In the beauty world, 2012 was the year of nail art. From crackle effects to caviar manicures; it was all about DIY nails and pushing the polish boundaries.
We saw velvet, leather and even feather styles grace our fingertips last year, which makes us ask – what could possibly be next? And even though these nails might look pretty on Instagram, are they really that practical?
If we’re to take some hints from the catwalk, pale nails will be huge this year. Designers including Gucci and Marc Jacobs have ditched the bold reds for natural-looking, nude-coloured nails. But if you can’t stand the thought of your nails looking bare, emerald green was also a huge hit during many catwalk shows for this spring/summer.
From dresses to locks, dip-dye was everywhere last year and the two-tone, ombre look is set to stay for our nails too. In particular diagonal tips are looking like the new must-try, and even better for those of us who aren’t quite a pro, they’re such an easy look to create. Whether on the tips or a stripe through the middle, it’s a super simple way to give your nails a quirky look. Nail art pens are a huge help too, and if you hunt through eBay, you can pick up a whole range of sizes for an absolute bargain.
There are some styles which, without the help of a nail technician, can be almost impossible to do. Answering our nail art prayers, nail wraps are essentially a nail-shaped sticker and super easy to apply. Many nail polish brands are following in the steps of companies such as Nail Rock by launching their own versions, with Nails Inc and Essie jumping in on the action. Pop princess Katy Perry is a huge fan of rocking personalised nail wraps (Oompa Loompa nails anyone?), and there’s tonnes of websites popping up where you can create your own versions, for cheaper than a bottle of polish.
If you found caviar nails a bit of a fuss, there’s lots of exciting other textured nail looks in the pipeline from some of our favourite brands. Concrete nails might not sound appealing, but the gravelly texture will definitely get people talking and is much more practical, meaning your manicure won’t fall apart when you’re digging for your phone in the bottom of your bag. Nails Inc have a range already on the shelves, and Barry M have a pastel collection out in Feb. If you’re a fan of their Hi-Shine collection too, which gives off a gel manicure look, they’ve got a brand new lighter colour range coming out in February just in time to match with our spring wardrobe. Who doesn’t love co-ordinated nails?
If the release of all these new products already in 2013 is anything to go by, it looks like we should expect bigger and better (and crazier) things to be featuring on our nails this year.