DESIGN WITHIN REACH

You have a nail artist within you

LET SPARKLES FLY

First, paint each nail using a clear base coat or sheer pink, then “paint glitter nail polish onto a cosmetic sponge,” says manicurist Anna Miles. Stick Sellotape over the left half of each nail and sponge the glitter over the right. An even easier cheat for professional-looking nail art: stickers. Seal it with two layers of topcoat.

GO TO ANOTHER DIMENSION

Manicurist Naomi Yasuda’s 3D-design method: “Start with big stones in the centre of the nail, then surround them with smaller ones.” Adhere crystals using nail glue. Or try a bubble effect to make nails pop without all the shine. Use a dotting tool to create each drop by painting on little blobs of gel polish in a ball shape, adds manicurist Sojin Oh.

STRIPE RIGHT

To mimic a zebra’s stripes, paint your nails white, then add black by “moving the brush across the nail with a jaggedy stroke,” says manicurist Jessica Washick. Or give polka dots an edge simply by adding dashes: manicurist Gina Edwards recommends starting with a clear base coat, then painting on light pink and black dots.

SWIRL around

To mimic the look of marble, all you need is a clean kitchen sponge, says Anna. Use one shade as your base colour (doesn’t matter which one), let it dry completely (give it a full two minutes), and then “brush the surface of the sponge [with your other colour] until you can see a marble pattern,” she explains.

FLUFF IT UP

Try this dreamy cloud design. For an ethereal effect, Sojin lightly holds her brush and draws lots of little dots: “Start in the middle of the cloud and make circles to create the shape,” she says. And if you need inspiration, don’t forget to look up.