Tip for Accessorizing your Nails

Bored of the same old solid shade being painted over your cuticles every single time ? We all are, and it’s high time that you snap out of it as it has become a passing fad ever since, well, who-knows-when !

By the way, if by any chance you're a regular office chick and still cynical about the idea of giving your digits a makeover, fear not for these unique nail art techniques are radically office-friendly and will have your co-workers (including your supervisor) go ooh la la ! in record time !

1) The French Manicure

Application time    :      5 minutes
Drying time           :      20 minutes

Things you'll need :

• Clear nail varnish.

• Natural pastel coloured nail varnish.

• Plain white nail varnish.

• Manicure/nail art stencils (for the purpose of economy, even sticky tapes shall suffice).

(i) Begin by removing any residues of older nail polish that you may have applied before.

(ii) Apply one layer of clear nail polish. This is an important step that should always be followed prior to applying any nail colours, as this tends to form a protective base over the surface of your cuticle thereby preventing any pigments from penetrating through its shafts and causing stains.
Wait for approximately 2-3 minutes for this base coat to dry.

(iii) Apply 1-2 coats of your pastel coloured nail polish. Wait for another 2-3 minutes for this layer to dry before proceeding to the next step.

Note: Natural (or flesh-coloured) nail colours are available in a range of hues and its most prudent that you do your homework by testing a variety of options and finally purchasing one which is most closely suited to the natural shade of your nail.

(iv) Taking your bright white nail colour, coat the top white of your nail by precisely following the line visible between the flesh region and the whiter region. Adjust the thickness of your painted white in proportion to the total length of your nail.

Unless you’re a veteran manicurist, adapting a steady hand sans any help requires a great amount of time, practice and patience! Hence, for those of you who are novices in the field of nail art, use the stencils provided in manicure sets or pieces of sticky tape cut and placed neatly along your cuticle line as a prop for pertaining a neater finish.

Leave to dry for 10 minutes at the least, and remember to pull out the stencil or tape out and away from your nails only AFTER all of polish is completely dry !

(v) Finish off with clear lacquer as a means of top coat. Allow to dry for another 2 minutes.

2) The ‘Faded’ French Manicure

Being a slightly altered version of the conventional French manicure, this particular effect takes an even bolder turn in terms of exuding an even better au naturale look.

After completing the slathering process in step 4, take a small sponge and smudge the inner edge of your white line before it dries ! Et voila, You're ready to rock, girl !

Submitted by : This article is contributed by Teresa Kent, who is a creative writer and a blogger. She loves to write articles in many different genres. Currently she is writing on beauty tips and Lifestyle.