The Style Glossy: Beauty Counter
Spring Mani? Nailed It!
By SHELLEY LEVITT for The Style Glossy
This year boasts some of the best trends for spring nails we’ve seen in a while — hands down! There are new shapes, new shades of polish and a new sophistication to the season’s manicures and pedicures.
If you’ve been sitting out the nail art trend, now is the time to jump into the pool. The updated take includes some over-the-top styles for when you’re wrapping your fingers around a melon mojito at the new rooftop bar downtown; but there are also more subtle versions that are classy enough for a job interview or meeting your boyfriend’s parents.
“This spring, we’re seeing lots of creativity in nails,” says Julie Serquinia, co-owner of Paint Shop Beverly Hills, a posh salon that has prettified the nails of celebs like Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba and Tyra Banks. “Even women who have been doing neutrals for years are finding they want to be a little more expressive with their manicures and pedicures. It’s like trying a new shade of lipstick — fun, without a big risk or investment.”
Here’s a handle on some of the biggest hottest spring nails for 2014:
Get Dusty
Pastels are softer and more muted than in seasons past, Serquinia says. They look like they’ve been slightly bleached by the desert sun during Coachella. Think sage, mint green, muted orchid and rosy pink. These are shades you’d find in herbs and spring flowers, rather than a jar of jellybeans. (Bright pops of color will make their entrance in summer.)
Make It Metallic
Like jeweled embellishments on a classic clutch, shimmer and glimmer is adding a day-to-night flash to manicures. Dress up a neutral manicure with a topcoat of sheer sparkle. Or, swipe slate gray nails with a wash of silver, melon with gold, lavender or blue with pewter, darker hues with gunmetal.
Leave a Tip
Rather than doing top-to-bottom nail art, women are adding a few polka dots or delicate webbing patterns on the tips of their nails. Copy the minimalist look from the Kate Spade runway and accent matte nails with a stripe of red, pink, yellow or black.
“Women are finding ways to translate nail art into what works for their lifestyle and taste,” Serquinia says.
If your office is too conservative for even understated nail art, save the decorations for your toes. You’ll feel daring when you kick off your sensible heels!
Grow It Out
If you’re going to sport two-tone nails or nail art, you need a little length.
“Pick a single pretty shade if your nails are short,” Serquinia says. “For more creative looks, you want your nails to extend about a quarter inch or more beyond your fingertips.”
Shape Up
You’ve been doing square or squoval (square-oval) nails for years now. It’s time to consider a new filing system. Spring’s feminine colors look beautiful on almond- or oval-shaped nails. Or, borrow a trend from the catwalk and sport nails filed into a stiletto shape.
Share pics of your pretty
spring nails with us on Twitter at @TheStyleGlossy & @SilvieArmas.
Shelley
Levitt is
the managing editor of The Style Glossy. She is a former West Coast editor of Self and senior writer
at People.