Going for a party? Your loveliest dress, shoes, accessories ? you have everything organized to make you look the most beautiful woman in the crowd, but, what about your hands? Your hands and nails need as much as attention as your face. Every woman wants long, shiny, healthy nails and to fulfill their wishes, nail art has emerged as the most popular medium to enhance nail beauty. Add spunk to your nails with this very popular art.

Simply put, nail art is the art of designing and beautifying nails. It is believed to have developed in Japan almost a decade ago. Infact, there are indications that a few Indian tribes also decorated their nails. It is a highly creative art and of late, has come to garner a huge fan following.

Simple nail paint would no longer do for the hip and jazzy youth. Nail art lets you flaunt more than a single shade and various funky and cool patterns on your nails. The patterns can vary from animal prints to flowery designs. You can also get one matching your favourite dress or your bag.

The process is lengthy and requires great amount of skill and patience. Firstly, the nails are cleaned and wiped dry. Next, a base coat is applied. White base coat is preferred over a transparent one as the design looks absolutely magnificent when applied over white paint. Activation polish is next in line which facilitates quick drying of the design. The desired design is finally painted on the nails. The process is rounded off with a coat of varnish to increase the life span of the paint.

The art is very expensive and can burn a big hole in your pocket. So we give you the option of turning your house into your very own personal nail salon. We are not asking you to paint your nails using the various brushes which, of course, are not meant for the common woman. Remember how you used to spray paint your drawing books when you were a kid? Now simply change the canvas and instead, make your nails your drawing book. This art is known as ?Air brushing? and can be easily done using a few items. All you need is an airbrush machine, 2-3 nail paints, few nail stencils and acetone.

Start off by cleaning all grime and dirt from your nails. Next, apply a base coat, preferable white. Place the stencil on your nails and use the airbrush gun to paint the design. Stencils come in various designs and we suggest, start by using a simple pattern. Now, gently remove it and remove the spilt paint using acetone. Put a top coat to keep the design on for long. So now you've become a self-proclaimed nail artist. Invite friends for a session and have them drooling for more.

You can also use accessories on your nails to make your nails look even funkier. Tattoos, stickers, glitters are used along with the traditional nail paint to jazz up nails. Infact, nail art has gone a step further. People are also opting for nail piercing. Rings and tiny jewellery have become a fad amongst fashion lovers.