Unless you never stray from your beloved Ballet Slippers, manicure appointments usually begin with a spike of stress, followed by a daunting question: What nail polish color should I choose? When there's easily over 200 gorgeous shades displayed on the salon's shelf, it's an understandably overwhelming decision. Luckily, rainbow nails, otherwise known as the mani trend of the moment, solves this issue.
Instead of just using one solid color for the entire look, this Instagram-beloved, multi-colored mani consists of a different shade on each finger, hence the rainbow reference. While you could go wild and pick ten different shades, most of the time, it's created with only five colors — one hue for each finger of each hand.
So should you go full on bright ROYGBIV? You could, or you could use the spring season as inspiration. "I think it’s cooler to do a pastel moment across your fingers for a soft spring moment — starting with the thumb, try milky pink, soft peach, subtle buttercup, dusty mint, and chalky lilac," suggests Eleanor Langston, the chief creative officer of Paintbox Salon in New York City. "Then, I would do the same on the other hand with the thumb as milky pink and working out in the same spectrum. The gentle pastels are a more modern way to make a rainbow statement that’ll turn heads but still is super flattering and sophisticated."
If you're one for a more monotone mani, you could try rainbow nails' sister trend, gradient nails. It emcompasses a different tone from the same color family on each nail.
If you are ready for that rainbow moment, keep scrolling to shop some pretty pastel polish that'll help get the job done.
VIDEO: 4 Ways to Get Healthy Nails
