How to do: Half-Moon Nails

Hello! For my first post, I'm going to show you how to do this lovely old-fashioned manicure. I first came across the idea in Dita Von Teese's beautiful book, 'Burlesque and the Art of the Teese'. Look at any picture of Dita, and you'll see she always wears this nail look - it's become something of a signature for her. I think it looks so elegant, adding a bit of jazziness to your nails without looking tacky, like some nail art can.

So without further ado, here's how to recreate the look yourself...

You will need:

- Some paper hole reinforcement stickers, which you can buy at any old stationary shop (but you probably already have some lurking around in your house). I used clear ones, but the white ones would probably be even easier.

- Any nail varnish colour. I opted for Missguided's 'Splash', a lovely bright orange colour, as a more Summery variation on the classic red often used for this look.

- A clear nail varnish, to prevent staining and chipping.

1) First of all, I started with a base coat, because my nails stain like a bitch (looking at my nails, you'd imagine I have a 40-a-day smoking habit, but in reality it's more of a twice-weekly nail painting addiction.) Once they're completely dry, you can stick down the hole reinforcements. For an even width amongst all your nails, aim to have the inside hole in line with your cuticles.

2) Before you go in for the kill, quickly check they're all pressed down on your nails with no gaps, or you'll end up with leaks (not good!) Then go ahead and paint your nails. Don't worry about overlapping onto the reinforcements a little bit, because this will just give you a crisp edge.

3) Once you've finish all your nails, go back to the first one you painted and peel off the sticker, taking care not the ruin your other nails in the process! If you're very fussy, you can use a pair of tweezers or a cocktail stick for this. For some reason, it works best if you don't wait for your nails to be bone-dry before you remove the stickers - I've left it ages before, and it actually peeled away some of the colour. Finally, add some top coat to seal the deal. It can't hurt. And viola! Prepare for admiring glances a-plenty.