Manicure on very short nails is relevant at all times, since not every girl can afford a significant length. It suits any style of clothing, does not interfere with an active lifestyle, and is chosen by busy and dynamic women.
How to do it at home? What colors and patterns are in trend for the new season?
You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.
Fashion trends 2022
In the new season, variegated shades of yellow, orange, and pink have become popular. Noble nude still does not go out of fashion. Stylists advise not to be shy in choosing nail polish colors. The main highlight of 2022 is interesting drawings that, with some practice, any woman can do at home.
Long nails are no longer so in demand - girls are increasingly choosing convenience and naturalness. There are many design options for short nails.
Today, the beauty industry offers more and more interesting design techniques.
Among them are especially relevant in 2021-2022:
- French is an unfading classic that adds sophistication and aristocracy to women's hands. Today, anyone can do it without visiting a salon with the help of special stencil stickers. Apply a transparent base, draw a white line at the end, and secure with topcoat. When finished, decorate with a few rhinestones.
- Stripes are one of the hottest trends this year. Nails are covered with a translucent base. As a base, try shellac in light nude shades. Afterwards, apply short stripes with a thin brush or felt-tip pen.
- A plain nude is a practical, classic option that gives the impression of good taste and will make your arms neat and elongated. When performing work, it is better to cover the nail plate with a beige, light or flesh-colored shade.
- Abstractionism is a mix of various figures with unusual outlines (triangles, ovals, oblique lines).
- Ombre is an interesting technology that has managed to win the hearts of many ladies. It hasn't gone out of fashion for several years now. The peculiarity is smooth transitions without a pronounced gradient; varnishes are chosen that are similar in palette. If a more formal option is required, then you can use bright materials, which, if desired, are complemented with shiny stones or beads.
- Fruits - paintings depicting cute pineapples, bananas, lemons and other bright summer fruits are the latest in nail fashion. This type of work will give the image a little freedom and will decorate a summer outfit or swimsuit.
- Matte is its peculiarity in its laconic design and the use of high-quality dense materials. To enhance the graphite effect, special powder is applied.
- Confetti - usually applied to only a few nails. The technology uses finely chopped foil toppings of various shades.
Try making fun nail art with your own hands, following the step-by-step instructions:
- prepare water-based varnishes in a muted palette (white, beige, pink);
- find funny stickers or cut out funny mini-pictures from magazines;
- Apply the base coat and gel to your nails, wait until dry;
- attach the sticker, secure on top with a transparent primer.
Making an interesting drawing at home is not at all difficult. All you need is your imagination and a few training sessions.
Another fashionable option for combining matte and confetti:
- Cover your nails with a plain gel.
- Apply large glitter glitter to your middle and ring fingers.
- Secure the result with a special transparent product.
This play of matte and shine looks very eclectic and unexpected.
Silver, gold and metallic
Every fashionista should have nail polishes in fantastic shades in her arsenal: golden, metallic, silver, ultramarine, mirror shimmer. This style is loved by designers for its versatility and unusualness. This manicure can be combined with jeans, sneakers, evening dresses, and a daytime look.
Combining or alternating glossy colors looks beautiful. For example, you can apply a black base and paint two nails with gold pigment; or paint it with silver varnish, diluting it with purple elements.
With stylish pinstripes
Sometimes short nails are not a choice, but the consequences of brittleness, fragility or a structural feature. The nail plate can be lengthened using vertical stripes. Cover with the main matte color and wait until the material dries. Then, using a thin brush, apply lines several shades darker than the base.
Black and white stripes that alternate each other also look great. Masters have recently been offering an ombre style with smooth transitions. The option with an emphasis on only one finger is suitable for business ladies who do not want to attract undue attention to their hands.
To keep the lines straight, use self-adhesive tapes. They will help you get a perfect result.
Airbrush on nails
Modern salons widely use a fashionable novelty - airbrush technology. In the last few years, stylists have been actively promoting a new trend, focusing on its advantages: safety due to minimal contact, speed of execution, variety of pattern combinations. The new development can turn your hands into a real work of art.
A unique feature of manicure is its application: the gel is sprayed with a special device - an airbrush. Under the influence of compressed air, the compressor delivers the material through a tube with a tip. The dye is applied in a thin, neat layer, which can be repeated several times to create complex multi-colored paintings.
The undoubted advantage of the device is the ability to create smooth transitions, mirror tints, and sea waves. And all this in a matter of minutes, which significantly saves the time required for the work of the master. In just 20-20 minutes you can get the perfect picture created according to your request.
A complex drawing with a variety of details and small elements of the design will take a little longer.
Microscopic paint pollen ensures uniform surface coverage; if necessary, there is a function for regulating flow and density. The technique allows the use of various stencils, thanks to which incredibly complex masterpieces are realized.
For a home manicure, buy a portable airbrush. Modern stores offer many models at reasonable prices.
Solid color design
To create an elegant look, opt for matte polishes in nude, pale pink, and cream palettes. The material can be mirror, translucent, or with a powdery effect. Monochromatic design is always in trend and suits any look.
Decorate your ring or middle finger with glitter: this will add a little originality to the overall look of your hands.
Techniques of blue, burgundy, and gray monochrome application are also in fashion. Mint and salad are very popular today.
Select additional decor based on the length of your fingers and their shape.
Abstraction
Original and unusual figures, skillfully applied with a brush, will perfectly decorate any woman’s hands. These can be chaotic splashes with a brush, triangles, squares, arrows. At home, it is easy to perform the “water” technique, when several lines of varnish are applied and your fingers are dipped into the water to create blurry “waves”.
Abstract design leaves a wide choice for your imagination. Draw whatever you like. To implement it, stock up on a set of thin liners, buy a set of toothpicks and create unusual pictures on your hands. First, practice on gel polishes of similar shades, after which you can safely proceed to contrasting ones.
The style is not recommended for business wear, but it is perfect for spring-summer leisure.
We recommend watching the video:
Color
Once your nails are prepared, you can start choosing the color. When choosing a gel polish design for short nails, try to take into account the color of the skin of your fingers: not all shades of polish can create harmony.
Nails that are too short will be completely lost if the polish is very light or white. The design of 1-2 nails, even with a monochromatic manicure, will attract attention to them. In this case, you can combine different pastel shades; such a play of colors will make your nails more noticeable.
If you want something light, make a monochrome design using different shades and textures of the same color.
A two-color manicure can be played up in an interesting way by adding soft vertical geometry.
Dark varnishes (glossy, matte, light shimmer), as well as bright red, are quite suitable for short nails, provided they are beautifully shaped. A light web of contrasting color or a shiny accent on your favorite nail or finger on which you wear a ring will look interesting.
Accessories
If you want to make an original design that will attract the attention of others, pay attention to accessories. Among them are three-dimensional decorations, materials for spraying, metal decor, stickers, and feathers. They are attached to barely dry gel or special glue.
Fashion accessories you can use:
- Rhinestones are crystals or cut stones.
- Sparkles are small particles of polymer material.
- Lace is a piece of material made from paper or cotton.
- Glitter is a sprinkle of shiny elements.
- Rubbing - powder to create a glossy effect.
- Feathers – small decoration in the form of a bird feather.
- Shells are special decorations in the style of a marine theme.
At home, use only those elements that can be easily attached without the help of outsiders.
Decor
Even in autumn, a matte finish will be very relevant. It can be advantageously combined with any color, combining different techniques with them or experimenting by combining matte and glossy surfaces. Mineral texture is a pretty cool trend for fall 2022.
Nails look charming and especially natural, like cut crystals. The trend of decorating nails with foil will not go out of fashion. It looks bright and elegant, especially in addition to experiments in painting or coating. However, don't overdo it. A foil design will not go well with confetti or rhinestones.
Stained glass
This technique is used using a special stained glass gel. Its peculiarity is that the base of the cuticle should remain transparent, the pattern is applied to the rest of the plate.
The varnishes used in the work are distinguished by a thick translucent texture that can even out any ornament or decor. The result is a beautiful glossy effect, like polished glass.
The basis for the execution is a French manicure, the tip of the nail is covered with stained glass gel. You will find it in any cosmetic store. A wide range of palettes allows you to create unique masterpieces.
Are drawings still in trend?
Many fashionistas ask the question: how relevant are patterns on nails? Isn't this a relic of the past?
Undoubtedly, thick patterns on each finger look sloppy and do not fit with any attire.
However, masters are developing new ideas, combining ornaments with monochromatic elements, not forgetting about decorations. This is especially true for small nails: a pile of shapes and lines on them seems inappropriate.
To maintain balance, choose one or two fingers to design, leaving the rest with a matte finish. Avoid sharp transitions and too contrasting gels, this further reduces the size of the plate and the fingers appear shorter.
Ask the salon to paint one nail with a fashionable print. It could be fruit, shiny stripes, a crown of stones near the cuticle.
Video for you
Pros of manicure with gel polish
Gel polish protects and strengthens nail plates
Gel polish is a hybrid of nail extension gel and colored nail polish. After the usual application, it needs to be dried under an ultraviolet lamp, but if a three-phase system gel polish is used, then the nail is additionally covered with a base and top coat.
Gel polish applied to short nails has the following advantages:
- Strengthening . The nail plate under this coating is tightly fixed, the risk of mechanical damage is almost zero.
- Protecting nails from external influences. Gel polish on nails is a strong barrier that protects nails from the destructive effects of household chemicals.
- Well maintained appearance . A huge advantage of gel polish is its natural look, thanks to which such a manicure will not look artificial and you will be able to have beautiful and well-groomed hands even with the shortest nails.
- Thanks to the durability of the coating and long wear period, gel polish makes it possible to grow healthy nails .
Coating your nails with gel polish allows you to grow short nails
Short nails are not a reason to neglect your nails and not get a manicure with varnish. And it is obvious that, when choosing between nail extensions and gel polish, fans of naturalness will prefer the second option.
Gel manicure technology is more gentle - it does not require a strong nail polish, some basic compositions contain vitamins and nutrients for the nail plate, and there is always the opportunity to strengthen the nails with the IBX system during the manicure process.
Some tips
Many girls mistakenly believe that a small plate surface can only be covered with one tone and that’s it. However, there are a huge number of patterns that will advantageously decorate a manicure.
To make the right choice, follow a few tips:
- Avoid mixing a large number of colors; it is better to give preference to elegant ornaments or decorative elements, otherwise your hands will look tacky.
- Drawings and rhinestones should be matched to the location in a minimum quantity.
- Warm nude shades visually lengthen your fingers, while dark shades shorten them.
- It is worth abandoning a clear horizontal gradient so as not to reduce the size of the plate.
Manicure design options for short nails with photos
If you don’t yet know what manicure to get, then the designs in the selected photos will help you navigate and find your own option.
