Zebra Striped Manicure

September 4, 2012


Nail art is an excellent way express yourself. Whether your feeling conservative or bold, you can let your mani do that talking. Every girl has a day where the french manicure just doesn’t cut it. When you feel like taking a walk on the wild side, follow the steps below to give yourself a zebra striped manicure- at home!

Step 1. Select a base color. The great thing about this mani is that it can be done in many ways. In this tutorial I am going to stick to the classic white with black stripes, but feel free to substitute the white for pink, purple, blue or any other color!

Step 2. Once the base color is dry, begin your stripes! You will need to use the thin nail art brushes for this. The key to stripes is gentle even strokes on each side of the nail. Be sure to angle them out in the same direction.

Step 3-6. Repeat stripes on as many nails as you’d like.

Step 7. Once your stripes are dry, finish with a thick top coat.

Voila! You now know how to give yourself a zebra striped manicure. Keep in mind when doing this with your opposite hand, it can get a little tricky. Just take it slow and you’ll be on your way to earning your stripes in no time!

The Zig Zag Braid

August 24, 2012

If you’re looking for a new twist on the french braid, look no further than the zig-zag braid. With the result looking very complicated, you’d be surprised that the execution is quite simple. The key is understanding how to capture the zig-zag look. Essentially what you’re doing is a half french braid in one direction and then take the same braid back across the other direction. Confused yet? Follow the steps (and images!) below to conquer this quirky ‘do’!

1. Start on one side of your head and begin to french braid as normal (with 3 pieces).

2. When you begin to gather hair, take only from the top. This means on your second piece, you will NOT take hair from underneath. Only gather more hair from the top of the braid.

3. Once you’ve french braided across to the other side of your head, braid a few strands and then continue your french braid below your first. (more…)

The Inside Out French Braid

August 21, 2012

The french braid is a classic hairstyle that can be dressed up or worn casual. This style is also very versatile and has many different versions. Once you’ve mastered the classic, you’ll have no problem with the inside out french braid. To get started, follow the steps below!

1 & 2. Start as you normally would with a french braid with straight loose hair, divided into 3 strands.

3-6.Instead of crossing the pieces over each other like a normal french braid, cross them under each other. This is key in achieving the ‘inside out’ look.

6 & 7. Continue the braid as you normally would, with each strand, gather hair from beneath and incorporate into your braid (remember to place each strand UNDER the other, not on top!)

8. Once you’ve finished your braid, secure with an elastic.

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The Faux Caviar Manicure

August 20, 2012

With manicure trends balancing on a line of bold and just plain crazy, it’s hard to find a style that is fun, practical and most improtantly appropriate for a variety of settings! There are few manicures that fit the criteria above like the faux caviar manicure. Trendy, eye catching and customizable! Follow the steps below to master this ‘appetizing’ nail trend!

Preparation: For this nail trend you can buy the Caviat Caviar nail kit (available at Sephora for $25) or you can be resourceful and check in to your local craft store for tiny beads! I went to Michaels and found a jar of tiny craft beads (available in a variety of colors for $8) which worked just as good! The choice is yours!

1. Gather your prep materials.

2. Give yourself a base coat. In this example I’m using black.

3 & 4. On the second coat, wait a few seconds until nails are tacky, not wet. Then, dip your nails into the ‘caviar’ beads. Once they are on your nail, press firmly to shape the nail and to prevent any loose beads from falling off.

5, 6, & 7. Continue step 2 on as many nails as you’d like. For a subtle look, try adding the beads to just the ring finger. For a bold statement, do all nails except the thumb! If you’re fearless, do all five fingers!

8. Once beads are on, add a thick clear top coat! This will hold the beads together so you won’t have any coming off throughout the day/night!

The key to fabulous results is to let this dry completely! If the beads are securely on and finished with a tight top coat, there is nothing stopping you from making your caviar nails the main course at your next few dinner parties!