Spring Nail Designs

What a better way to start off the spring then with some cute nail designs.  I used to always go to the salon for cute nail designs.  Now I save a ton of money and do my own.  There is plenty of inspiration on Pintrest for new designs.  I find that the easiest are animal print and tip designs, I haven't quite got flowers down yet, but I am improving.  You don't need fancy supplies or professional artistry to give it a try so lets do it.  I will be posting other designs and a gradient tutorial in the near future.

Supplies Needed:

- Picture of Design (I'm using a cute watermelon motif)
- Nail Polish in Colors of your Choice
- Nail Striper or Long Skinny Paintbrush
- Nail Polish Remover (I use acetone free)
- Top Coat
- Q-Tips and Cotton Balls (For cleaning up mistakes)



If your nails don't grow well like mine you can get acrylic or gel overlay and request no paint or top coat. When you have a clean base to work with you can apply a coat of your under color.

Next I am applying my tips over my base color.  When painting tips I try to paint in one fluid motion starting at the left of the nails, brushing towards the center, then coming from the right to center.  Make sure you do not have too much paint on your brush or it will smudge.  If you need to clean up uneven lines soak a q-tip in polish remover and gently smooth out the lines.  Make sure the layer of polish is dry before using remover.

Next I will be applying details.  I used a black striper to make dots all over the bottom portion of the nails (You can also use a very tiny skinny paint brush).  Then I use a white striper to make the stripe between the green and red part of the nail. If your tip area was a little messy this will help it look smoother.

As an added bonus I took some light green acrylic paint and added 3 small thin stripes to the tip of my nails, this makes it look more like a watermelon (and less like a strawberry).

The last step is to add 1 or 2 nice top coats, this really cleans up the finished look.  Be sure to give them plenty of time to dry.

That's all that is too it. I always paint my left hand first completely (I am right handed) that way if I need to remove any polish I don't ruin my right hand.  Also if I don't like the look of things it is easier to remove paint from one hand. If you're not sure it's you, do a test finger!  And remember you get what you pay for with nail polish, if its cheap chances are it won't coat well.