Ombré Nail Trend for Short Nails

It’s hard to experiment with cool designs on perpetually short nails. So as a self-acknowledged nail-biter (I’m quitting the habit!), I have to get a little more creative with my designs. I especially love the ombré trend on nails, and wanted a way to rock this uber-popular fashion statement.

What You’ll Need:

• Milani Jewel FX in 531 Gold
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Nail Polish in 420 Midnight Blue
• Dior Vernis Nail Lacquer in 797 Bond Street
• Forever 21 Polish in Electric Blue
• OPI Nail Lacquer in No Room For The Blues
• Essie Nail Polish in 337 Waltz
• Base + Top Coat

Step 1

PREP AND BASE

File nails in a squoval shape (not sure what that means? Read our Guide to Nail Shapes!). Then clean cuticles and hydrate hands. Apply a thin layer of your favorite base coat in broad, even strokes.

Step 2

POLISH

Grab your five polishes. Apply the lightest shade on the pinky, and deepen the polish with each subsequent finger. We chose a spectrum of blues that runs from pale sky blue to deep midnight sapphire. Since we didn’t have a paler shade than OPI’s No Room For The Blues (on ring finger), we applied the same color on our pinky and used a pale second coat (Essie Polish in 337 Waltz) to lighten it. Apply two coats.

Step 3

GLITTER

After the color has dried, apply two coats of a glitter top coat over each nail. The hexagon-shaped glitter from Milani Jewel FX gives a new spin to a typical top coat.

Step 4

TOP COAT

Apply a clear top coat to seal the glitter and you’re finished! You’ve got yourself easy ombré nails that you can customize in any shade. Would you try this look for Summer?