How to paint red and black plaid nails

When the weather turns chilly, flannel shirts return to the wardrobe rotation. Plaid is both comfortable and stylish, so why not take a cue from the closet and try out this eye-catching red and black manicure? Three glossy red nails and two matte plaid ones make this original combo oh so wearable.

Achieving this creative fabric-inspired manicure is simpler than it looks, and the video tutorial makes the step-by-step process a breeze. The hardest part may be trying to decide which nails to leave fire engine red and which ones to mattify.

Materials
- Red gel nail paint
- Standard nail art brush
- UV or LED lamp (not shown)
- Black gel nail paint
- Fine-tipped nail art brush
- Clear matte gel top coat

Instructions
1. Apply two coats of red nail paint using a standard nail art brush. Cure before proceeding.

2. Dip the fine-tipped nail brush into the black gel paint and draw thin vertical stripes on the outer sides of the nails on the middle and ring fingers.

3. Apply three wide horizontal stripes with the black paint to create the main pattern.

4. To make the plaid design more obvious, apply more black paint to the outer edges by filling in a square shape at the tip, in the middle and at the base of the nail. Cure as needed. (To avoid a checkerboard effect, don't darken the middle sections.)

5. Apply a single coat of clear matte top coat polish to complete the look and to protect the design.