Color blocking, a trendy technique where blocks of solid colors are placed next to each other to add visual interest, works so well for nail art.

Yesterday, I attended the Alice and Olivia color denim preview party, and Hand & Nail Harmony offered Gelish Color Block Manicures using its Candy Land collection to mark the occasion.

Celebrity nail tech Melanie McCulley gave me my manicure in Sugar N’ Spice & Everything Nice, with color blocking on my ring finger. To do a Gelish Color Block Manicure:

1. Apply Gelish base coat. Cure.
2. Apply a thin coat of the lightest color (in my case, Don’t Be Such a Sourpuss) to the entire nail. Cure. Apply a second thin coat of the lightest color to the entire nail. Cure.
3. Use a 7 Gel Square brush to apply the second-lightest color (in my case, Sugar N’ Spice & Everything Nice), leaving just a corner of the first color. Cure. Go over it with a  second coat of this color. Cure.
4. Use a 7 Gel Square brush to apply the darkest color (in my case, Sugar Daddy) diagonally at the free edge. Cure. Go over it with a  second coat of this color. Cure.
5. Appy Gelish top coat. Cure. Remove the tacky layer.

Make sure to charge accordingly for the extra time it takes to create this nail art. Instead of the usual two layers of Gelish per nail, you’ll actually apply six layers. It’s especially important to apply the layers thinly.

—Sree