When it comes to nails, Meghann Smith has never really been a “French tip” type of girl.

“I think nail art is one of the greatest forms of self-expression,” says Smith, and 18-year-old freshman. “It’s the perfect canvas to get creative without being too over-the-top.”

Like many young women, Smith is itching to test out some of the many nail art trends that 2012 has ushered in. The most ostentatious and exciting of the trends in nail art include an “ombre” effect on the nails (in which you use two similarly shaded polished to fade the nail from dark to light), water marbling (a technique in which you swirl various colors in water to create a tie-dye effect on the nail), different-colored ring fingers, and OPI celebrity lines, just to name a few.

In a recent poll conducted on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus, 50 random female students were asked, if they were most interested in ombre, water marbling, ring finger trends or trying out OPI’s celebrity lines.

Nearly half of the women polled said this Spring, they plan to be rocking the “ring finger trend.”  Which has been seen on celebrities such as Lauren Conrad and Vanessa Hudgens. On George Mason’s campus, junior Makeila Reyes, 20, has recently been seen rocking this trend, offsetting her navy blue nails with a pop of a shimmery champagne-hued polish.

“It’s subtle,” says her classmate Samantha Coughlin. “We want to express ourselves in a manner that is both youthful and fresh but still mature enough for, say, an office setting.”

The second-most popular trend was OPI’s latest celebrity line, which was inspired by female rap sensation Nicki Minaj. Eight of the women polled were “all for ombre,” while a mere two women were bold enough to test the waters of water marbling.

Because, frankly, it’s a really hard effect to pull off outside the salon.

“The results are nearly impossible to obtain without lots of practice and frustration,” says 21-year-old senior Hilary Indyke, ” Or quality tools that most college girls just don’t have.”

 

 

 

Junior Makeila Reyes, 20, testing out the "ring finger trend."

 

Whatever trend you choose to sport this coming spring, it’s safe to say that a fresh-looking manicure is the perfect way to “polish” off any fashionista’s look.

Nicki Minaj for OPI (photo credit: shefinds.com)

Vanessa Hudgens seen sporting the "ring finger trend" (photo credit: phillyfashionistas.com)

Ombre Nails (photo credit: alteregoprojector.blogspot.com)

Water Marbled Nails (photo credit: mikeywayturnthatoff-consumption.buzznet.com)