Half-moon nails are back! The nail art design is trending right now thanks to Instagram and is much easier to create than you may think. It’s a fun take on the widely-loved French manicure, which let’s face it, can be rather generic at times. It uses the same concept however – two contrasting shades, but instead of highlighting the tip, you place your opposite colour at the base of your nail, in a circular shape, above your cuticle beds. See? Much more exciting and depending on your mood, you could go for pastel shades, bright and breezy colours or subtle neutrals. Khloe Kardashian – who is a huge advocate of nail inspo online – first sported the look way back in 2012 and we have been obsessed with it ever since.
© Photo: InstagramHalf-moon nails are BACK!
We spoke to Juanita Huber-Millet, who is the founder of TOWNHOUSE – London's newest – and most exciting – nail bar, who gave us the low-down on this design. "A Half Moon look turns the classic French nail on its head and is a subtle way to add some flair. It's also a look you can practice at home with regular varnish – just keep the remover handy until you get the hang of it." She added: "Whilst in the salon, a Half Moon is painted freehand without stencils, which takes a LOT of practice." Juanita knows we aren’t all professionals so has given us a secret tip which makes this design ever easier, and that’s to use a pack of Hole Punch Reinforcement Labels which you can find on Amazon.
"First, apply a good base coat – Grow Stronger by Essie is a great one. Then, attach the hole punch circle over the bottom of your nail – the top half of the circle will create the half-moon shape." Then, you can start to use polish.
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Juanita recommends "Paint two coats of your favourite varnish over the top of your nail all the way down to the edge of the circle. Then, remove the hole punch circle – it won't be perfect but you should have the rough shape. To tidy things up, get a rounded brush, dip it in nail varnish remover and carefully wipe around the half-moon to create a clean circle"
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Once you have done this, Juanita explains you should finish off by applying a top coat to seal. Easy!
