Have you heard of the boyfriend manicure? A famous celebrity got a miniature picture of her boyfriend, pasted it over her nail and sealed it with gel polish. And that is how the boyfriend manicure came about. How you wear your nails will always be a part of your overall style and a reflection of your lifestyle choices. So what sort of announcement do your nails make for you? Here are a few ways your talons do the talking.

ON-TREND 

You won’t be caught with chipped or unvarnished nails ever. Always filed and polished and in keeping with the latest nail trends, you pretty much have nailed the art of being on point. If you fall into this category, you must be sporting one of the following nail trends:

Logo nails

Nail trends are swinging from the ornate to the clean and graphic and you would have neatened up your nail act by going logo. Here you announce your love for your favourite brand or your own brand, by painting a logo on your nails!

Negative space nails

To achieve negative nails, shapes ranging from a stripe to a heart or a flower are taped on nails that have been painted with a clear polish. Then a polish of any colour of your choice is painted over the entire nail and taped. Just before the polish dries, the tape is removed, revealing the blank negative space on which the tape was plastered. 

Metallics

These colours in steel grey, envy green, rose pink, silver and gold are enjoying a steady lifelong popularity that isn’t looking like it’s going to ebb anytime soon. And you, Miss On-trend, are making the most of it. The gel version of this lasts a long time and is value for the lucre spent. 

Colour-coded

You are savvy enough to know that his year the hue chosen by Pantone, to pay homage to Prince, was ultraviolet and you will aim to incorporate that colour into your wardrobe and beauty specifics just as many brands have woven this colour into their marketing strategies. You notice how the beauty brands have integrated it into their lines and everything from eyelids to lips and the hair are being made purple. You will wear your nails graded, at least once, from lilac to purple using the ombre technique. 

GO GLITTER 

Glitter has left its shiny trail on everything from clothes to your hair, this year. So why should the nails be left out, you will reason, and rightly so. File your nail square, then draw a metallic glitter strip across the tips like a French manicure and you are part of the hottest trend to hit nail heaven.

GIRL FOR ALL SEASONS

Floral designs in spring; bright red, yellow, orange nails in summer; dark colours or pop shades in winter is your nail style. 

FESTIVE MOOD

Having your nails painted according to the festival that is being celebrated is your thing. The Christmas season, for instance, will see your nails being painted in three dimensions with holly and poinsettia leaves or with images of Santa Claus in all his jolly roundness. For Holi, you will fervently hue-worship with your nails painted in riotous bursts of colour. 

TRIBAL CALL 

Dark lipstick, nails and heavily kohl-lined eyes. Or nail rings and nail tattoos peeping out of your beloved hands, signs that give off tribe vibes. 

ECO-FRIENDLY TREE HUGGER

You have read up on all those toxic chemicals in nail polish and how established brands are revamping their ingredients to cater to the burgeoning of your eco-conscious beauty tribe. You will wear only polish like ‘three free’, ‘five free’, which basically mean the polishes are free of chemicals like Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde and Toluene, resin and camphor. 

MAKE A STATEMENT 

Gay pride rainbow nails are a single arched line with rainbow colours or Vibgyor in seven shades of glitter! 

The semi-colon symbol nail art is used by many suicide survivors to remind them that they made it past their darkest moments and are living to tell their warrior tale. 

Pink ribbon nail art for cancer survivors.

Red ribbon, AIDS Day art.

Fangirl nails: From Cristiano Ronaldo to Roger Federer, get your homage picture out and onto your nails or simply use the ‘I heart’ emoji and name your crush.

SOCIAL MEDIA HEADLINER

Nailfies anyone? Big crystals, three-dimensional creations, catlike claws that bend over into your palm, nail rings, and anything outlandish enough to get you escalating eyeball counts.

BOSS LADY 

Neutral colours, light pinks, beiges, nudes, medium to short nails unobtrusively French manicured — your subdued elegant approach ensures that nothing distracts your boardroom brainstorming.

TAKE A BREATHER, NAILS

Ever noticed your nails looking a tired, coarse and a dull shade of yellow? It’s time to give it a break from all the polish and buffing and have a relaxing mani-spa that includes nourishing oils containing vitamin E. 

Priscilla Corner is a senior hairstylist with the UK Hair Council and co-owner of the June Tomkyns chain of salons. She has been recently appointed the national brand ambassador for Schwarzkopf ESSENSITY. She can be reached at @junetomkynshair on Twitter and @priscilla_corner on Instagram