I LOVE nail art. I became interested in it when I started collecting Japanese fashion magazines in the mid to late 00’s. Back then, nail art and decoden (decorating everything with gems and charms and such) were big in Japan. Nail magazines like Nail Max and Nail Venus were popular, but regular Japanese fashion magazines would also occasionally feature nail art. One of my favorite idols was into nail art, too.
It wasn’t long before I was experimenting with nail art myself. I have over 150 bottles of nail polish, which I blame partially on the year I spent working front desk at a nail salon, staring at a wall of polish all day. I also have drawers full of stickers, sequins, and gems for nails. You can find some nail art decorations and tools at drug stores or places like Target, but you’ll have a better selection if you go to a beauty supply store like Sally’s. Of course, the best selection is going to be online.
Nail art doesn’t have to be difficult. There are a lot of simple things you can do to make your nails look anything but simple. [This post contains affiliate links.]
Paint Your Nails Different Colors
This is the easiest thing you can do and doesn’t require any extra tools! For a while it was trendy to just paint the ring finger a different color. You can try alternating colors or painting each nail a different color (rainbows, ombre, or other coordinating sets, like holiday or seasonal colors). You can also try a contrast texture (like glitter, metallic, or iridescent) on just one or two nails.
Nail Stickers
Stickers are super easy to use and make your nails look like you spent way more time on them than you did. After your base dries, just add your stickers, put top coat over everything, and you’re done! This is my favorite way to decorate my nails. You can do just one or two nails, or you can cover all of your nails in stickers! Some good tweezers will help a lot. You can’t go wrong with this pink Tweezerman set. Small pointed scissors are also useful for cutting sticker strips. Seems like a good excuse to use some fancy little scissors (heart, flowers, butterflies), but I just have good ol’ Fiskars in a bunch of colors scattered around my house, so I use those (check your craft stores for colors).
I find simple white flower stickers to be the most versatile and probably use them the most, but there are so many options.
- Cute white and pink flowers, hearts, bows, stars, and butterflies
- More cutesy white flowers, hearts, and bows
- White rose designs
- White roses, lace, and bows
- Pastel floral lace with bows
- White and black lace designs with pink and lavender bows – perfect for ryousangata and jirai looks!
- Metallic and holographic cherry blossoms
- Twinkly stars
- Hibiscus in various colors – GREAT for gyaru nails!
- Various pink and colorful flowers
- Fancy red and blue roses
- Roses and other flowers with ornate frames
- Pastel flowers, butterflies, and birds
- Pastel aurora butterflies
- Hearts with butterflies
- Holographic bows, butterflies, and hearts
- Holographic hearts with metallic bows, stars, and moons – has kind of a magical girl feel
- More holographic cute bows
- Ocean themed (seashells, seahorses, starfish) – great for a mermaid themed coord
- Cute strawberries
- Fluffy white cats and pink bows
- Hello Kitty
- A huge, colorful pack of flowers and other cute designs
- Metallic strips
- Curved metallic strips
- Metallic Chainlike designs
Of course, there are stickers for holidays and characters and all kinds of other fun stuff, so take a look around and see what you can find!
Sequins
Sequins are my second favorite thing to use to easily decorate nails. I suggest painting a layer of top coat, pressing the sequins into it while it’s still wet, waiting a bit for it to set, and then painting another layer of top coat over everything to seal it. A wax-tip rhinestone picker will help with accurately placing your sequins (here’s a rainbow set for all you rainbow lovers).
- Hexagons in a rainbow of colors – I’ve seen some neat mosaic-style nail art using these
- Hollow hearts and stars in a bunch of colors
- Hearts and stars in holographic silver only
- Hearts, stars, and butterflies
- Various cute shapes in pink and gold
- Various cute shapes in pink, black, and white
- Clear iridescent in a variety of shapes
- Cherry blossom petals
Flatback Crystals and Pearls
Similar to sequins, press them into wet top coat with a rhinestone picker and then seal them in with more top coat. Crystals and pearls will instantly make your nails look more elegant. Use them alone, create patterns, or add them on top of stickers!
- Multi-pack of clear, AB, colored, and pearl flatbacks (includes a few tools too)
- A huge pack of different color iridescent crystals
- Individual color crystals of various sizes
- AB crystals in various shapes and sizes (more options here)
- AB Hearts and Stars
3D Charms
Charms are fun, but here’s where it gets a little trickier. They’re still easy to use, but because of their bulk, they can get caught on things and fall off more easily. You will probably want to use nail art glue to attach them more securely (use it on large gems, too). I rarely use charms myself, but they are essential for over-the-top J-fashion deco style nails. Of course, they are great for decoden on anything else, too.
- Various heart shapes
- Fancy crystal and pearl bows
- Bows, hearts, flowers, and butterflies in pink, white, and gold
- Bows, hearts, and stars in pink, white, and lavender (also pink, white, and black for dark girly types)
- Bows, roses, hearts, and butterflies in iridescent pink and white
- Iridescent rainbow bows and gems
- Roses and blossoms in various colors
- Hello Kitty style
Paint Your Own Designs!
Ok, this is more difficult, and I also rarely do this, but there are a couple tools you can use to make freehand designs easier. Dots and stripes aren’t too hard, as well as simple shapes like flowers and cat paws.
- ORLY French tip guide stickers – mask off your tips, paint them whatever color you want, and then peel the stickers off
- Various curved, pointed, and straight guides – can also be used to make stripes
- Flat and skinny brushes plus dot tools
- Nail art pens in a variety of colors
Decorating False Nails
It would be a shame to create some really fancy nails that you can only wear once, right? Well apparently a lot of gyarus would have a collection of fake nails and use nail adhesive tabs to change them up every day to match their outfits. I like this for special events, because I can go all out with long, impractical nails, and then take them off at the end of the day to resume daily life without the hinderance (and to preserve the nails). The tabs can last several days, though, if you want to use the same nails for a whole weekend or a short trip.
I use KISS medium oval nails as a base for my nail art, and occasionally the longer ones for costumes. You can also get clear nails in a variety of shapes and lengths. Remember that you can always adjust the shape and length with a nail file. This iridescent pink nail stand set will help hold your nails while you paint and decorate them.
Finally, Top Coat
Once you’re done, don’t forget to seal in your design with top coat! I use OPI RapiDry Top Coat.
I hope this helps inspire some of you to try some nail art of your own! Special occasions and holidays are great chances to experiment with festive designs. Have fun with it!