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“Are those nail stickers—or did someone actually paint that?!” is probably the biggest sign of a nail art job well done. And even though they look intricate and complicated, some designs are really way simpler to do than you’d imagine.
Valerie Star, makeup artist, hairstylist and nail artist extraordinaire at Caravan Stylist Studios, shared with us step-by-step instructions to get gorgeous flower nail art at home. Once you go through the steps, you’ll find it’s really not as complicated as it looks. And the best part is, the elegant design works year-round. Try these colors, or experiment with your favorites to personalize it even more.
Tools You’ll Need:
Nail Art Tools
- short fine-haired nail brush (Like these ones on Etsy. You might also be able to find a nail art kit, like this Kiss Salon Secrets Nail Art Starter Kit, $10, that has all the brushes you need in one.)
- dotting tool
- nail stick/flat head nail brush
- Q-tips
- polish remover
- a piece of paper or mini paint palette
- Zoya Dove (light gray)
- Zoya Ali (hot pink)
- Zoya Cole (peach)
- Zoya Josie (light green)
- Zoya Shawn (dark green—optional)
Step 2: Paint your nails with two coats of the light gray base shade.
Step 3: Once that is about dry, take the hot pink shade and put a dollop on your paint palette/paper. Using a dotting tool, apply random. imperfect circles on your nail, leaving space between each.
Step 4: Once you’ve done one hand, take the peach polish shade and dollop some onto your palette. Using the short thin brush, dip it into the peach, making sure not to get too much on the brush. On the very edge of the hot pink circles, make three slightly curved lines, leaving a space in between each around the circle. Add one or two small comma shapes on the inside of the hot pink area.
Step 5: Time for some leaves! Add a dollop of light green to the palette. Using the small thin-haired brush, make small comma shapes around each flower, applying one on each side.
Step 6: If you want to go the extra mile, add a dab of darker green (Zoya Shawn) to the leaves for definition. Add color to your paint palette/paper. Dip the short thin-haired brush lightly into the dark green polish. Make sure not to get a lot of polish on the tip. Make a small line in the middle of each leaf.
Step 7: Take a nail stick or a clean flat head brush and dip it into polish remover to clean extra polish around cuticles.
Step 8: Once you are done, allow the polish to dry and apply a clear topcoat.
