Color Blocking Nail Art

The essence of color blocking on nails is to combine blocks of different solid colors.

Want to make a bold and stylish statement with your nails? Then you should definitely try color blocking nail art. Color blocking outfits is quite popular but if you want a milder way to cash in on the trend then try color-blocked nails.

Color-blocked nails featuring bright, bold colors that are opposites on the color wheel are fashionable and definitely the flavor of the season.

From international runaways, to celebrities like Beyonce, to the girl-next-door, you will find a range of color-blocked nails just about everywhere. They are not only trendy and fun but also quite simple to do.

So what do you do to jump into this trendy nail art wagon? The trick here is to pair colors that are fun and complement each other or your outfit. Here are some great nail art ideas to create those perfect color-blocked nails.

If you ever see the celebrity pictures on the magazines closely, then you will realize one trend that has been doing the rounds lately these days. It is the multicolored nails also known as skittles. Sometimes it is just one nail off or alternate nails painted in contrasting colors to create the color-blocked effect.

The color combinations can be bright and varied. It can match your outfit, your makeup or even your mood. If you are unsure about what colors to match up just create an ombre effect by using shades from the same color family, starting from the darkest color on the thumb and moving towards the small fingernail.

However, if you are excited about embracing the fun color block using multi-colored nails, then here are some gorgeous color combinations.

If you are skeptical about trying shiny colors, then stick to neutrals and pastels like mint green, aqua, and turquoise.

French manicure just got a new lease of life, thanks to color tipped nails. Color tipped nails are the perfect way to get color-blocked nails without going over the top. To do this you need to paint the nail in a bright base color, say a mint green.

Once the base coat is dry, place a French tip nail guide sticker on the nail. Take a neutral color like white or black and paint the tip of your nails. You can also take a contrasting color like purple for the green for an added effect. Once the tip is dry, remove the sticker and apply top coat.

A popular variation of a traditional French manicure is the reverse French manicure. Instead of the tips being colored, you can now color the base differently. Moreover, instead of the boring nude shades add a little pop of color to the reverse French manicure by incorporating bright shades like red or blue with a traditional white or black.

Just paint the entire nail with one color. Use a French tip guide on the nail after the nail paint is dry, leaving the base uncovered. Color the base with the shade you want.

Stripes look good not only on zebras but also on your nails. You can opt for a simple diagonal design with two colors split diagonally across the nails or create diagonal triangles with three different colors. All you need are two or three of your favorite nail polish colors in contrasting shades say purple, pink, and black.

Paint the entire nail with the lightest color like light pink. Once two coats of this color have dried, stick diagonal, horizontal or vertical tapes across the nail. Paint the uncovered areas with the next shade. Once this coat is dry, stick a tape and paint the other uncovered parts in diagonal or other stripes.

Geometric designs with those structured blocks and shapes on the nails may look very fancy and hard-to-do, but in fact they are actually not that difficult. The trick that makes it work is a scotch tape. Paint the nails in a single color say orange. Apply scotch tape to one side and bottom of the nail.

Apply a different colored nail polish, say a bright yellow on the uncovered part. Once dry, remove the scotch tape to get a perfect geometric shape on the nails. Other shapes include overlapping rectangles, squares, triangles, and circles on the nails.

• Three of your favorite colors. I have opted for a bright magenta, blue, and black.
• Stationary tape
• Quick-drying topcoat

Start off by painting the entire nail a bright blue. Allow the nail polish to dry on its own or use a quick drying topcoat over it.

1. Apply a piece of tape vertically on the center of the nails. Paint the exposed part of the nail with magenta. It is okay to get some paint on the tape. Once you peel it off, you are sure to get a straight line.

2. Once the nail polish is dry peel off the tape to get half and half nail colors of blue and magenta.
3. Apply a piece of tape on the lower half of the nails.

4. Apply black nail polish over the magenta part of the nails carefully. If you think the color is going to migrate to the blue part, then apply a piece of tape on the part vertically before applying the black nail polish. Once you are done, peel off the tapes and you have stunning color block nails.

The popularity of color block nails is on a rise. It is as if people have suddenly realized that our digits can be utilized as a fashion accessory as well. Color blocking is a trend that is here to stay and you can easily make a style statement by sporting it on your nails.