One of my outlets is giving myself a manicure. Adding a little bit of color to my day. Here are some of my nail art creations.

Ombré Nails, one of the latest nail trends that I had to check out was the ombré nail. It’s really easy too. Just take a latex sponge, add nail polish, and then sponge onto your already pre-painted solid color nail.

Above is my first attempt with the ombré nail. The base coat was Essie’s “Aruba Blue”, and the the lighter blue that I sponged on for the ombré effect is “Naughty Nautical.”

This ombré nail look was my next attempt at ombré, and I tried for a bit more subtle a look, as well as a more complicated process. I actually sponged on two colors, creating a smoother transition from my purple base to black. The base color was Opi’s “Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not,” the second color was Opi’s “We’ll Always Have Paris,” and the third color was Essie’s “Licorice.” One unexpected perk I found to the ombré nail art, is that it is extremely durable. I’m tough on my nails, manicures usually only last a day or two, but these nails lasted a little over a week. That makes me a fan!

French manicures are a staple in my nail art pocket. I did these girlie French nails while I was on the phone with my mother (can you say multi-tasker). I started with a traditional French manicure using Essie’s “Blanc” for the tips. Then using a nail brush I added a line of Opi’s “Pompeii Purple” underneath. I finished off with a coat of Essie’s “Sugar Daddy”.

While nail art is fun, sometimes you just want something neutral. These nails were inspired by a nail look that I saw on the runway. The base coat is Opi’s “Hopelessly in Love” with a black dot of Essie’s “Licorice”. It’s a very subtle, modern look that I had to recreate.