2013 has certainly seen a lot of flag-waving, tea drinking and strawberry scoffing as we’ve celebrated all things British. But now, you can stash away the novelty hats and celebrate in style, commemorating the upcoming Royal birth with some fancy nail art.
The design:
Best of British It'll work well with: LBDs and LWDs. It’s an ideal complement to a simple shift dress and will see you through from day to night. Why we love it: This design oozes patriotism; from the regal red to the royal blue and the Union Jack detailing, a nail design couldn’t say ‘Great Britain’ any more than this one – and what could be more British than the birth of a future King or Queen?
How you can do it: Step 1: Apply a base coat and allow to dry before polishing nails in two thin coats of a sparkly red shade, such as Toma’s Red Garnet. Paint the ring fingers in a sparkly royal blue shade; we love Orly’s Luna Eclipse.
Step 2: Using either a thin brush or the Sugar Styler and some white water based paint or polish, paint an ‘X’ on the ring finger and fill in.
Step 3: Paint thinner lines in white towards the centre of the 'X' shape and allow to dry.
Step 4: Dip the Sugar Styler or brush into an opaque red polish and paint thinner lines over the white to complete the flag design.
Step 5: Once the flag has dried fully, apply a top coat to all 10 nails.
Images: Nails by Sam Biddle
The design: The ‘is it a boy, or is it a girl?’ It'll work well with: Casual and summery BBQ attire; from playsuits to summer dresses or your favourite pair of floral shorts. Why we love it: The light hues of baby blue and pastel pink are versatile and easy to wear, and whatever the baby’s sex – you’ll be ready to celebrate with a little bit of sparkle. How you can do it: Either pop to a salon for a Bio Sculpture Gel mani (we love Bio Sculpture Gel’s ‘Grace’ and the pretty pink – and regal – ‘Elizabeth’) or use two thin coats of blue and pink pastel polishes. Grab a darker pink and blue polish and use a striper pen or thin brush to create a Union Jack style design on the ring finger. Finish off the look with a nod to Her Royal Highness using nail glue to adhere diamantés in a crown shape on the thumbs. Seal with a top coat - we love Nubar’s Diamont.
Image: Image courtesy of Bio Sculpture Gel
Helena Biggs is the deputy editor at Scratch magazine. Her book, Nail Art: Inspiring Designs by the World's Leading Nail Technicians, is available to from Amazon.