It’s no secret that part of a businesswoman’s office arsenal is an elegant and stylish manicure. However, if you work in a place with scrupulous dress codes, you may have to be careful about the trendy nail art designs you use.
If you want to explore different, interesting nail art designs and still keep things looking professional, you’ve come to the right place!
Here are 9 gorgeous nail art designs that are office-appropriate:
Natural Gradient
If you’re someone who enjoys classic-looking designs, the natural gradient is a trendy nail art design that should be an appealing option for you. It’s very simple to do and often won’t require you to go to a nail salon — unless you prefer to.
Materials you’ll need:
- Nail file
- Nail clipper
- Cuticle pusher
- Nail polish
- Clear
- White (for your base)
- Polish in the color of your choice
- Nail polish remover
- Liquid latex
- Cotton swabs
- Makeup sponge
Instructions:
There are several ways to achieve a natural gradient design. In this example, we’ll be using the sponge method, which is the easiest to follow.
Step 1: Clean, cut, and file your nails before doing anything else. If needed, you can use a cuticle pusher to push your cuticles back to make room for the nail polish.
Step 2: Once your nails are prepped, you can proceed to choose what colors you want to apply. We suggest you stick with natural colors, such as soft pink or tea green.
Step 3: Apply clear polish to your nails and let them dry. This will help reinforce brittle nails so you don’t have to deal with hangnails while sporting your new nail art.
Step 4: Afterward, take your base color (in our example, white) and apply a single coat over your clear polish. Allow this to dry for a couple of minutes before proceeding to the next step.
Step 5: With a cotton swab, apply liquid latex to the skin surrounding your nails. This will make it easier for you to remove excess nail polish later on. Let it dry.
Step 6: Take your makeup sponge and apply your colored nail polish to one edge of it.
Step 7: Carefully dab your makeup sponge onto your nails, regularly shifting pressure to create that gradient. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you achieve your desired look.
Note: Let your first gradient coat dry before applying another layer.
Step 8: Once you’ve gotten your desired look, apply a clear topcoat while your last layer is still wet. This will help the colors blend better. It will also prevent chipping and cracking, extending the lifespan of your nail art.
Step 9: When your nail polish has dried, carefully remove the dried latex from the side of your nails with a cotton swab drenched in nail polish remover.
Step 10: Flaunt your elegant and glamorous new nails at work!
Sweater Nails
November is sweater weather; and if you’re someone who enjoys the look and feel of sweaters, this adorable and creative nail art design will certainly strike your fancy.
Sweater nails first became a thing in 2016, and while that seems like a while ago, this chic design is still a favorite among many women — especially during the holiday season.
This design is a little more complicated than the natural gradient we just covered, so you might want to visit a nail salon if you want to get it right the first time.
Alternatively, if you want to take the DIY route, here are the materials you’ll need and the steps to follow.
Materials you’ll need:
- Gel nail polish
- Matte topcoat
- Clear acrylic powder
- Detail brush
- A bowl or a small dish
- Alcohol
- Cotton pads
Instructions:
Step 1: Prep your nails by cleaning, trimming, and filing them down to your desired shape.
Step 2: Apply two to three thin layers of gel nail polish on your nails. Be sure to cure each coat for 15 seconds before adding another on top of it.
Step 3: Once you’ve accomplished all three coats, take your matte topcoat and layer it on top of your nails. Cure the top layer for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Wipe off the dispersion layer with a cotton pad sprayed with a nail cleaning solution like the N.A.S. 99 Nail Cleansing Solution.
Step 5: Decide on a sweater design you want to use on your nails.
Step 6: Pour a small amount of alcohol into a small dish. Wash your detail brush in the alcohol to clean it. Wipe it dry on a cotton or cloth pad.
Step 7: In a separate dish, pour in a couple of drops of gel polish. Use your detail brush to mix and scoop the gel polish.
Step 8: Start painting your desired design onto your nails.
Step 9: While your nails are still wet, apply the clear acrylic powder onto them. This will give it that fuzzy, cozy sweater look that you’re trying to achieve.
Step 10: Cure your nails for 30 seconds then run a soft brush over them to remove residual dust.
Now you have swanky sweater nails to show your workmates on Monday!
Final Thoughts
While being a professional businesswoman requires you to be serious and poised when at work, there’s no reason you can’t have a little fun with your accessories. Try out these 2 gorgeous nail art designs at your office — you can even invite your friends to join in on the fun.
If you have other ideas, we would love to hear more about them in the comments section. So, get on over there and leave us a message!
