Even nail-art connoisseurs tend to leave a majority of nail-art trends to the professionals. It's not that you don't have the right tools or ample inspiration to reference — it's just that a lot of the hottest manicure trends are hard to execute. But not half-dipped nails.
Just as the name suggests, half-dipped or half-painted nails only call for painting half of your fingernail, leaving the other half bare or with a coat of clear polish. The result is a chic, minimalist manicure that has a fun pop of color. There are plenty of interpretations of the half-dipped nail-art trend on Instagram. Some people create the manicure using a different color nail polish on each finger, others use the same shade on the whole hand, and others keep the half-painted design to just a single accent finger.
Aside from the many ways you can wear this manicure, our favorite thing about it is how easy it is to re-create at home. All you need is your favorite nail polish and a piece of tape. Paint your nails with a clear base coat to start, then once it's dry, cover the bottom half of your nail with the tape to make a horizontal line and paint the visible part of your nail with your desired color. (Just make sure the nail polish is completely dry before peeling off the tape.) After you finish it off with a clear top coat, your nails will look like you just left the salon.
Keep reading for more half-dipped nail-art inspiration.
