Rachel and I have been good friends for over a decade (wow... measuring my friendships in decades might spur a quarter life crisis). She has always been the reigning queen of makeup and beauty products in our friend group. When I decided I wanted to learn a little bit more about the nail art world, I knew she was the one to turn to. If you are looking to hone a new skill or have decided your resolution is to flex your creative muscles more, you've come to the right place. Check out her advice for creating the perfect nail art look, what colours and designs are in for 2017, and where to turn for inspiration! 

Hey Rach! I know you pretty well but tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into the beauty world? Where are you now?  

Well... As you know, my name is Rachel and I’ve pretty much always been a nail polish junkie. I started collecting nail polishes in high school and the interest has continued into university. I used to change my nail colour every other day! My favourite thing to do with my nail art is to create looks for different holidays. I am currently working as an Operations Consultant at Sephora, which definitely feeds my nail polish and beauty product addiction.

I remember always being excited to come to school to see what you came up with. Which leads me to my next question... where do you get your inspiration? 

I originally started painting my nails when I was young to stop myself from biting them (success!). It has turned into a bit of an obsession from there. My inspiration often comes from my moods - if I feel a certain way I’ll try to correspond a nail colour to that feeling. I also watch a lot of beauty videos on YouTube and look to see how designers incorporate nail designs/colours into their fashion weeks collections so I can put my own spin on it.

You've mentioned holiday looks as well as fashion week collections as sources of inspo... Do you have a favourite look you've created? 

I have two all time favourite nail designs that I have done. The first was a look from this past summer. It was a fun and bright pop-art inspired banana look. The second was a Halloween look I did a few years ago where every nail had a different design. 

Wow, those are incredible! How long does it typically take you to complete a design?

It typically ranges between 20-30 minutes for me to complete a full nail design depending on if the design is the same on every nail or different.

Okay, tough question for you now: if you could only do one design for the rest of your list, what would you choose? 

Really tough question, first of all if I had to choose one colour it would be black because black is so classy. As for a design, I’d choose some sort of ombre because you can mix up ombre looks with neutrals, bright colours or glitters.

How many bottles of nail polish do you own? What is your favourite brand?

At one point I owned almost 200 bottles of nail polish but have since cut down my collection to the colours I use most often (about 65 bottles). My favourite brand by far is Essie! They have such a large range of colours and the longest wear time on my nails. Coming in second is nail polish from H&M Beauty line. They are amazing quality and have a great selection of neutrals and shimmers/glitters.

What nail colour is on your New Year's wishlist?

I think a must have colour for anyone is Porchester Square by Nails Inc., it’s a really beautiful muted grey-mauve shade that is especially nice for winter and spring.

Any favourite beauty bloggers or nail artists? 

Two of my favourite beauty bloggers are theannaedit.com and lilypebbles.co.uk. They’re both from the UK and both have a shared love for more sophisticated, simple makeup and beauty looks. A celebrity nail artist that I follow and often get inspiration from is Steph Stone (@stephstonenails on Instagram). 

What are the upcoming nail art trends for 2017? 

I personally think neutrals are a nail trend that will never go out of style. The trick to a good neutral nail is to find a shade complementary to your own skin tone. I also really like negative space in nail designs - having some of your natural nail showing through in a design gives it a minimalistic feel. 

What is your #1 tip for those starting out with nail art? Any suggestions for tools (brushes, top coats, colours etc.)?

Practice, practice, and practice! It took me a long time to be able to just paint my nails a solid colour with my left hand, let alone draw art. I used to paint my nails 3-4 times a week and the practice makes a huge difference. I would also recommend drawing out the design you want on a piece of paper before you attempt it on the nail. If you can, invest in dotting tools from a local beauty supply store, as well as some really thin brushes from a craft store. It’s pretty hard to create a perfect circle/dot of colour without them. As for my all time favourite top coat, I would have to say Good to Go by Essie. It doesn’t chip and creates a beautiful shine on the nails to show off the colour or nail design. 

Do you have a New Year's resolution to become more creative? Tell us about it in the comments below!