Spanish manicure techniques and design options with photos

How to do a Spanish manicure?

The main feature of Spanish manicure is multi-layering.

1. We process the cuticle and the shape of the nail plate using a nail file.
2. Cover the nail with base.
3. Apply pastel varnish to the base. It can be beige and soft pink. Let the varnish dry.
4. We cover half of the nail with bright varnish, or the entire nail, or you can apply stripes.
5. We apply the fixative.
6. This way the color of the varnish will be quite rich. You can use the most unexpected and daring color combinations.

It is important to note

Choose rich matte colors, and glitter for bright accents; you can decorate your nails with rhinestones or other decorative elements.

A manicure on extended nails in a patriotic style is not so difficult to do, especially if the nails are long. A small painted flag will be a great idea for a French manicure. Decorate only 1-2 fingers with the flag, and cover the rest with contrasting varnish.

What to use for manicure with flags:

• stencils for French manicure;
• brush for nail design;
• varnishes of several colors;
• good fixative varnish;
• manicure tape;
• ornaments for decoration.

Bright flags will help you create a very stylish nail design for a party or for every day. Everything will depend on how you decorate the main theme. By the way, for patriotic evenings, City Day or the victory of your favorite football team, this will be the ideal solution. Do all the prep work - give your nails the desired shape, apply a base polish.

Two-tone Spanish manicure

This is the simplest or most common Spanish manicure technique.

1. We process the nail and push back the cuticle with an orange stick.
2. Cover half of the nail with colored varnish.
3. Confident craftsmen simply paint over the second half with a brush. In this case, a contrasting varnish is chosen.
4. If a beginner gets down to business, then it is advisable for him to wait until the varnish is completely dry. Then a stencil is glued onto the nail. This is necessary in order to outline the border of the two halves of the nail plate. Instead of a stencil, adhesive tape or tape is often used.
5. We paint the other half with a different color.

Then you can paint on your nails. You can make beautiful patterns on the border of the two halves, or a curl at the tip of the nail plate. Sparkles would look appropriate. Many artists paint with acrylic paint.

Design ideas

Manicures with flags of different countries can be performed using combined techniques. For example, the basis of the design can be classic, and the accent can be French. Or, on the contrary, you can take a French manicure as a basis, making accents on a classic plain base.

In order not to overload the design, it is better to limit the number of accents , placing them, for example, only on the nails of the ring fingers. You can combine prints with marine or other themes, using the colors of the selected materials. For example, the same British flag will look beautiful if an anchor or stars or stripes are depicted on the nail next to it.

It’s interesting to use a flag print for a lunar manicure. To do this, the hole is painted in one of the traditional colors of the flag. If, for example, you choose the option with stripes and stars, then the stars themselves can be used ready-made, accentuating the cuticle area with them or emphasizing the hole. To make the decor fit more harmoniously into the design of your nails, you should combine star sequins with tiny round ones.

You can use the technique of diagonal and asymmetry, which is what modern design likes to strive for. For example, the pattern can be placed at an angle by making a diagonal jacket. You can take part of the flag as a basis and depict this motif on a nail painted in one color. This technique will look beautiful even if the adjacent nail is painted with a contrasting color characteristic of the same flag. Sometimes even simple stripes on one and stars on the other are enough to create the desired mood, which will clearly indicate the motives of the flag.

Another interesting solution would be a flag made in the form of some geometric figure. This option is interesting because it will visually balance the nail plate when its shape is far from ideal. The lines of the figure can be smooth or, conversely, sharp; the latter option is chosen for nails with clear edges. The flag on the nail can be made in different ways. For example, it is not at all necessary to indicate in detail all its features, drawing every detail. Sometimes it’s worth betting on the colors themselves and allowing yourself a slight deviation from the design. This could be the inclusion of mother-of-pearl in the design, rotating the image, adding elements such as rhinestones, bouillons, rivets.

Striped Spanish manicure

The striped pattern looks much more impressive. You can take a large number of flowers. To avoid overdoing it, you should stick to three or four shades. The Spaniards themselves love colors that practically cannot be combined with each other.

1. A pastel shade is applied to the nail and needs to dry.
2. Stripes of a different color are applied. They can be bright and light.
3. The stripes can consist of different colors, the direction of the stripes is unpredictable.
4. Once the varnish has dried, apply a sealer.

If you make thin stripes, it will look more elegant and beautiful. In this case, various brushes designed for painting will help. If you don’t have brushes at hand, a stencil will come in handy. This is done simply:

1. Paint the nail with the base color. The varnish must dry.
2. Apply colored varnish.
3. We take an adhesive strip or stencil and use it to mark the boundaries of the lines.
4. The space that is created should be filled with varnish of a contrasting color.

Painting is not done on a striped manicure, otherwise it will look tasteless. But if you have a great desire to decorate your nails with patterns, then the bright color of the varnish should be replaced with a soft pale one:

• dim blue;
• beige;
• pink;
• light green.

Methods of execution

You can perform a manicure with flags in a variety of ways. Nail professionals often do this without any stencils, using only thin manicure brushes. Those who find it difficult to draw straight lines use foil tape, simplifying the work of creating a flag. An alternative to drawing is stamping. Despite the fact that the engraved plate does not allow any variations in the design, it turns out quite clear and professional. It takes literally a couple of minutes to complete, which significantly reduces drawing time. If desired, the varnish transferred from the plate to the roller can be painted.

Those who don’t want to bother with brushes, paints and stamping use ready-made water-based stickers or slider designs. It’s easy to work with such pictures; they are glued onto a light substrate and an undried top, sealed with a base and a finishing layer on top. This material is inexpensive, easy to work with and increases the durability of your manicure.

Recommendations

To get a winning manicure, you should resort to little tricks:

1. For summer, bright shades are usually used: yellow, blue, pink, orange and light green.
2. It is important to first apply one color to your nails - the background color. Once it dries, the nails are covered with others.
3. To make your nails visually wide, a pattern with horizontal stripes will help.
4. When creating a manicure, choose two colors that are similar in note, for example, pink and burgundy. This manicure goes well with clothes or lipstick tone.
5. It happens that you can’t paint your nails brightly at work. In this case, a Spanish manicure of two pale shades is suitable. For example, it could be a beige tone and soft pink. Vertical stripes are chosen as the pattern. This will make your nails appear denser.

Peculiarities

A manicure with flags cannot be called a universal design. It is not suitable for everyday looks, and is not always appropriate for evening and romantic looks. This is a specific design that is made for special celebrations or events. More often this is the choice of young people who strive for a bright image that stands out among the usual themes.

You should not attach patriotic significance to manicure, since the design is chosen more according to your mood than to emphasize love for your homeland. Few people know, but in European countries they have a different attitude towards pictures on nails, and even more so towards various flags. At best, European manicure is characterized by bright colors. Only in America on holidays can women afford to decorate their nails with unusual prints. Flags on nails are painted mainly in Russia and the CIS countries.

As for a meaningful manicure with a flag, this design can be seen on the nails of fans of national football teams. At the same time, women's nails are often decorated with the flags of Brazil, Great Britain, Argentina, Italy, the USA and Russia. In this case, prints can be placed both on all nails and on just one, which, by the way, brings greater expressiveness to the design, since it leaves the main background of the remaining nails free.

Designs with flags on nails can be very diverse. By choosing an Armenian, Italian, British, Turkish or other flag, you can complement your image with a rather fresh solution. This manicure can elevate even the most laconic women’s outfit. He doesn’t need any excesses or pretentiousness in his clothes, because the abundance of complex elements of the ensemble will make him lose his expressiveness.

Why do they do this type of nail design?

The motivation for creating a similar design on your nails can be different. A manicure with flags can be a manifestation of patriotism or a symbol of love for a certain country where a person dreams of going on vacation. This nail design is often chosen by those girls who go to any competitions as a participant or fan, as well as those who simply want to emphasize their individuality and draw the attention of others to their extraordinary nature.

In most cases, a manicure with flags is not intended for everyday wear, since the colors and their combinations used to create it are most often very bright and contrasting. If you really want to decorate your hands with a manicure with a flag and wear it in everyday life, then you can paint such a patriotic image on only 1-2 nails, and cover the rest with a calmer, neutral varnish.

In addition to depicting the flags of their country on their nails, modern youth often decorate their pens and wardrobes with stylized drawings of the symbols of other countries. The most popular among young people today is nail designs with the flags of Great Britain and the USA, which, thanks to the bright contrasting colors in their composition, look very stylish. You can also often see the European Union flag on the nails and accessories of fashionistas. Football fans often draw flags of national football teams, as well as the flags of Brazil and Argentina.