While most runway trends don’t come remotely close to being wearable by everyday women, there is one recent nail fashion move that’s proven to be totally doable. That would be the accent nail.

According to MyStyle.com, the accent nail originated during New York Fashion Week in 2011, when the team at CND created “cocktail nails” that were meant to mimic the effects of jewelry on hands. They used pearls, rhinestones and metallic elements to create bold looks on the ring fingers of each model, which stood in the place of cocktail rings.

Because it’s a bit difficult to create the same effect using everyday products, many celebrities embraced the trend by using a contrasting color on their accent nails instead.
Finding color combinations to work with is relatively easy, as long as you stick to complementary colors that are across from each other on the color wheel. This will ensure that your accent nail pops against the other shade used and gets plenty of attention.

“For summer, think coral and teal, orange and blue or light pink and mint,” one nail guru told MyStyle.com. “The trend can go right into fall with gold and purple or silver and black.”

If you’re not keen on starting out with such a bold color combination, it’s just as chic to stay within the same color family, reports the news source. For example, you could do a light cantaloupe color for an accent nail with a tangerine manicure, or a pale pink accent nail with a vibrant fuchsia. You won’t have trouble finding suitable shades with the selection from Lippmann Collection – Nail Lacquers.

If you’re feeling a bit bolder, nail art is all over the place lately and makes for a great accent nail. To ease yourself into it, consider using a sparkly top coat on just your ring fingers, like Nailtini – Topper Top Coat in Sugar Rim.

The Beauty Department also suggests using your favorite fashion staples as inspiration for your artistic accent nails. For example, if you’re planning to wear a cute striped top, you could match your nails by choosing colors that are in the shirt and painting stripes on your accent nail.

If you’re looking for other ideas for cute, fun and quirky accent nails, here are a few you might want to try. Just be sure to stock up on several different colors of Nail Colors so you have all the shades you need to pull them off. Also, it helps to have special brushes or tools to help you create the designs.

Accent nail ideas
1. For a fun springtime manicure, paint all of your nails a pretty pastel green shade, then use black, pink and white polish to create a cherry blossom branch on each of your ring fingers.

2. If you’re into graphic design, why not do a bold diagonal stripe across your accent nails? Use a piece of scotch tape on top of a completely dry base coat, then paint the top or bottom half a contrasting color.

3. Polka dots are in this season, which makes it easy to create a spotted accent nail. All you need is a small tool to create little dots. You could make them uniform or try different sizes and colors.

4. Accessorize. Pick up a few stick-on rhinestones or other creative accents at the craft store, then use clear polish to stick them on your nails.

5. Go girly with a painted-on bow. You could keep the base of the accent nail the same color as the rest of your manicure, or use a different color. Then use a brush to create a pretty bow on each nail.