In a previous post, I told you about how I was 1 of 2 handpicked bloggers asked to share nail art tutorials that would be featured on the Prom Canada website for every other month.

Well, February was my first one showing a leopard design. Now that it’s April, I have a new nail tutorial up that just went live yesterday – it shows Fishtail Braid Nail Art mixed with textured accents!

This time, I shared a technique that I’ve long loved because it doesn’t require too many colours or special tools to complete the look – you can use the brushes right from the bottles.

I find myself turning to it time and time again, plus it’s so easy to customize that the same design looks very different, depending on what colours you use.

In this post, I’ll share with you detailed step-by-step instructions with photos, so you can recreate this easy look. You’ll need some patience, but once you’re finished painting, it’s well worth it!

You know how much I love doing the fishtail braid – I shared this technique on Swatch And Learn here, here, and here.

What You’ll Need

• Base coat
• 3 different colours of nail polish
• Top coat
• (Optional: 1 textured nail polish to be used for accenting.)

To create the look, I used the following items:

The Nicole by OPI nail treatments and polishes are from the 2014 Collection and the Roughles Collection. They were provided to me by Nicole by OPI‘s fantastic PR team.

From left-right, they are as follows:

• Nicole by OPI 3-in-1 Base, Top Coat & Strengthener
• Nicole by OPI On What Grounds? (Roughles Collection)
• Nicole by OPI Teal Me Something New (2014 Collection)
• Nicole by OPI Oh That’s Just Grape! (2014 Collection)
• Nicole by OPI Something About Spring (2014 Collection)
• Nicole by OPI Quick Dry Top Coat

The finished look:

Step 1: 

Apply a base coat like the Nicole by OPI 3-in-1 Base, Top Coat & Strengthener.

Decide which nails you’d like the fishtail design on. Paint those with one of the colours you’ve selected.

(Consider adding a twist by painting 2 nails a textured polish and the others with the fishtail pattern.)

Shown here:

Nicole by OPI On What Grounds? on index and pinkie fingers.
Nicole by OPI Oh That’s Just Grape! on middle and ring fingers.

Step 2: 

Using your second colour for the fishtail braid, paint a diagonal line using the side of the brush.

Shown here: Nicole by OPI Teal Me Something New

Step 3: 

Using your third colour for the fishtail braid, do the same, but make sure the diagonal line goes in the opposite direction to form an “X”.

Shown here: Nicole by OPI Something About Spring

Step 4: 

Using your first colour for the fishtail braid again, paint a diagonal line. Make sure it’s parallel to the first diagonal line.

Step 5: 

Using your second colour for the fishtail braid again, paint a diagonal line that’s parallel to the second diagonal line.

Continue this process with the other colours until you finish painting your nails with the design.

Step 6: 

Allow your manicure to dry for approximately 20 minutes before applying a top coat (like Nicole by OPI Quick Dry Top Coat) to avoid smudging the design.

Go on, and give this design a try!

Remember to check out the original post on Prom Canada’s website!

You might also want to follow Prom Canada on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. (Nicole by OPI can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.)

Do you know how to do the fishtail braid in your hair? Is there a nail look that you’d like me to try and whip up a tutorial on? Which colours would you choose for your version of this fishtail braid nail design?