The first bit of makeup a girl applies is usually her mother’s nail polish. Nail polish is said to have originated as early as 3000BC and has been evolving ever since in terms of materials, finishes and what you can do with them. The most sophisticated form of nail art is probably the French Manicure. This involves painting the pink of your nail in one color and highlighting the white part with an opaque white polish. Everyone from the Chinese to the Egyptians and the Incas painted their nails and used nail art and colors to symbolize their status. Today, simple nail art designs do not have any reference to your social status but can be used to make a bold, personal style statement.

Technically, nail polish is applied with a nail paint brush. However, using different tools to apply nail color can give you some interesting effects. The tape is one of the most common tools used to create simple nail art designs. By taping off sections of your nail can help create interesting stencil designs. Designs made with tape can be as simple of as complex as you like. Diving the nail diagonally or creating a chevron effect are two common nail art designs that use tape. Other materials like mesh can also be sued to create interesting stencil designs.

Alternatively, once you have painted a base coat, you could apply a contrast color with crumpled paper, plastic or a sponge to create a textured look.

When you paint your nails with simple nail art designs, it may be a good idea to tape the area around your nail. Use a cutter to clean up the edges and only leave your nail visible. This prevents extra nail paint from being applied on your fingers and saves you the trouble of cleaning up later. It also gives your nails a neater look.

Most nail paints are available in a glossy finish. To create your own matte finish nail paint simply mix a little eye shadow color with clear nail paint. Given the wide variety of eyeshadow colors available, you can have fun mixing and matching till you find a shade you like.
With a little time and patience, anyone can create unique nail art. There is no right and wrong when it comes to nail colors and the best part is if something goes wrong all you need to do is wipe your nail with a piece of cotton wool dipped in nail polish remover and you’ll have a blank slate again.