Pop Art Nails with Lips: Colour Block Nail Art Tutorial

Bright, bold and full of attitude, these pop art nails feature colour-blocked squares, each topped with a pair of painted lips in a contrasting shade, with a little nod to Andy Warhol. It's all done with gel polish and a few nail art brushes.

Pop art nails are a fun way to bring graphic, gallery-inspired style to your manicure. The colour-blocked grid creates a striking background, and the contrasting lips give the design its signature pop. It's a playful look for summer, festivals or any time you want your nails to be the centre of attention.

The design is built in clear, logical stages. You map out the squares, fill them in two rounds to keep the edges crisp, then add the lips on top. Because each step builds on the last, it's easy to stay organised, even with lots of colours on the go.

The lips are simpler than they look. Starting with an eye-shaped sketch in Serious Black gives you a guide for the centre of the mouth, and you build the full lips around it. Choosing a contrasting colour for each lip, like red on blue or green on purple, is what gives these pop art nails their bold, vibrant finish.

Using Snow White and a fine liner brush, map out the sections of the nail. Each square will be a different base colour, so mark these areas out first.

Flash cure the lines for 10 seconds. Then put a little dab of each colour onto your palette; shades used include Mimosa, Tangy Lime, Sun Quenched, Spa Day and Heart Breaker. Having them ready saves time when you're flicking between shades.

With a flat nail art brush, fill in alternate boxes first, going left, right, left. Apply two coats of each colour and cure.

Go back in and fill the opposite boxes with two coats each, then cure. Working this way keeps the lines neat and stops the colours bleeding into each other.

Take Serious Black and sketch the middle part of the lips on each square, thinking of it as an eye shape. This acts as your guide for the rest of the lips. Cure once every square has its lip base.

Use your different shades to outline and fill in the lips, choosing a contrasting colour to the square underneath, for example red on blue or green on purple.

Use a fine liner brush and Snow White to add small details in the centre of the lips to act as teeth. Add a little more Serious Black to the inner part of the lips for depth and a more realistic finish.

Finish with a glossy top coat all over the nail.

• Work in alternate boxes. Painting opposite squares first, curing, then filling the rest keeps the edges crisp.
• Use the eye shape as a guide. Sketching the centre of the lips first makes the full lip shape much easier to build.
• Go for contrast. Pairing each lip with an opposite colour to its square is what gives the design its pop art look.
• Prepare your palette first. Putting a dab of each colour on your palette before you start saves time when switching shades.

Pop art nails are a great project for anyone who enjoys bold colour and wants to practise neat colour blocking. Filling alternate squares first takes the stress out of keeping edges clean, and the eye-shape guide makes the lips approachable even if you've never painted them before.

For nail techs, pop art nails are a showstopping option for clients who love bright, playful designs. The colour-blocked squares can be adapted to any palette, and the lips can go on every nail or just a few accents.

Using the same products and techniques, you could:

• Change the number of squares on each nail for a bigger or smaller grid.
• Rearrange which colours sit in each square across the set.
• Add lips to every square, or only to a few for a less busy look.
• Try different contrasting pairs for the lips and squares.

A little aftercare goes a long way with any gel manicure. Apply cuticle oil regularly, wear gloves when cleaning or washing up, and avoid using your nails as tools. Don't pick or peel at the gel, as this can damage the natural nail underneath, and have the gel removed properly when it's time for a new design.

With so many bright shades sitting side by side, the glossy top coat is what keeps the colour-blocked squares and painted lips looking crisp, so treat it gently. Wearing gloves for household chores helps stop cleaning products dulling the shine, and keeping your hands moisturised helps the bold colours look their best. If a corner of one of your pop art nails chips or starts to lift, resist the urge to file or peel it at home; book in with your nail tech so the design can be repaired or removed safely.

Map out the squares with Snow White, flash cure, then fill in alternate boxes first. Cure, then fill the remaining boxes. This stops the colours bleeding into each other.

Sketch the middle part of the lips in Serious Black as an eye shape, cure, then outline and fill the lips around it in a contrasting colour.

Use a fine liner brush and Snow White to add small details in the centre of the lips.

Flash cure the Snow White lines for 10 seconds before filling in the squares.

With bold colour-blocked squares and contrasting painted lips, these pop art nails are bright, graphic and fun to wear. Watch the full video tutorial above, gather the products listed and give pop art nails a try for your next set.