It happened again. Every now and then we fall head over heels for an entire new nail polish collection, which forces us to sit with our filed and buffed fingers indecisively picking up each bottle of lacquer unable to choose one to use. Essie’s summer 2013 collection did just that. After being temporarily paralyzed with indecision, we elected to turn this challenge into an opportunity in nail art. And thus, our colorful French manicure was born.

Supplies

Base nail color (we used essie Master Plan) 5 bright nail polishes of your choice (we used the essie summer colors: Full Steam Ahead, Rock the Boat, The More the Merrier, Sunday Funday, The Girls Are Out) Top coat Tape

Directions

Paint your base color. We used a soft neutral shade so our punchy polish colors would really pop. Then pick out your five favorite French tip colors while you allow the base color to dry. (The six shades of essie’s new collection forced us to make a tough decision–sorry Naughty Nautical, next time it’s all you!) Tape it up. Place a piece of tape across your nail, leaving the tip exposed. To avoid the extra mess, we also put a piece of tape under the nail to keep color off of our fingers when we start polishing. Paint it up. Paint one coat of your selected shade on top of the taped off portion on the nail. Remove and repeat. Peel the tape up (see how our nifty under-the-nail trick keeps the polish application mistake-free!), and repeat these steps on each finger. Allow nails to dry, and finish with a layer of top coat.

Is a colorful French mani in your future? We want to see! Show off your summer manicure on Instagram using the hashtag #MDCmani.