Looking for an easy way to try the neon trend this summer? Look no further than this fun DIY manicure. Using bright colors and sparkling accents, your nails will be sure to turn heads and win compliments. If you're not sure you can make bright nails fly at the office, try it on vacation or opt to do your toes instead.
Supplies
You can use any neon nail polishes you'd like, but for this particular manicure we used:
- Julep Essential Cuticle Oil
- Nailtini Double Shots base & top coat
- Waterproof adhesive tape (sports tape) cut into 10 1-inch pieces
- Bodyography Glow with the Flow (yellow) nail lacquer
- Bodyography Monte Carlo (hot pink) nail lacquer
- OmegaLabs USA Nail Art Striper Brush No. 157 (silver glitter)
Step 1: Clean and prep nails
If you have nail polish on your fingers, go ahead and remove it before doing anything else. Once your nails are clean, use cuticle oil to add moisture to your nail bed and cuticles, massaging it into your nail and skin. Wipe excess off nail with a tissue or cotton ball. Finally, apply a layer of base coat to your nail and allow it to dry.
Step 2: Apply adhesive tape
Apply adhesive tape to your nails covering the top half of your nail completely. You may want to push the tape down against the corners of your nail to help prevent polish from seeping under the tape in these areas. Do only one hand at a time, so you can use your opposite hand effectively to apply the polish.
Step 3: Paint bottom half of nail
Carefully apply the first coat of color to the bottom half of your nail. We chose to use the yellow color, as it's less saturated than the pink, making it easier to correct mistakes. Try your best to "stay between the lines" and avoid getting polish on your skin. If you're unable to keep it off your skin completely, it's best if you fix mistakes as you go, although it is possible to fix them later (like we did).
Step 4: Remove the tape carefully
Remove the tape by pulling down carefully from the top of your nail. It's okay if a little bit of the color seeped over the line onto the top of half of your nail. The point of the tape is to help clearly delinate the two halves and to keep the color distribution similar from nail to nail.
Step 5: Define the line
Use the OmegaLabs Nail Art Striper Brush to more clearly define the line between the top and bottom of your nail. This will also act as a barrier to help keep the correct color in the correct area (perfect for people who struggle to stay between the lines). When painting the stripe across your nail, it's really easy to get polish on your skin. Again, try to wipe it off while it's still wet - this will make the process easier in the long run.
Step 6: Paint top half of nail
Using the OmegaLabs stripe as your barrier, paint the top half of your nail with the second color. We chose the hot pink color to make the nails really pop. Other great color combinations include beige and neon orange with a white stripe or neon green and a glittery clear with a turquoise stripe.
Step 7: Allow polish to dry
Allow the first coat of paint to dry completely. You may need to leave a little more time than usual for this step because the OmegaLabs Striper brush often leaves a thicker coat of polish behind.
Step 8: Apply a second coat
Depending on the colors you use, you may or may not need to apply a second coat of polish, but if the color looks uneven, go ahead and carefully apply a second layer as needed. Allow this second coat to dry completely.
Step 9: Apply a top coat and make corrections
Seal the color with a quick-dry top coat like the one by Nailtini. If you accidentally got color on your skin and weren't able to fix it immediately (like us), go ahead and wash your hands after the top coat has dried and gently rub the skin around your nails with soap to remove most of the extra color. It will come off in a day or two if you don't get it perfect immediately!
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