Goodbye French Manicure, Hello Kitty Manicure

There was a time when fantasy manicures were relegated to the halls of nail art competitions, rarely seen by the general public. But, as super kawaii girls ahead of the Japanese fashion curve continue to push boundaries in search of bigger and better ways to express their unique fashion sensibilities, the rhinestone-clad, airbrushed nail has been trumped by fingertips piled high with all things cute -- candy, fruit, bows, cupcakes, kittens. Just about anything goes, as long as it's dripping with pinky-sized sweetness.

"The Japanese nail art scene is presumably one of the most vibrant in the world. Why? Look at the hordes of Shibuya garu that practically live to care about their looks! It has to be more than just nail stickers for casual nail fashion; salons are dotted all about town to enhance you with the most elaborately designed nail chips." (pingmag.jp)

Of course, everything moves west eventually. So, expect to see more kitty-clad fingertips in your neck of the woods shortly. A set of pre-fab designs will set you back around $60. A custom pair done in a salon will put you back $100+. (And if that isn't incentive enough to never pick your nose again, I don't know what is!)