Spring has sprung! Or is that just our nails? Regardless, we're getting in to the season by sporting some bright and pastel stripes on our fingertips. For this look we used a variety of brands and colours, but the fun of this mani is mixing and matching! Gather a bunch of your favourite polishes and go with the flow. We used striping tape, available here, to create the straight edges for our lines - but you could just as easily use a thin paint brush available at your local craft store.

We started with OPI's Alpine Snow for our base, a classic white with great coverage. We used Seche Vite top coat and let that dry for about 10 minutes, to ensure the striping tape didn't strip the white polish. Then we applied striping tape at different intervals to achieve the bands of different thickness. We used a few of our favourite colours, examples above, to paint within the boundaries of the striping tape. Alternating the order of your colours on each nail makes this mani even more playful, we tried to keep each nail different! Then, after a few minutes drying time, we carefully peeled off the striping tape and finished with a second coat of top coat! Voila, stripes for spring!

If you didn't know, Valentine's day is coming up. Shocked? Us too. We've been the culprit of the done to death heart nail art many times, but this time we decided to go for a fresh take on Valentine's day nails - red roses! Thanks to Butter London's 25% off Reds Sale, we picked up some classic reds including Blowing Raspberries, Knees Up, Pillar Box Red, and the classic Union Jack Black.

Close up of the middle and ring finger

We have been feeling like a full hand nail art was in store - go big or go home, right? - and so we painted each nail to look like a bouquet of red roses. We started (post base-coat) with Knees Up, which is a gorgeous metallic red which catches the light behind the roses. We then used a nail art brush to make swirl patterns (making up a circle) of Blowing Raspberries and Pillar Box Red covering most of the nail in circles, or 'roses-in-progress', to create depth. We then used a steady hand and a super-thin nail art brush to paint the shadows of the roses in Union Jack Black. Finish with topcoat, and voila - a wilt-proof red rose bouquet!

Full Red Rose Nails

If you're feeling like the full hand is too much for you, we also love this look on the accent nail, with a full hand of Blowing Raspberries (which may just be our new go-to berry shade) to contrast the metallic. What mani will you be rocking on Valentine's day?

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 With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we think it's the right time to get in the spirit and embrace the heart-filled nail art craze. To keep this mani fun and fresh, we used an OPI Liquid Sand Shade on the thumb and ring finger, and used a bold red with black and white accents on the remaining fingers. We love the results, and the added texture from OPI Liquid Sand makes this mani even more interesting to look at! If you can't get your hands on OPIs Liquid Sand collection, we recommend a glitter accent nail in a coordinating shade.

What you need:

• Red nail polish (we used Nails Inc. St. James, available here)
• White nail polish (we used China Glaze White on White, available here)
• Red Liquid Sand nail polish/Glitter nail polish (we used OPI Liquid Sand The Impossible, available here)
• Black nail polish (we used Essie Licorice, available here)
• Nail art brush (available, as a set including a dotter, here)
• Base coat and top coat (we used Essie First Base, available here, and Seche Vite top coat, available here)

What to do:

1. Paint all nails with a base coat.
2. Paint your accent nails (thumb and ring finger) with the red liquid sand (or glitter) polish, and all other fingers with a red polish. Do 2-3 coats as required.
3. Pinky: Use black polish on half of the nail, and paint the top half of 'LOVE' using a nail art brush. After that dries, use the (clean) nail art brush and white polish to connect the bottom half of 'LOVE'.
4. Middle Finger: Using the nail art brush and black polish, starting at the centre of the nail, make two dots and then drag the dots together, making a small heart. Repeat this until the nail is covered. Then, using a clean nail art brush, put white polish inside one of the hearts as an accent heart.
5. Pointer Finger: Using white nail polish and a nail art brush, draw many xo's all over the nail, and then draw a larger white heart in the centre of the nail (following the procedure in step 4). Then, using a clean nail art brush, fill in the white heart with black  polish.
6. Allow all to dry, and paint with a top coat! Note: for OPI Liquid Sand, do not topcoat, as the matte 'sand' effect will be lost.

Completed Valentine's Day Nails

Silver Glitter Ombre Nails

Completed Silver Glitter Ombre Nails.

Why we love these:

These nails are fun and easy, and require no extra-special nail art brushes or techniques! These nails are fun and the layered glitter adds a new dimension of sparkle. These nails are perfect for a night out, and can be done in any colour to match any outfit.

What you need:

• Grey Polish (we used OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts, buy it here)
• Fine Silver Glitter Polish (we used OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, buy it here)
• Medium Silver Glitter Polish (we used Nails Inc. Sloane Square, buy it here)
• Chunky Silver Glitter Polish (we used Sephora by OPI Glitter to the End!, buy it here)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Paint two coats of the grey polish on to your nails, allowing some extra time to dry before starting the glitter polish so there is no running.
3. Take the finest glitter polish, remove all excess polish from the brush, and paint from the tip of your finger to 3/4 to the cuticle on each nail. (Note: The less polish you have on your brush, the more the glitter will appear to 'fade' out in to the next colour)
4. Using the medium glitter polish, remove excess polish from the brush, and paint from the tip of your nails to half  way to the cuticle on each nail.
5. Finally, using the chunky glitter, add some larger pieces of glitter to the tip area of each nail.
6.  Paint all nails with a top coat, ensuring to seal the tips of your nails, and allow to dry!

Flower Patterned Nails

Why we love these:

These nails are super simple, and classic! They don't require a high skill level or any specific tools, and the colours can be varied endlessly. For a simple, chic design that is easy to paint and wear - this is the answer!

What you need:

• Black Polish (we used Essie Licorice, buy it here)
• White Polish (we used OPI Alpine Snow, buy it here)
• Yellow Polish (we used Misa Hanging With the Girls, buy it here)
• Silver Glitter Polish (we used China Glaze Glistening Snow, buy it here)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with a base coat.
2. Paint two coats of a high shine black polish (navy blue works well too!) on each nail.
3. Using the brush attached to your white nail polish lid (no separate brush required, although it may be helpful for smaller flowers) make 5 dots in a circle, and drag inward to the centre of your circle. Repeat these circles on each as many times as you can fit - we averaged about 3 flowers a nail. For a less uniform look, vary sizes of each circle. 
4. On top of the white areas, use a sliver/white glitter. This step can be omitted for a more plain floral pattern.
5. Using yellow polish, make a small dot in the center of your white 'petals', completing your flowers.
6.  After ensuring your nails are dry, paint a layer of top coat (dont miss your tips!) and allow your nails to fully dry!

Drip Nails

The completed Drip Nails.

Why we love it:

These nails give the impression that you just dripped nail polish on to your tips, and let it run down your nails (without the mess!). We love the look of these nails in light and dark shades of the same colour, as well as with neon drips over a nude background - a trend we love for this summer. Black on white or grey also has a cool look to it! Try it out and send us a picture! 

What you need:

• Nail Art Brush and Dotter Tool (buy it in a set here)
• Dark Blue (we used Nails Inc. Baker Street, buy it here)
• Light Blue (we used China Glaze Kinetic Candy, buy it here)
• Medium Blue (we used OPI No Room for the Blues, buy it here)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Paint all nails the lighter blue shade. Two coats may be required.
3. Paint a dark blue tip on your nails - don't worry if it is messy at this point!
4. With the Dotter tool, make 2-4 dots (depending on how big your nails are) at various heights between the middle of your nail, and the tip.
5. With the Nail Art brush, use the darker blue paint to connect the darker tip to your dark blue dots. making what looks like drips down the tips of your nails.
6. Paint on top coat after ensuring your nails are dry so there is no runs in the polish, and allow to dry!

Drip Nail close-up.

Burberry Nails

Full Burberry tape nails.

Why we love these nails:

These nails mirror the iconic pattern that is burberry. These nails look great as an accent nail or a full set, and are classy enough to wear everyday, or out at night! These are definitely a knailart favourite!

What you need:

• Nail Art Brush (buy it in a set here)
• White (we used M.A.C. Vestral White, no longer sold)
• Black (we used Essie Licorice, buy it here)
• Nude (we used Nails Inc. Basil Street, buy it here)
• Maroon (we used Chanel 18 Rouge Noir, view it here)
• Scotch Tape (available at craft stores or dollar stores)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Paint all nails nude. Two coats may be required. Allow to dry.
3. Paint nail polish onto long strips of tape.
4. Cut the tape into the desired widths.
5. Apply white strips, then black, and then red to all nails. Cut off the ends that stick out past the nail. Feel free to change where the whites meet to change up each nail a little bit!
6. Touch anything up with your nail art brush (although the lines should be pretty straight).
7. Paint on top coat after ensuring your nails are dry and the tape is completely stuck, and allow to dry!

The completed look.

The close-up Burberry Nail.

'Missoni' Zig-Zag Nails

The completed Missoni Nail

This nail art looks great as an accent nail or a full set. It would also look fabulous on big toes!

What you need:

• Nail Art Brush (buy it in a set with a dotter from Sephora, here)
• Nude (we used Nails Inc. Basil Street, buy it here)
• Dark Pink (we used Essie Big Spender, buy it here)
• Light Pink (we used Essie Off the Shoulder, buy it here)
• Navy Blue (we used Essie Aruba Blue, buy it here)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Choose a pattern of nail polish that looks the best to you. We used Nude, Navy Blue, Dark Pink, Light Pink.
3. Start in the middle with your darkest colour. Put a dot in the middle of your finger so you can move outwards to the edges of your nail evenly. 
4. Move in one direction first (we went to the cuticle first, then move from middle to tip) using each colour in the pattern you set out, cleaning the nail art brush with nail polish remover and a cotton pad between each colour.
5. Paint on top coat after ensuring your nails are dry so there is no running, and allow to dry!

Tuxedo Nails

Finished Tuxedo Nail!

What you need:

• Nail Art Brush and Dotter Pen (buy it in a set here)
• White (we used M.A.C. Vestral White, no longer sold)
• Black (we used Essie Licorice, buy it here)
• Small diamond (available at Michael's)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Paint all nails white. Two coats may be required.
3. With the nail art brush, paint two black lines from the bottom corner of your nail to the middle on both side and then fill in with black polish once your lines are how you want them.
4. With the nail art brush again, design your bow tie however big or small you want it.
5. With the Dotter Pen, dot 2 black dots down the center of your nail.
6. Once the bow tie is dry, put topcoat on the middle of the bow tie and place the diamond down to dry.
7. Paint on top coat after ensuring your nails are dry and the diamond is stuck, and allow to dry!

Half Moon Nails

A close-up of the finished Half Moon Nails.

What you need:

• Nude (we used Nails Inc. Basil Street, buy it here)
• Coral (we used Nails Inc. Portobello, buy it here)
• Hole Punch Reinforcements (available at Staples, or any school supply store)
• Base Coat and Top Coat (we used Essie, buy the top coat here, and base coat here)

What to do:

1. Start with clean, dry nails. Paint each nail with base coat.
2. Paint all nails with the nude polish. Two coats may be required.
3. Once the polish is completely dry (this may take 10-20 minutes), put the reinforcements on your nail so that the circle has half nail and half cuticle showing. Press the reinforcement gently on to your nail so no nail polish gets under and ruins the half moon!
4. Paint the coral colour from the reinforcement to the tip of your nail. This also may require two coats.
5. Allow the second colour to dry, and then slowly peel off the reinforcement from your nail. 
6. Paint on top coat over both polishes after and allow to dry!

After Step 3, before painting the coral colour.

After Step 4, after painting the coral colour.