Geometric Nail Art

These are all designs that I've hand painted on my natural nails; they have strong lines and bright, bold colors,  packing some punch for summertime fun. With Labor Day coming up, it's time to take advantage of the last of the long days of summer, getting in one last wear of your favorite sun dress and stocking up on the remaining polishes from limited edition summer collections.

"Citrus Blocks"

I used two polishes from summer 2012 collections: the green in "Citrus Blocks" (above) is Essie's Mojito Madness, from the Summer 2012 collection, and the white with a blue cast in "Hot & Cold Angles" (below) is OPI's My Boyfriend Scales Walls, from the Spiderman collection.

"Hot & Cold Angles"

For these last two designs, I used a smaller nail art brush or a striper brush for greater control and precision. You could also create these designs using tape. Apparently, the key to using tape and getting a clean line is to wait until the most recent coat is completely dry, apply the tape, paint the next coat, and immediately remove the tape (I have yet to master this technique). Check out the Nailside blog for some impressive tape manis.

"Popsicle"

When you're working with bright colors, starting on a white base makes the colors look brighter and more saturated. It might take two coats of white polish to have an even and opaque base. Try it and compare the difference; you'll be amazed.