It’s summertime and that means it’s time for beautiful nails. Flip flops only look cute when your nails are painted! But what college student has the money to pay for constant Mani’s and Pedi’s? There are so many ways that you can make pretty nails on your own and with a budget. Here’s how.

The first thing you could do is invest in some Sally Hansen “hard as nails” nail polish. Not only is this nail polish affordable but it goes on smooth and with great quality. These polishes come in all the trendy colors and are under $3 a piece.

I recently discovered a new technique to beautiful nails at home. One of my friends always had her nails done with these crazy designs but she never went to a salon. I couldn’t figure out how she did it until one day I decided to ask. She told me they were stickers but I couldn’t bring myself to believe her until I saw it for myself, this was too good to be true! They are called Sally Hansen “salon effects.” This is the biggest breakthrough in home style nails I’ve ever seen. You literally stick them on and then trim the excess. They come in a variety of different patterns and styles; you’ll have all your friends believing that the nail salon is your second home. You much try these out!

We’ve all probably heard of the crackle nail polish, but isn’t it amazing? You paint your nails a solid color and then place the crackle polish over the top of it. Watch as the crackle polish breaks and creates cool designs on your nails. This is an easy solution to quick and beautiful nails.

Lately I have taken it upon myself to create the glitter effect. Often glitter nail polishes don’t hold a color. They go on clear and have glitter mixed in. I have discovered that if you paint your nails a solid color and then sprinkle basic glitter over them just as you would in art class with glue, the glitter will dry into the wet polish and look fabulous. Apply top coat for longer lasting nails. Also, adding the glitter instantly makes your nails dry faster!

The final nail effect I learned comes from one of my roommates. You choose any color and literally just paint the top tip of your nail (the white part) and then you let it dry. Once dry you place a little bit of nail polish remover on the end of a Q-tip. Run the edge of the Q-tip under the bottom of the tip of your nail to create a straight and pretty line, like a French manicure. Apply the top coat and allow your nails to dry.

These are the nail tips I’ve been using all summer. I hope you have found one you’d like to try! Enjoy your beautiful salon nails at home while saving your money for other things, like school! Have a good one!