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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at VCU chapter.

 

Matte With Texture
Matte finish is all the rage and now you can even buy matte topcoats! Paint your nails a solid color and use a matte topcoat. When that dries, use the first color to make dots on your nail to create texture and a cool contrast.

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Leather Look
Paint your nails solid black and immediately after, dab a coarse sponge on your nails to make your nail polish rough. Once it dries, paint a thin coat of black overtop of the first coat to fill in any holes and to slightly smooth it out. Finish with a matte topcoat for a worn leathery look.

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Water Marbling
This may take a few tries but don’t get discouraged! Because this may be tedious for you, consider only doing one finger with this design, as an accent nail. Start with picking a few different colors that you want to swirl together. Fill a cup with water. Let droplets of polish fall into the water one on top of another, almost making a bulls-eye. The polish will spread by itself. Use a toothpick to carefully swirl the colors. You might want to wrap your fingers in tape so that you don’t get nail polish all over them – this can be messy! Put your fingernail on top of the nail polish in the cup and scoop your finger into it so that it is covered with the polish. At this point you can remove the tape and make sure you give your nail polish ample time to dry.

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Feathers
You will need small faux feathers for this look. Cut off the tip of a feather that will fit on your nail. Paint your nail any color, however nude may look best for a more natural look. Paint a topcoat on generously and while it is still wet, gently press the feather down. Paint on a few more layers of topcoat for a hard finish. Once it is dry, you can clip off and file down any excess feather hanging off the end of your nail.

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Ombre
Pick two colors – they can be different shades of the same color or totally different colors. On a flat, disposable surface, make a small pool of each color so that they are almost touching. Using a toothpick, swirl the colors together in the middle to make a gradient from one color to the next. Paint your nails the lighter of the two colors and let it dry. Dip the end of a makeup sponge onto the gradient you made and then stamp your fingernail with it. You may have to do this a few times. Finish with a topcoat. 

Sarah is from Lynchburg, Virginia but has lived in Richmond since attending Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012 where she studied Mass Communications with a concentration in print journalism. She began contributing to Her Campus at VCU as a freshman and was developed to lead the chapter as Campus Correspondent for two years where she increased membership by 65% and brought the chapter ranking from bronze level to platinum level. She enjoyed attending both the mid-atlantic conferences held with the chapter at the College of William & Mary and Her Conferences held in NYC.  Sarah currently works in the tech industry in marketing. She has a background in communications, hospitality and nonprofit consulting. She still loves attending VCU basketball games and also loves live music. In her free time, she likes going on long walks with her dog, tending to her house plants and cycling around downtown. Fun fact: she has never owned a car and is a community advocate for public transit. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn.
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Sarah is a Mass Communications student at VCU with a concentration in Online/Print Journalism. She is passionate about veganism, traveling, music, health and fitness. Her plans after graduation are to move to NYC and work within the journalism field.