Glam Slam: Get This Nail Look From NYFW

It used to be all about the clothes at New York Fashion Week, but nails continue to steal some of the style spotlight! For the Rebecca Minkoff Spring/Summer show, Michelle Saunders for Essie, created a colorful look inspired by Minkoff’s unique 3D prints and color scheme. Similar to a watercolor painting, each nail serves as a unique piece of art that intertwines with the collection. Here’s how Michelle created the freehand watercolor nail art.

Get the look

Apply one coat of blanc (snowy white) to make the polish shades appear brighter.

Beginning at the nail bed, apply one coat of bikini so teeny (cornflower blue color) to half of the nail.

PHOTOS: Stars At New York Fashion Week 2014

Next, apply one coat of turquoise & caicos (aqua) to the remaining half of the nail, slightly overlapping with bikini so teeny in the middle.

(Photo Credit: Essie)

Next, dip a striping brush in lollipop (vibrant red) and create a thin horizontal fault line across each nail (do this step to one hand at a time, as the red polish needs to be wet in order to create the watercolor effect)

Directly after creating the fault line, apply a generous amount of good to go top coat over the entire nail; continue to blend towards the tip of the nail until the desired look is achieved

*Expert tip: a base coat is not necessary when creating nail art that consists of several layers of polish; it will make the polish too thick and extremely hard to work with.

(Photo Credit: Essie)

— Ryan Patterson