INTRODUCING THE PASTEL NAIL TREND WE'LL ALL BE BOOKING IN FOR POST-LOCKDOWN

Lockdown life has meant that trips to the nail salon have sadly become a thing of the not-so-distant past. It seems almost cruel that whilst we are all confined to naked (or in my case – badly painted) nails, Instagram has been flooded with the prettiest pastel nail trends. Yes, yes I can hear you all sighing “pastels in spring… ground-breaking” in homage to The Devil Wears Prada BUT hear me out. Whether it’s a subtle gradient, a fresh take on the French mani, or full on colour, you really can make the pastel trend your own - even if you're usually a BIG fan of the neutrals like me!

#1 | Pastel French Tips

Ah the French manicure, ever a classic but always fun to freshen up to keep it youthful and it’s so easy to achieve! Begin with your basic nail prep by filing, applying a base coat and leave to dry. Then simply apply your pastel colour of choice and apply only to the tips of the nail where the white would be on a traditional French manicure. Leave to dry and finish with a high shine top coat for that ultimate glossy look. I always adore the polishes from Essie especially Mademoiselle | £7.99 as they have such a fab selection of pastels.

You could even turn this whole look on its head and go for the reverse French – equally easy to achieve only instead of the tips, you paint the crescent moon / semi-circular part of your nailbed. Easy and unique, what’s not to love?

#2 | Pastel Ombre

Another look that will have people wowed – you did THAT yourself?! Whilst it might look salon professional its actually really simple to achieve with just your average cosmetic sponge! Apply a base coat and allow to dry thoroughly. Now I’m not talking about your pretend attempts to let your nails dry whilst you impatiently blow on them to get to the next step… they need to actually DRY otherwise you’ll end up with a hot mess. Once (properly) dry paint your chosen shade directly onto the beauty sponge and then apply to 1/3 of your nail. TIP – clean up any excess polish from the skin around the nail using a makeup wipe or cotton bud. Finish with a top coat and voilà!

#3 | Pastel Mix & Match

For those of you wanting something simple yet effective, this one’s for you. Simply pick five different yet complimentary pastel shades and apply a different one to each nail and just like that, you’re done!

In a while, crocodile!

Char x