With Valentine's Day coming up, it's time to start planning your manicure.
Whether you're looking for something chic and simple or trendy and vibrant, gathered below are plenty of popular styles for your next nail appointment.
Bethannie Moore, a nail technician at Polished Nail Salon by Kim, and Marilyn Sharp, owner of Merrell University, shared the current trends they've been seeing lately.
Classic nails
Not a fan of the overly pink, heart-inspired look? Opt for something more subtle with one of these classic looks that never go out of style.
"French tips," Moore said in reply to what timeless looks have made a comeback. "But people make it different. So like last night, instead of the usual curve, it was straight. It was curved technically, but it was a straight line going up."
Moore also said that natural, more muted, colors are currently popular as well.
"Except when you're going on vacation," she said with a chuckle, motioning to her client who chose bright colors for her upcoming cruise.
Many are opting for simpler, shorter nails recently, according to Moore.
She suggests you get them short when you're starting out with a new set, then as they begin to grow out, you start to get used to the longer length.
"At your fingertip, maybe a little longer. Don't go super long," Moore said.
Sharp chimed in with her opinion on what classic styles are becoming popular once more.
"The pointed nails have been really popular, especially for stars and celebrities the last few years. But not so many in the Midwest, we've not really picked up on that too much," she said. "And I think a lot of that is the pandemic. During the last few years during that time frame, people were staying in, staying at home, so I just don't think it ever went over really big like it did in Hollywood. But those definitely have come around again in my era, in my fifty years of doing this."
New trends
Tired of the same old designs that have been around for a while? Try something new. You never know, you may love the look of a ring at the edge of your nail.
"A lot of people are into the abstract now as well," Moore said.
Abstract designs, particularly squiggly lines and unique patterns, are common now for Moore.
"Bright colors usually, dots all over the place. It's hard to get them perfect, but dots don't have to be. As long as they're circle they're fine," Moore said.
Don't say goodbye to ombre yet. Moore said people have begun to put a new, fun twist on the classic ombre.
"The ombre's are still here, but instead of pink and white, they do multiple colors."
If you need to impress with your nails, try a new trend Sharp said is becoming more and more popular recently.
"One thing that I've never seen before in my time is the actual piercing," Sharp said. "The piercing of nails now is -- I think that may be a trend. It's kind of starting to just tip the scale here a little bit, so I really kind of feel like that's going to be popular."
Don't worry; nail piercing doesn't hurt. It's done by piercing through a long nail to apply a nail enhancement, such as rings, chains and other small enhancements.
If a flashy nail isn't your taste, simplicity never goes out of style.
"I think even a nice, clean, natural well-groomed nail is very popular right now with maybe something super simple like the french-polish nail that we had for so many years," Sharp said. "Now it's trending to be a very thin line, where it used to be pretty much the whole free edge of the nail was white.
Sharp said another new trend she's beginning to see is the french being done at the base of the nail instead of the tip.
"But again, they're very thin. So that's something new and I like it. It's a nice, clean look for people who want to dress more simple and more professional looking," she said.
Current Valentine's Day trends
Your Valentine's Day manicure doesn't have to be crazy.
Moore said she has already seen a few subtle designs that are still festive for the holiday of love.
"I've done a neutral background with a light pink ombre on them with hearts. It was really cute," she said. "You could tell they were for Valentine's Day but it didn't scream Valentine's like if you were to do cupid's hearts with arrows or something."
Sharp suggests you base your Valentine's nails off of how dressy your outfit is.
For example, if your outfit is more casual, have fun with your nails by including flower enhancements. Or if you're dressing up for a formal event, opt for a simpler nail to avoid your nails and outfit clashing.
"Keep your polish nice and simple like plain red or plain pink," Sharp suggested. "Even natural colors. Something that I've not seen around here yet but that the trend says is going to be chrome."
Chrome is a very light glaze that is applied over the top of a color to create a shiny, slightly metallic appearance.
"Something like that would be very tasteful with a big fancy dress," Sharp said.
"So for Valentine's Day, that would be my suggestion for now. But you know what, it is America and people can dress and do their nails however they want to," Sharp added with a chuckle.
Bridal ideas
Did you get engaged over the holidays and are now rushing for wedding inspiration? It's never too early to start trying out different bridal nail styles.
"A lot of times, the brides will do either pink and white ombre or some sort of french tip," Moore said. "I had a couple do a neutral background that had abstract white lines just to spice it up a little bit. But it's usually some form of pink in the back, or clear, with white or sparkles depending on if their dress has sparkles or not."
Sharp predicts the chrome overlay will be popular for the 2023 brides, as well as pointed shapes.
Nail care
It's important to take care of your nails in between salon visits.
Nail health can be instrumental in your next manicure depending on how you treat them day to day.
Sharp advises people to always use a sharp nail file when filing their nails.
"You should not ever use an emery board on the end of a natural nail," Sharp said. "The nail is constructed of layers, lots of layers, and the emery board has these big coarse granules to it and those big coarse granules hitting the end of those layers chips those back and makes those peel."
Instead of those damaging emery boards, opt for a good quality metal file, such as a diamond dust nail file.
"Because you know, diamonds will cut a glass, so they're sharp and diamond dust will just file off the end of the nail really smooth and not cause it to peel," Sharp said.
Some nail care is better to leave to the experts.
Whenever you have something other than regular polish on your nails that needs to be soaked off, Moore suggests you book an appointment to have someone soak them off for you.
"Because picking them off leads to damage," Moore said. "It peels little bits of your nail with it and makes them weak. I can't tell you how many people that I've had come in here saying that the gel polish did not work for them."
"Nothing we do should hurt your nails as long as it's taken off correctly," she added.
Moore also suggests not to neglect your pedicures in winter. Even if you don't plan to paint your toenails, getting a pedicure in the colder months ensures the care and upkeep they otherwise might not receive while being stuffed away in winter boots.
Cutting your own cuticles at home is another risky task that Moore advises her clients to avoid doing themselves. To avoid harming yourself or the cuticle, she suggests you simply push the cuticle back after washing dishes or showering while your skin is soft from the warm water.
"Just use the little tool, sometimes I just use my nail just to kind of push it back. It'll help the nail grow because it's not stuck to the nail anymore," Moore said.
Additional tips
Do you have a nail that's a little more yellow or thicker than the rest?
Moore suggests you place Vicks beneath your nail two to three times a week to encourage healthy new growth.
"It won't help what's there but it'll help the new growth stay healthy. I don't know what's in it that does it but it works. It just takes patience," Moore said.
"Some people use tea tree oil. It does the same thing, two or three times a week," she added. "I think that's a little bit more expensive than Vicks, and Vicks is multi-use."
If you can't seem to make an appointment to have someone remove your last design, Moore shared a tip that you can purchase for your own home to avoid harming your nail beds.
"There's something you can find online that will only work on gel polish," she said. "Instead of trying to wrap your fingers with the acetone soak, cotton and foil, there is a polish, sort of, that you can kind of polish on and it will soak your nails off for you -- as long as you break through the top coat. It's called Magic Remover."
This only works on gel polish, however. Dipping powders and acrylics need to be done with acetone.
Inspiration
Whether you have a look in mind or you're looking for whatever is trendy, Moore encourages her clients to choose their own design and be creative.
"A lot of times people just bring me pictures, but if you just want to explain what you want, I can usually make something work," she said.
Can't decide between a few inspiration photos?
Moore said a lot of clients bring her three or four photos, and she'll do a nail or two out of each one for a more unique look.
"Getting your nails done is not a forever thing," Moore said. "They're usually done every couple weeks. I have clients who can go three or four. It all depends on your nail. What works for one person may not work for another.
"We would just need to talk to them and figure out what works. And it's trial and error. Try one thing and if it doesn't work, try another. And when we've tried everything, we'll go to something that lasted the longest."
So go book those manicures and have fun with the designs. But beware of which salon you choose. Sharp said it's important to do your own research to ensure the salon you choose follows healthcare guidelines.
"I feel there are a lot of nail salons now that are just not professional, and I would just encourage people to really go for the healthy places," she said. "Check out places that follow sanitation guidelines. Nails can cause a lot of problems. There can be dirt and bacteria under nails and if the salon does not follow good safety procedures, then you can get diseases from that. So I really, really wish the public would not just take for granted that places are going to be sanitary. Because they're not all."
Julie Smith/News Tribune
Bethannie Moore of Polished Nail Salon by Kim performs the multi-step process of removing the acrylic nails, filing and cutting the exisitng nails then applying polish for a customer.
Julie Smith/News Tribune
After completing the customer's nails, Bethannie Moore of Polished Nail Salon by Kim massages her hands and fingers to complete the experience.
Julie Smith/News Tribune
After completing the customer's nails, Bethannie Moore of Polished Nail Salon by Kim massages her hands and fingers to complete the experience.