Required: Dark base nail paint & purple glitter nail paint.
Method: Have glitter polishes that have a lot of clear base and hardly any glitter payoff? It’s their time to shine now. Paint your nails in a dark base colour, preferably black or a deep navy. Let dry. Then apply a thin layer of purple glitter nail paint on top. You can layer different glitters if you have, but don’t overdo it. The dark base should still be visible. Seal your mani with a glossy topcoat.
Here’s your simple #galaxy nail #art to shine in the night sky.
3. Polka Dot Nails
Materials Required: Nail paints in the colour of choice and a bobby pin.
Method: Paint your nails in your colour of choice. Let dry. Pick another colour for the dots and tip some out on a flat surface. Take a clean bobby pin or anything with a small rounded edge. Dip into the polish and gently touch the nail where you want the dot to be. Don’t move around the pin, tap and remove in one swift motion for perfect circles. You can place the dots in a line for a clean look or haphazardly for a more quirky look. Seal the design to protect your precious polka dots.
Pick #nudes and #golds for a more classy look. Go with multi colours for a fun look. Use similar colours for a subtle look and contrasting colours for a more eye catchy output.
4. Floral Dotticure
Materials Required: Nail paint in colours of choice and a bobby pin.
Method: The steps to create the dots remain the same as the polka dot nails, but this time, you place five dots in a circle to form a flower. Picking a different contrasting colour, place a slightly bigger dot in the centre to create the pistil and voila easy and quick floral nails.
Mastered the #polka dot nails or they weren’t your vibe, then try this out instead. Minimal effort, maximum #charm.
5. Glitter Tips
Materials Required: Base nail colour of choice and glitter polish.
Method: Paint your nails in the base colour of choice. Let dry. Now choosing a complimentary glitter colour, apply the glitter at the tips of the nails while gently pulling it upwards towards the base. Be careful to not overdo the glitter and cover the entire nail. Seal the design with a topcoat. Hello instantly #glamorous nails.
You can apply the glitter at the base instead and have reverse glitter tip nails.
6. Glitter Lines
Materials Required: Base nail colour of choice and glitter polish. A thin paint brush or toothpick.
Method: Paint your nails in a base colour of choice. Let dry. Now dip a thin paintbrush or toothpick into your glitter polish (preferably fine glitter for a sharp line) and drag it across horizontally/ vertically across your nail in the desired pattern. Seal with a glossy topcoat.
Like the idea of glitter but don’t like flashy nails? Then glitter lines are the answer in subtlety you’re looking for. Voila, subtle and #classy #glitter nails that won’t overwhelm.
7. Sharpie/ Marker Nails
Materials Required: Base nail colour of choice. Sharpies (sketch pens) or permanent markers in colour of choice.
Method: Paint your nails with the base colour of choice and let dry completely. Once rock hard, just doodle away on your own mini canvas using the pens and let dry before sealing with a topcoat.
Maybe you don’t have many nail #colours at your disposal or you don't feel confident enough yet to paint with nail polish. Worry not, because #sharpies are much easier to work with.
8. Scotch Tape Nails
Materials Required: Nail paints in colour of choice. Scotch tape.
Method: Paint your nails in base colour of choice or leave them bare for some negative space nails. Once completely dry, place your scotch tape on top, but don't press too hard. Layer with a darker polish so that the base doesn’t come through and remove the tape before the polish dries. Repeat if desired for more colour blocking and seal with a top coat.
If you have some scotch tape lying around, then this one is perfect for you. Simple #colourblocknails ready!
9. Mickey Mouse Nails
Materials Required: Nail colours of choice. Pencil with eraser and bobby pins.
Method: Learning from the previous polka dot nails, this technique uses dots of various sizes to create the iconic silhouette of Mickey. Paint your nails in the base colour of choice. Let dry. Now dip the flat surface of an eraser on the back of the pencil into some nail paint (preferably black) and place a big dot onto the lower half of your nails leaving space for the ears. Now dip a bobby pin in the same colour and place two dots where the ears are supposed to go. You can switch objects to get Mickey’s of various sizes. Seal with a top coat and #MickeyMouse in the house!
This one’s for all the little kiddos, or frankly all of us who are still kids at heart. The result is super cute, yet it is so simple.
10. Evergreen French Tips
Materials Required: White and nude nail paint. Reinforcement stickers/ bandaids/ scotch tape.
Method: Paint your nails in a nude or pale pink shade. Alternatively, you can leave them bare if your nails aren’t stained or uneven in colour. Let dry. Now take a reinforcement sticker and tap it on your hands to get most of the gum off. Now place it at the tip of your nail where you want the french tip to start. Paint the tip with white nail polish. Remove the sticker before the polish dries. Let the pain dry and seal with a glossy topcoat. You can also use the rounded portion of band-aids or scotch tape but the line won’t be as curvy, and you’ll get a more blunt French tip.
Want nails that are simple and classy just like you, then #Frenchtips it is.