Why nail art is an act of self-expression

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₹1,500- ₹2,500 a month. “It’s a loop of sorts, where you first go because you want pretty nail extensions (which generally last three-four weeks, depending on maintenance), and then you revisit the salon to remove them, and then you find yourself with a new set." Alexander isn’t the only one who’s turned her nails into a canvas of self-expression. Designer Marc Jacobs has been showing off nails as long as fingers on his social media, studded with stones on a tortoise shell bed—a look inspired by a nesting table.

For Delhi-based college student Mira Malhotra, nail art inspiration comes from international celebrities. When celebrity Hailey Bieber announced the news of her pregnancy earlier this year, her almond-shaped nails painted pale pink and adorned with micro cherry blossom flower motifs instantly grabbed Malhotra’s attention. She showed Bieber’s Instagram post to the nail artist at the salon she frequents.

“I got them done the same day," recalls Malhotra, 19, who spent ₹1,500 from her pocket money. A month before, she had got a colourful, upside-down version of French tips (where you paint each nail, leaving the lunula, or the base half moon, in a different colour) and before that, for a college party, she’d opted for a tiger skin pattern in teal blue and black on her nails to add a pop of colour to her otherwise all-white outfit. Malhotra’s upper limit on nail art is ₹3,000 a month.

Ask her why she likes to “invest" in her nails, pat comes the reply: “It’s fashion, for nails. Plus, it’s a mini way of telling the world who I am." Like all things in fashion and beauty, nail art is constantly evolving. If the French manicure (that timeless white nail polish on the tip of the nails) was trending last season, the most