Thursday, September 1, 2011

College-Style

College-Style

Cute Nail Trends for Fall

Posted: 31 Aug 2011 11:02 AM PDT

By Megan R of George Brown College. Follow me on Twitter @meggles_07.

Doing my nails has always been something I’ve done to relax and to update my look. It’s probably the quickest, cheapest and easiest way to change up your look. It can be done as often as you want, and can be done in a cost effective manner in your own home. Not someone who’s capable of doing their own nails? Invite your girlfriends over and do each others’ fingers and toes. This way everyone can bring all their nail polishes and you have the ability to use colours you don’t have in your inventory without buying them all!

My Nail Polish collection at the moment:

There’s some nail trends that are really in for fall, and then there are some that I like in general that have nothing to do with the trends. Some of the trends for fall include:

  • Ombre Nails. This look uses a different colour on each finger that are all in the same colour family. (i.e. dark blue on your thumb, and each finger gets lighter in colour. An easy way to do this without buying a lighter shade in the same colour family, is adding white polish to the original colour.
  • Bright Colours. If it’s bright, you’re doing it right. I love this because I find that a bright nail colour will always brighten my mood.
  • Grey. I was unsure about this at first because I was worried that a lot of people would be washed out by the colour, but that’s not the case. I find that it is very flattering on most skin tones.

Tips:

  • Always wear a base coat! I cannot stress this enough, it wasn’t until recently I started using a base coat because I never really thought it would make a difference. Not only does it make the polish go on smoother and more vibrant, it protects your nail from discolouration. Yellowing of the nail is most common, but colours like blues and greens can leave a discolouration behind if you don’t use a base coat.
  • With base coats in mind, you don’t need to go buy one! A topcoat can double as a base-coat, I mean something is better than nothing right?
  • Be patient. My biggest problem when I do my nails is that I want it to be done in thirty seconds and have everything be dry and perfect. So slow down, calm down and let your nails dry before doing anything. Taking a few minutes to dry is better than having to start from scratch.

How-to:

Polka-dotted Nails

I think this is so adorable, and easy to do. Start off with a base-coat, and then add 2-3 coats of a light colour (I used a pale grey) and let that dry completely. Once that’s dry, pick 2 or 3 colours and dab a little of each onto a paper plate or piece of cardboard. Use toothpicks to pick up the colour and add small dots over the nail until you’re happy with them. Top it off with a topcoat and you’re set. You can do dots on just one nail or all of them. It’s all up to you!

Newspaper Print.

I think this is one of the coolest things I have ever seen, and it’s also surprisingly very easy. Start off by cutting up nail sized pieces of newspaper and laying them off to the side. In a small glass or bowl, pour almond extract (vodka or rubbing alcohol works as well) and set off to the side. After a base-coat, apply 2-3 coats of a light colour such as white or any pale colour. The lighter the better. Once that is completely dry, dip your nail into the almond extract so that it is covered. Next, place the newspaper overtop of your nail and press down for 30 seconds without moving it. After 30 seconds, carefully peel off the newspaper and repeat on each nail. Wait a minute or so before applying your topcoat in order for the transferred newsprint to set.

Candy Coated.

I did this one just the other day, and everyone that has seen it, thinks that it is the most original thing they have ever seen. Now this is more advanced and can be difficult to do on your own, so you may want to have a friend there to assist. After a base coat, and 2-3 coats of the colour of your choice (I used a bright pale green), dip your fingers in the round sprinkles while your nails are still wet. This will allow the sprinkles to stick to something, and will set with your nail polish while it dries. You can choose to either do just the tips of your nails, or cover the whole nail in the sprinkles (in which case a base of white would be the best). While the nail polish is drying push any sprinkles into place, for example at the tips of your nails to make them flush with your nail. Try to ensure there is as little overhang of sprinkles as possible, because this will make it difficult to cover afterwards. Once your nail polish is dry, use a thick topcoat (I like the Topcoat by OPI) and cover your nail making sure you do your best to get in between the sprinkles. Also, cover the front edge of your nail to seal the edge of your nail to the edges of the sprinkles. After the topcoat is dry, apply another coat of the top coat just to be on the safe side. This nail look is so quirky and fun and it reminds me of cupcakes. The only downside anyone may find is that it makes your nail feel a little thick, and some may find that it isn’t overly comfortable, but I haven’t had any issues with it.

Thoughts?

So, what do you think of my nail ideas? Would you like to see more in the future? Do you have cool nail polish tricks and tips that you use? Comment below with any ideas or send pictures to info@college-style.com if you rocked it.

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