So we have all grown tired of the coffin shaped nails worn famously by the Kardashian’s, We have all gotten sick of the plain old boring nude colour palette that was 2016. This year, the year of 2017 we are rebelling! 2017’s current nail art trends and also the trend predictions of the year are much more exciting and a lot more colourful.  


Nail Shapes 

  • Rounded
  • Almond
  • Long Almond
  • Squoval
  • Oval

2016’s nail shape trend was either very sharp or very blunt. So we had the narrowed down coffin nails, we had the sharp stiletto nails and we had the blunt squared off ballerina nails. This year we are welcoming back the classic chic rounded shaped nails. So if you’re thinking that you don’t have the fingers for round nails then don’t worry, you can opt for the squoval nail shape which is a rounded off square, best of both worlds! 

Messy? Hell Yes! 

In 2016 the nail art designs were generally quite uniformed and straight forward. Such as plaid designs, stripes, Geo-metric patterns etc. 2017 is our year to be slightly lazy with our nail art but still look somewhat put together! Personally I love this idea, aren’t we all a bit lazy sometimes?! This year we are going for a messy kind of look to our designs. Designs like the split nail is awesome if you aren’t the best nail artist as you can make your lines uneven or overlap the lines. Anything goes this year so if you are quite reserved when it comes to doing nail art then please give it a go this year because...who will know if you messed up?!

To add to the overall messiness of the look, why not add texture? This can be as simple as a textured nail polish such as sand, leather...heck, why not bust out your crackle polishes from years ago! If you want to be a bit more extravagant with your texture, try adding feathers, lace, metallic studs etc...maybe stay clear of dead insects for texture this year!

Make A Statement With Your Colour 

As mentioned previously, the 2017 colour palette is much more adventurous this year than the last. 2017 is the year of bold and bright colours. We are seeing a lot of primary colours and almost clashing colours in designs so far.

Chrome nails started to take off in 2016 but nail experts are predicting 2017 to be the year of chrome. There is a lot more to chrome than we all think. Chrome is quite a futuristic look which in this day and age, leaves a lot of room for growth. Chrome nails don’t have to dominate your entire design and be a full mirror finish, it can be chrome tips like an alternative French or chrome stripes, chrome reverse moon, there is a lot to choose from so have a chat to your nail technician about different ways to implement a bit of chrome into your life.

If you want to play it safe with your colours this year then there are some options for you too. Instead of going for bold, mono-tone and greyscale nails are also in style. Instead of going for a retro ombre look, why not go for a grey fade from grey to black or grey to white, or blur the lines between two different tones of grey? Here is some inspiration for the slightly muted version of this year’s trends.

Not only are the colours very bold, the patterns are also bold and quite “clashy” but they somehow work. Some nail artists are mixing prints such as animal with geo-metrical, botanical with art deco, there are no rules as to what

goes with what this year and it’s a year of complete artistic freedom and expression.

Below are some examples of how much freedom you have this year.

What You Need To Be On Trend This Year 

Since what you say goes this year, you honestly don’t need much to achieve a great result. Here are a few examples of what you can start with.

Split Nail Design

If you are going for a split nail design which can be as simple as just two colours divided, grab yourself some very low tack tape to achieve a divided line. Of course if you want to be messy about it, go right in with the polish brush and paint half of the nail and go right ahead and paint the second half right next to it and over-lap it!

Textures

For texture you can literally use almost anything to create a texture. Bubble wrap, lace, glitter or feathers. Even string can be used to create indents in your partly dried polish.

Chrome

For mirror chrome, unfortunately unless you have UV Cured gel polish then you can’t achieve this look at home as it requires powders that you rub into the sticky layer of the gel. However, you can purchase chrome effect polishes that you can paint over the tips of your nails for a futuristic French or you can purchase nail wraps that you can apply to all or part of your nail which will give you that mirror effect.

Are We Heading In The Right Direction? 

So we have bold and bright colours, we have uneven and messy designs, we have textures, we have futuristic vibes...is this year a year to change all others? Do you feel this year has an actual theme or are we just going hay-wire and going with the flow? Personally I think we are going for a year of expression, a year for people who aren’t as good with nail art to really stand out, to really make a statement with their nail art because let’s face it, we can all go to the nail salon and get a professional to do some fancy designs but for those of us who like to save a bit of money and do our nails at home, we need the room for creativity as well.

What Are You Most Excited To Try This Year?? 

  • Chrome
  • Textures
  • The Bright Colours
  • The Classic Rounded Shapes
  • The Messiness Of Course 
  • All Of It!