DIY manicure

The standard French manicure is practically a beauty faux pas at this point, but Kaley Cuoco showed us how to take a modern spin that's fresh and unexpected. She went for a bare nail that was accented with a chromatic gold tip. To re-create her look, the key is to start off with a flattering base coat, such as Butter London's Nail Foundation ($24.95). This subtly tinted polish will hide any imperfections in the nail but still allow your natural nail to show through. Once you apply your base coat, use a metallic gold polish, like Ciaté Sand Dune (approx $15.30), to polish the tip. Finish the look with a glossy top coat for a "polished" look.

You don't have to be a nail art fanatic to pull off this easy-to-do nude look: all you need is a flesh-toned polish and neutral metallic. I used Deborah Lippmann Naked, a light beige shade — try OPI Nail Lacquer in Samoan Sand for a similar finish — along with MAC Glamour Daze Nail Lacquer in Girl Trouble ($22), for a barely there hint of pink.

After your base coat, apply two thin layers of nude polish. I recommend waiting a minimum of an hour before proceeding to the next step, which involves tape. Once the nude layer is completely dry, use regular tape to section off the outer part of your nail. Place it diagonally, leaving the part you want metallic bare. Paint over with one coat of metallic and peel the tape off while the polish is still wet. Now repeat on the rest of your fingers and seal the look with a high-shine top coat. The metallic mixed with a creamy nude offers a nice play of textures, and the muted look is suitable for even the most conservative workplaces.

Nothing says party beauty like decking yourself out in gold. But instead of going for a metallic gold manicure, why not try a gold leaf topcoat? We love the limited-edition gilded topcoat, OPI The Man With the Golden Gun ($40), but you can also put your DIY skills to work and create your own gold leaf topcoat at home.

All you need to do is make a trip to your local craft store and pick up a packet of gold foil. Break up the pieces using a bobby pin on top of a piece of paper. Next, funnel the pieces into your favourite topcoat little by little, using the polish brush to push pieces down into the polish. If you don't want to sacrifice a whole bottle of topcoat, then simply break off pieces of the gold foil and sandwich them between two layers of topcoat like I did for the look above.

A black manicure is a fashion staple, but adding a touch of shimmer creates the perfect go-with-everything party manicure. Keep your nails trimmed short and use a file to get your desired shape. Next, apply two coats of your favourite black lacquer — I used Essie Nail Polish in Licorice ($18.95). There are plenty of scintillating topcoats to choose from this season. For this particular manicure, I opted for Butter London Nail Lacquer in Fairy Cake ($45, set of three), which features fine silver and holographic glitter in a pale grey polish. The sheer base mutes the severity of the black polish and adds a dose of multifaceted glitter in one coat.

There's no rule that demands manicure symmetry, you know. Instead, get playful with your nail art and try different designs on each nail. This sparkling combo nail design is fun and looks complicated, but it's easy to re-create. Start off with three complementary nail shades. I like to play with texture, so I opted for one creamy shade, a metallic hue, and a sparkling polish.

I used Essie Nail Polish in Absolutely Shore, Deborah Lippmann Nail Color in Believe, and Essie Nail Polish in Beyond Cozy. I painted my thumb and pinkie with the metallic polish, my index finger with the glitter polish, and my middle and ring finger with the creamy polish. Then I added some embellishments by adding a single rhinestone to the base of my middle finger and my pinkie. Next I added glittery polka dots to my ring finger, using the tip of a bobby pin. Lastly the look is finished with a layer of a high-gloss topcoat to seal everything in.

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