Four Colorful Summer Nail Art Designs to Recreate for the ‘Gram ASAP

Is it really summer if you haven’t debuted a fun, colorful mani? The answer (for us, at least) is no, and we think we have proof that Essie’s on the same page as us. The brand’s newest nail polish collections — Soda Pop Shop, Seaglass Shimmers, Summer 2018 and Gel Couture Avant-Garde — are all about color, and if you take a look at the brand’s IG, you’ll probably find that color’s bursting from the page.

Ahead, check out four colorful nail designs for summer (or whenever, really), featuring shades from Essie’s New Avant-Garde Collection and the Summer 2018 Collection.

Summer Loving, by Essie Global Lead Educator Rita Remark

Recommended Essie Shades: First Base Base Coat, Empower-Mint, The Fuschia Is Bright, Young, Wild & Me, Good To Go Top Coat

STEP 1: Apply First Base Base Coat to each nail, and let it dry.

STEP 2: Apply one generous coat of Empower-Mint. Let it dry.

STEP 3: On a cosmetic wedge, polish Empower-Mint and Fuschia is Bright horizontally, blending where the two colors meet. Working quickly, lightly press the cosmetic wedge into the bottom half of each nail to create an ombré effect.

STEP 4: Choose two statement nails on each hand and with a striping brush dipped in Young, Wild & Me, polish two crossing lines to form an X.

STEP 5: On each statement nail, polish another arrow shape in each of the four quadrants of the X, leaving space between the lines to see the ombré.

STEP 6: On each statement nail, fill in each mini arrow with a striping or detail brush dipped in Young, Wild & Me.

STEP 7: Finish with Good to Go Topcoat.

Rainbow Mani by Essie Celebrity Manicurist Alicia Torello

Recommended Essie Shades: Here to Stay Base Coat, Gel Couture Avant-Garde in Avant-Garment, Mojito Madness, Butler Please, Geranium, Playdate, Tart Deco, Speed Setter Top Coat

STEP 1: Start with Essie Here to Stay Base Coat.

STEP 2: Taking a striping brush and start on your first nail. “I prefer to start with the pinky and work from there,” explains Alicia Torello. “With your striping brush, start a little above the middle of the nail towards the tip and swipe horizontally from one side to the other, then again a little bit closer to get the outline of your box shape, then fill in. If you mess up, you can take a little brush dipped in some remover to fix.”

STEP 3: Move onto the color that’ll be on the very tip, using your striping brush to add color. “I find that if I have a little bit of an uneven line, I overlap the tip color over the first color I laid down to correct it,” says Torello. Repeat this process with all of your nails.

STEP 4: Finish with a top coat like Essie Speed Setter for quick drying time and added shine.

Watermelon Mani by Alicia Torello

Recommended Essie Shades: Here to Stay Base Coat, Skinny Dip, Watermelon, Mojito Madness, Licorice, Speed Setter Top Coat

STEP 1: Same as Step 1 For Rainbow Mani (See Above)

STEP 2: Take a striping brush to create a moon shape at the base of each nail, then go back and trace along the edge of the moon to create the rind.

STEP 3: To create the dots, you can use a dotting tool or toothpick to add a few random seeds.

STEP 4: Same as Step 4 for Rainbow Mani (See Above).

Half-Moon Mani by Alicia Torello

Recommended Essie Shades: Assorted Avant-Garde collection shades to create alf-moons: Showroom for One, Set the Alarm, What’s the Stitch, Dye-Mentions, Avant-Garment, Exhibit A-Line, Bold Boundaries, Pinned to perfection and Gel Couture Platinum Garde Finish Top Coat

STEP 1: Start with a clean nail, no base coat needed.

STEP 2: Use a striping brush to create the moon shape at the base of each nail. If you’re having trouble creating this shape, use a reinforcement as a tool to trace the moon outline.

STEP 3: Go back in with your striping brush and trace along the edge of the moon to create a different colored edge.

STEP 4: Top off the look with Platinum Garde Finishing Top Coat for a gel-like finish.

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