How to Create Nail Art Inspired by Spring Runway Trends

A smile is the best fashion statement – and nothing makes me smile more these days then the arrival of spring! I love the way mother nature kind of “wakes up” – shaking off the dull dreariness of winter, and brightening up with freshness and color. I totally take inspiration from mother nature this time of year – I want to throw my windows open and freshen up the house, and I’m ready to check out the spring runways to brighten up my life with fashions that are full of sparkle and color…

Spring sparkle inspired fashion

I love sparkle. I always say that sparkle is my favorite color :) And I love the trend this spring to mix sparkly pieces with pretty pastel colors and florals – it’s just so pretty and girly, which is how spring makes me feel! I love being able to switch from boots and coats to open toed shoes and dresses. So, to celebrate the season I decided to have a Girls Night In party with my favorite momma friends, to get our fingers and toes ready for warm weather. One of my fave spots to do “one stop shopping” is Walgreens – I was able to pick up everything from the wine and snacks, to amazing new collections of polishes and nail art tools from Sally Hansen. Check out ALL of the amazing stuff I found here – #ILuvNailArt at Walgreens shopping trip.

#ILuvNailArt – Sally Hansen Nail Art Inspired by Spring Runways

This spring the runways rocked a ton of different trends – but one thing that most have in common is a lot of mix and match patterns, sparkles, and color. So Sally Hansen has launched a TON of cool products to bring those trends – literally – to your fingertips! Look for this sign in stores to find it.

Choosing nail art supplies

They have a ton of colors to choose from – from bold and bright, to light and airy, to sparkly and shiny. And – check out those super duper cool Salon Effects nail wraps. I bought a set {I’ll show you in a minute} and they are seriously awesome. They also has a very cool Gel Manicure set I grabbed, some treatments and top coats, amazingly fun nail art pens, and so much more. I haven’t shopped for anything other than basic polish before, and I had no idea that there were so many cool options!

Girls Night In Party Time!

At Walgreens, I picked a couple bottles of my fave wine – Ooh La La. It’s perfect for a party like this – the polka dot bottles are so pretty! I also grabbed some bottles of the store brand sparkling flavored waters – they’re called Nice! which I think is so fun. We used those to mix with the wine for some great “mom-tails” to enjoy while we got prettied up.

Sparkly Ombre Nails for Spring

See how great these sparkly ombre nails match up with the pretty spring floral fashions? Ombre is SUCH a big trend right now too – from hair color to fabric colors. I would NEVER be able to create a cool effect like this myself, but I am so in love with it. I used the Salon Effects nail art strips to do this – I was really intimidated at first, but they’re incredibly simple. Check it out:

How to make ombre nails – Easy peasy!

Everything you need to create any of the cool patterns comes right in the box. I am not skilled when it comes to doing my nails. At all. I thought I’d make a serious mess of this, but figured whatever disaster I ended up with would be at least good for a laugh. {Wine makes any idea sound good… Lol.} But, this was SO easy, and totally something I will be doing again! You start with clean, dry nails. Use the included stick to push your cuticles back a little. Then pick the sticker shapes that best fit the shape of your nails. Simply peel the sticker off of the backing, stick it in place on your nail, and then push down really well with the flat side of the little wooden stick to seal it really well. Then you use the nail file {also included!} to get rid of any extra sticker hanging over the tip of your nail. And look at that – looks just like the package! I am in love. {Check out more products and order online if you want to see more options.}

More nail art tips

The girls all had a blast creating fun spring nails. These nail art pens from Sally Hansen were a BIG hit! {Even my 2 year old joined the fun – we gave her sparkly silver nails with polka dots and little pink hearts. Too stinkin’ cute.} And, here are a few tips to make sure your nail art is a success:

• Start fresh: I just adore this DIY hand scrub, it makes your hands amazingly soft, and it’s so simple and cheap to make. {I picked up what we needed at Walgreens too!}
• Quality Polish: Seriously, there IS a difference between the cheaper brands and a good quality polish like Sally Hansen. Almost all of the colors and types that we tried covered in just one coat. Everyone agreed that these were some of the best we’d ever used – at an affordable price too.
• Cooking Spray: Seems crazy, I know. But add a quick spritz of a cooking spray over your finished nails to prevent smudges and help them dry quicker. It works!

Want to host your own party?

You can get some super fun ideas for hosting your own “Spa Day” type party on my Pinterest board. You’ll find some cool nail art ideas there too. When you shop for supplies, make sure to look for the I Heart Nail Art sign at your local Walgreens. Remember to use your Balance Rewards card to save big and earn freebies, and look for the Buy One, Get One 50% off sale on Insta Dri polish and Salon Effects products at Walgreens that runs until 3/30/13. And starting on Sunday the 17th, shoppers can get a coupon on the Walgreens app for Salon Effects too! For even more inspiration, follow #ILuvNailArt on Twitter.

{Disclaimer: I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and COTY #cbias #SocialFabric}