I always say beauty and fashion has a cyclical life force. There comes a time in all fashion trends when people would not be caught dead in it. But a few years later suddenly all the fashionistas of the world rediscover it, remix it for the new generation, and wear it all over again. The same can be said of the newest trend out there – cracked nails. It was quite a rage in the 90s, before it was discarded as being pretty tacky. But it is back with a bang!

Cracked up nails is a great way to add some edge to your whole look. The great part is that it looks really complicated to achieve, but is actually very easy. You first start with really clean nails. Put on the base coat, or primer. Then put on a coat of any funky color that you like from your collection of nail lacquers. Then allow your nails to completely dry. This is a very important step, as if you put the cracked layer over wet nails, it can completely ruin the effect. For the final effect put on one coat of the crack nail polish, making sure to go over one area of the nail only once. This is really a diverse look, as you can use so many base and top-coat combinations. Also, use different techniques to apply the crack nail polish – like more pressure, less pressure, double coats, etc- and play around with the different effects.

OPI is one of the brands which can be credited with the resurrection of this trend. OPI recently released a “Black Shatter” crack polish as part of a celebrity nail polish collection collaboration with tennis star Serena Williams as well as pop star and California girl Katy Perry.  Tip Top has recently released their own version, in two fabulous colors – Black Mosaic Crackle and Gold Rush Crackle! While the black one creates a funky look, the gold helps create a more vintage, lace inspired look. BSY makes a mind-boggling array of cracked nail polish colors and combinations. They come in packs of 3 – with a base coat, the cracked polish, and a top layer.

Category: Beauty