Bright nail polish, be it neon pink or creamsicle, is undeniably summery — but it isn’t for everyone. If you fall back on sheer nude polish as your go-to and your favorite nail art is the kind that’s only detectable to your best friend at dinner as you’re reaching for the cocktail menu, the newest nail-art trend is for you: The neon ombré French tip is the definition of minimalist, with the perfect kiss of summer brightness.
The trend was brought to us by one of Instagram’s favorite manicurists, Betina Goldstein, who also brought us cuticle striping last season. The new look is similar in that it involves a naked, glossy nail with a single skinny stripe of color. This one, however, is placed at the tip of the nail rather than the cuticle curve, and involves a chic, colorful ombré fade.
For a step-by-step breakdown of how to get the neon ombré French tip on your own, click ahead. Plus, find all the chic color combos we’ll be trying this summer.
Here, Goldstein walks us through the DIY process. You’ll need a skinny striping brush to draw the curve, two colorful accent polishes — Goldstein used Essie In Full Swing (a peach tone) and Strike A Rose (watermelon pink) — and a clear base coat.
Using the striping brush, swipe one accent color along the top half of the tip your nail, stopping halfway across the curve. With the same brush, complete the stripe using your second polish across the other half of the tip. To get the ombré color blend, Goldstein says she used a clear base coat over the top to blur the tones together and create a gradient transition.
You can make your French tip a bit thicker, and opt for a blend of softer pastel shades — like cotton-candy pink and blue — as opposed to neon brights.
We’re calling this ombré French tip "pink lemonade."
You might not think to mix bright yellow with orange, but this blend is all kinds of summer-sunset vibes.
Your rainbow manicure meets the ombré French.
When you put pink and orange together — in any design — your nails are going to feel summery. But this look makes the color play trendy, with a wavy French tip, and the two tones softly blended together.
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Source: Refinery29 – Megan Decker