NAIL ART IS ART

Can’t decide between getting a mani-pedi or going to a museum this weekend? Do both—at the same time even. Get your nails done at Vanity Project’s pop-up salon at MoMA PS1 on Saturday. Located in the Confetti System’s 100 Arrangements”exhibit, top nail artists like Fleury Rose and Naomi Yasuda are doing manicures on a first-come, first-serve basis. Says curator Rita Pinto, who plans to open a nail gallery this summer, “Getting my nails done has made me realize how much time goes into the process and because nail art customers are a captive audience, I wanted to merge the experience with video art.”

Vanity Projects Pop Up Nail Salon

photo via

EASY NAIL ART

Feel a little silly rocking nail art to the office, but a little blah wearing a neutral manicure after-work? Balance work and play with a subtle nude-and-metallic DIY design. This project takes five minutes to complete, but one day to prep. Paint your nails a neutral color, like Essie’s Don’t Sweater It, wait a day, and then start part 2. Prep 10 pieces of invisible tape (make sure it’s the kind that peels up easy) and place the tape diagonally across each nail. Then paint the exposed triangle a metallic shade and pull up the tape immediately. Finally add top coat. (For the full lowdown, check out BellaSugar’s video tutorial.)

DIY Nude Nail Art

photo via

DOT DOT DOT

Nail art doesn’t show any signs of fizzling out soon, but yet, “certain patterns have become passé,” observes Refinery29.com. Heralding Nail Art’s New Wave, the site offers up a look book of fresh ideas inspired by super-talented manicurist Julie Kandalec—including one with a Yayoi Kusama-like obsession with dots. Uncork some fresh bottles of polish and try this bubbly design perfect for holding a chilled glass of summery prosecco. Get the full lesson on the Pop Fizz at R29 and embrace “some spots and dots that add a little sophistication and effervescence to the affair.”

The new pop fizz nail art

IT’S A WRAP

So the editors over at Refinery29.com are pretty upfront about their
obsession with nail art—in fact, they recently admitted: “There’s
nothing that gets us quite as giddy as gussying up our digits with
lavish lacquer. It’s safe to say that we are finger-art aficionados,
but that also means that when it comes to wowing us, well, we’re as
tough as nails.” When it comes to manis, they’ve done it all from
“super-involved glitter ombré designs” to “ easy-as-pie stick-ons,”
but even these gals can still get excited about limited-edition nail
wraps from NCLA and celeb jewelry designer Melody Ehsani. The
blinged-out nail wraps will be available for the nail-art fixated on
March 1—and who isn’t these days?
NCLA and Melody Ehsani’s Limited Edition Nail Art

Photo courtesy of NCLA

ART NAILED UP

Nail art is such a popular trend these days that beauty salons have
become more like contemporary art galleries producing wearable
masterpieces. Whimsical designs have replaced the old monochrome
polish and “[what was once] the calling card of mall rats and music
videos is now worn by a multitude of celebrities on the red carpet, as
well as down the runways at Fashion Week,” explains Allure.com. If
you’re looking for artistic inspiration (like mini-gingerbread men
cookies and strings of holiday lights), Allure mines the web for the
hottest manicure blogs today, like The Illustrated Nail and F*** Yeah
Nail Art!, which despite its NSFW moniker “showcases some of the most
creative nail art that exists.”
Allure has the scoop on the top Nail Art Blogs to check out now!

NAIL ART YOU WANT TO ROCK

It’s been a busy year of offstage collaborations for Lady Gaga: First
she started by “inking” a deal with Polaroid in January 2011 for a
series of wireless printers that hit stores in May and now she’s
“nailed” it with a collection of manicure tips she “created with Naomi
Yasuda, personal nail artist to Lady Gaga, and beauty brand Kiss,”
explains Refinery29.com. “The four nail art designs feature cool
embellishments like chains, studs, and rhinestones.” The
limited-edition kits come prêt-a-porter or couture—depending on your
nail art budget, of course.
Get your Lady Gaga nails!

Photos via Refinery29

SPOOKY NAIL ART

Did you see people out in costumes this past weekend? Let’s be real, Halloween isn’t almost here: It’s Here. Nowadays, this spookfest has become more of a season than a mere day of celebration. To help (over)eager revelers incorporate the “spooky spirit” into their everyday wardrobes without wearing full-on costumes to work, Fashionista.com offers up some DIY, Halloween-inspired manicure ideas. (It’s also a great idea for avoiding gruesome nail salon lines as the big day gets closer.) Instead of simply going with a “trendy shade of orange,” try a “Goosebumps-esque slime design.” To get started on this nifty arts-n-crafts project, you’ll need the following basic supplies: base and top coats, Q-tips and remover, and thin-brush polish for detail work like polka dots and stripes. Plus, with the long-awaited “Ghostbusters III” finally in production for 2012—a full 20 years after part two—there might be some longevity to this look.

DIY Halloween Nail Art via Fashionista.com