Toledo Magazine

Fashion at your fingertips

Nail stylist Cortnee Minkowski, right, creates nail art on Amanda Wrozek’s nails at Future Wave in Oregon.

Decades ago, girls and women who wore nail polish could select mostly from a few basic options: reds, pinks, and creams that shimmered, gleamed, and glittered.

And it was really something special when ordinary women got a French manicure, or when young girls figured out how to paint on a convincing-looking but fake version.

Now the options to dress up your nails are similar to trying to choose the right ensemble for an occasion because the choices are vast. Women don’t simply visit their manicurist today. It’s the nail technician, nail artist, or some other fanciful but fitting title.

Along with plain colors, women dress up their fingernails in stripes, polka dots, plaids, paisleys, flower and animal prints, and images of pets and other animals — and that’s just for starters.

Going to Hawaii? How about a pineapple design?

Celebrating the season? Consider snowflakes or colorful flowers or leaves in 3-D.

For a holiday, try pumpkins and masks, Christmas trees and bells, Valentine’s hearts, or Old Glory’s red, white, and blue.

Headed out to a formal affair? Think about a black tie on a nail as an accent, or pearls, or rhinestones — or all of the above, and more.

So whether you choose to paint your nails wild colors, adorn them with images of spikes and chains and swords, or if you prefer the traditional route of deep or pastel rouges and corals, one thing is certain: the choices are vast.

And admit it: it’s kind of fun, too, don’t you think?

Contact Rose Russell at: rrussell@theblade.com or 419-724-6178.