Last year, I lamented the aggressive nostalgic influence on many fashion and beauty trends, and make no mistake, I’m still tired (if not more so). However, I have been surprised and disappointed that among all the resurgent trends, nail art It hasn’t had its time yet.
When I was a kid, I loved having a cute design on my big toes at the nail salon, usually those abstract stripes that look like a flower and feel clearly tied to the ’90s and ’00s. It was fun to look down and see. white lines mixed with smaller, shiny ones in whatever shiny polish adorned my toes. For my birthday in 2021, I decided it was time to redecorate my toes.
One thing you should know about me is that plain and simple manicures are not my style. I lean towards bold, colorful designs on long nail extensions, the kind of nails that immediately draw attention and compliments. Even if I’m painting my natural nails, I try to add some kind of accent nail (usually a glitter polish) or fix them up with a textured finish (remember crackle nail polish, anyone?).
But when I decided it was time to revive toenail art in my life, I was determined to walk out of the salon with some toe decoration, even the most basic of swirls. I didn’t want to ask for anything too wild and confuse the nail artist, but I still needed to have enough pizzazz to fuel my love of nail art. I finished with some lines and dots in white and gold glitter glazes on my teal painted big toes.
I started googling for future date inspiration but was left with the urge. I rarely struggle to find inspiration for my manicures (I’ve seen artists draw inspiration from thermal imaging of heat, auras, geodes, and more), so why was it so hard to find something for my toenails?
After several failed Google searches, I searched for Instagram and Tiktok, scrolling through hashtags like #toenaildesign and #pedicurenailart. I still struggled to find what I wanted, but Instagram was much more successful for me when I discovered artists who regularly do pedicure designs.
