When it comes to nail art, tribal accents look like possibly one of the most complicated designs. I’ve always been drawn to the design, but with such small details, I’ve never been brave enough to try it. And that is what today’s Manicure Monday is all about – making the tribal manicure easy. You’ll find that this tutorial might be on the long side, but that’s just because there’s a lot of little (but not difficult!) details. Read on to learn how to get this manicure yourself!

I started out this manicure with Nail Tek II. I’ve been using it for about two weeks now and I can honestly say that my nails are stronger than ever. I haven’t had a nail break in two weeks since I started using it, and that’s a huge deal for me. It’s a bit expensive, but if it’ll keep my nails this strong (and long!) it’s worth it for me.

I wanted a fun, bright manicure so I chose Zoya Nail Lacquer in Pippa for my base color. It’s the perfect taxi cab yellow. I’ve struggled with finding a good yellow in the past. Most are either too sheer or have added shimmer hat doesn’t work with my skin tone. Pippa is a flat, bright yellow, perfect for this manicure. I used two coats because I wanted to make sure it was totally opaque.

I started the details with Kiss Nail Art Paint. Ideally, I’d do all the details with Kiss Nail Art Paint because they have super skinny brushes, but I only have it in Black and White. They do make other colors, so if you find you like this manicure, I’d definitely recommend buying more colors! You can find them in any drugstore.

Taking my Kiss Nail Art Paint in Black, I created two thick V shapes on my ring fingers and thumbs. You might find it easiest to create two V’s on each nail and filling it in. Since my thumb nail is naturally bigger than the nail on my ring finger, I made that V a little thicker.

Next, I took my Kiss Nail Art Paint in White and created vertical lines across the black V on my thumb. It’s a small detail, but with a tribal design, it’s the smaller details that really pull the look together.

Using Zoya in Snow White, I painted half of my pointer finger white. I could have used my Kiss Nail Art Paint for this as well, but it’s much faster to use a full-sized brush.

Going back to your Kiss Nail Art Paint in Black, create diagonal stripes down the length of your pointer finger on the white side. It’s okay if it’s not totally lined up with the white/yellow boarder because you’ll be painting over that.

For the rest of the details, I used super skinny watercolor paint brushes and regular nail polishes. I have a bunch of these brushes just because it really turns any polish I have into a nail art polish! Dipping my brush into Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Barracuda, a powder blue, I created dots just beneath the black V shapes on my ring finger and thumb. I tried to make rain drop shapes, but they came out more like short little lines, which is fine, too! I then created a skinny blue line between the yellow and black & white parts on my pointer finger, as shown to the right.

I used Love & Beauty Nail Polish in Fuchsia to add the finishing touches! Using another skinny watercolor brush, I created a thin line above each black V on my pointer and thumb. Finally, I created a Fuchsia line right next to the blue line I created on my pointer fingers.

With a design, I always think its best to wait a few minutes before applying any topcoat. The last thing you want to do is spend time creating an intricate design and ruin it in seconds by smudging it with a top coat. After you wait a bit, finish the manicure with Seche Vite to seal it in and dry it fast.

Would you try to recreate this tribal manicure yourself?

Check out more great manicure tutorials:

• Manicure Monday: Ombre Nails
• Manicure Monday: Delete Digital Drama
• Manicure Monday: Galaxy Nails