Supplies

Summer is all about going big with color and nothing shines brighter than a neon hue. I decided to jump on the fluorescent train and upgrade the classic French manicure with some light and bright shades! Enjoy!

● Base coat (Recommended: essie first base)

● Nude nail polish (Recommended: Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in Neutral Statement)

● 5 of your favorite bright/neon nail polish shades (Recommended: essie Neons 2015)

● Top Coat (Recommended: essie Good to Go)

Step 1. Start with clean, manicured hands. Wipe nails with alcohol or acetone to free the nail bed of any oil or dirt. Paint on base coat.

Step 2. Using your favorite opaque nude, paint on two coats over the entire nail and allow two to three minutes to dry.

Step 3. Find five of your favorite bright/neon polishes. I like to plan out the order of the colors beforehand to make sure the lineup looks good. Also, it will move along faster if you keep each bottle slightly open. Create a French tip on each nail. My method for doing this involves leaving just a small amount of polish on the tip of the brush and swiping once from left to center, then right to center. If you have a steady hand, this should create a perfect, slightly curved line (think of a soft smile). If you need more practice, move slowly and go over the line until it's straight. Just be patient and understand this simple nail art requires a very steady hand.

Step 4. Once all nails have their neon French tips, allow four to five minutes for the polish to dry. If they don't dry, you risk smudging the color (and neon blending with nude is not cute).

Step 5. Paint on your favorite top coat to finish the look.

Want more nail inspo? Check out our latest nail tips and tutorials!

Photo: Luke Kingma