The October 2011 issue of SELF Magazine features 2011's best nail trends and gives readers tips on how to create the two-toned manicures making an impact this season.
ODD NAIL OUT
Make like Beyoncé and vary only one nail.
1. Shape your client's nails into a square; the clean edges make all nail colors look pulled together.
2. Choose the desired shade and make this variation cool, not chaotic: Use an accent color that truly contrasts with your nail shade. Consider hunter green with an unexpected flash of silver, or a rich eggplant with a hit of ruby red.
3. Apply a base coat. Then paint nine nails with the primary polish, and paint the "pop" color on one ring finger. Seal with a top coat. It's as simple as a standard mani!
NAVY WITH A TOUCH OF NUDE
Revamp your classic French with a bold blue.
1. Paint your client's entire nail dark blue, says Roxanne Valinoti, the CND nail artist who created a similar look at Behnaz Sarafpour's fall show. Dry nails for at least 10 minutes.
2. For a nude edge, use a skinny brush to draw a thin arch of opaque nude or whitish-pink polish about 1/3 inch from nail tips, following the curve of nails.
Recommended polish: Orly's Pure Porcelain.
PIPING GETS EDGY
When pink seems a tad too girly, add a twist.
1. Apply a thin layer of base coat, then two coats of a peachy pink polish. Let the nails dry completely to avoid smudges.
2. Cover most of each nail with blue painter's tape, leaving the edges exposed. Paint purpose over the tips of the nails. Let them dry, then peel off the tape.
3. Seal color with a top coat and tell clients to reapply every so often to prevent chips.
Recommended polish: OPI's Bubble Bath.
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