This article is part of VINTAGE VIBE, MODERN STYLE, a special section MODERN SALON produced as a custom collaboration with CosmoProf. Covering one of the hottest style, design and culture trends of the year, this special section explored trends and presented limited edition products for salons.

Does vintage inspire retro-whimsy or sophisticated glamour? Either way, as nail season heats up, you’ll deliver!

Springtime has arrived, and nails are in demand! Clients are needing formal nails for weddings and graduations, fun nails for the year’s first outdoor par­ties and, once again, pedicures for display. At every new season, your clients become excited to see what’s new in nail color and design. With your vintage theme this spring, you’ll have a special surprise for them!

The beach was the ultimate summer hangout back in the day, so nothing has changed there! Fingers around a beach ball and feet flapping flip-flops call out for a cute nail treatment. And when Gidget wasn’t going Hawaiian, she and her dressier nails were dating dreamboats.

Then there was the Hollywood head-to-toe glamour of Elizabeth Taylor and international intrigue of Sophia Loren. Use our brands’ beautiful collections with exclusive retro shades to tap into all of these trends.

Colorful Memories

Reds, pinks and oranges have always made nails sunny, but today the broader selection is beachier yet with sky blues, ocean greens, sandy tans and romantic sunset lavenders. Your artistic flair adds another modern touch, so don’t be afraid to let your creativity swim!

Our brands’ fabulously retro displays are a conversation-starter. Add some seashells and a mini-parasol, play a few Elvis tunes and let the mani/pedis begin!

Flamingo Flair

As a motif, the timeless flamingo bridges vintage with the current trend toward playful nails. OPI highlights that with its Hello Flamingo Collection, including two fun shades exclusive to CosmoProf and ArmstrongMcCall—Flamingo Teeny Tiniand Feel the Mo-Heat-Toes. Those manicures will be popular, and OPI’s Michelle Myles says the trend-setting shades are perfect for pedicures, too. The collection comes in open stock as well as in the Flamingo Mini Pack of “Tinis.” A perk for nail techs is the free gift OPI offers with every 12-count Hello Flamingo Collection—a huge beach towel that turns itself into a strappy tote!

Re-imagined Nail Design

“Vintage is all about color intensity and bringing out the glam in your client,” says Melissa Hoogendoorn of Venique, which offers the Dessert First Collection to whet your clients’ appetites for something timelessly tasty. The collection’s key word is “re-imagined”—re-imagining the classic looks to create something new for today with the formula’s micro-crystals that build a rich layering effect.

“The more you layer, the more intense the crystals become,” Hoogendoorn adds. “So go ahead and skip the fancy courses, and head straight to Dessert First to create your perfect decadent layer!”

Extra Sugar

Every salon should carry Rock Candy, Black Licorice, Creamsicle, Cotton Candyand Cherry Cola—in nail shades! Even when clients aren’t old enough to remember the ’50s, the sweet tooth wants what it wants. In fact, one of the shades in CinaPro’s new textured Nail Sugar line is named Sweet Tooth!

The line makes it fun for you and your clients by linking classic tastes to the modern concept of liquid nail art. An LED Light Cap ensures precision application, and the Nail Sugar puts candy right on the fingertips—and toe tips, too!

Two For the Road

The Gelish Playin’ It Cool Collection and Morgan Taylor’s Cruisin’ in Style bring to life the glory days. “For the displays, we came up with iconic objects that really encapsulate the era, such as the glamorous pin-up girl riding with the top down on a sunny day and the lit-up jukebox pumping out the best of doo-wop,” says the brands’ artist David Trocker. “The shades embrace an era when women really took the time to prepare themselves to go out—even to the grocery store! Glamour and color will never go out of style, which is why this collection is relevant and exciting for salons and clients today.”

The Gelish Playin’ It Cool Collection and Morgan Taylor’s Cruisin’ in Style bring to life the glory days.“For the displays, we came up with iconic objects that really encapsulate the era, such as the glamorous pin-up girl riding with the top down on a sunny day and the lit-up jukebox pumping out the best of doo-wop,” says the brands’ artist David Trocker. “The shades embrace an era when women really took the time to prepare themselves to go out—even to the grocery store! Glamour and color will never go out of style, which is why this collection is relevant and exciting for salons and clients today.”

Island Girl

From the sublime musical South Pacific to campy Gilligan’s Island, life in the middle of the ocean has been romanticized—for good reason! Who can resist grass skirts, coconut bikini tops and sand between your toes? Morgan Taylor’s Island Treasure Collection captures the moment!

Nail Tips!

This season, try these fresh ideas with a retro spin!

Accent sugar. Gayla Snell, Venique’s lead nail technician and co-owner of Southern Beauty Review, loves to use the new Dessert First shades as accent pieces to create a vintage glam look—from dainty desserts to cute, retro cherries and everything in between. She notes, “That will get anyone in the mood for spring!”

Four-Shade Fabulous. Why choose? Use all four of the Morgan Taylor Cruisin’ in Style Collection colors—Doo Wop, Cruisin’ the Boulevard, One Cool Cat and Let’s Go to the Hop—and marbelize them with a small-tipped marbelizing tool. Artist David Trocker suggests, “After dabbing a bit of color onto the dotting tool to create the outline of the squares, go back in with a little more color to enhance the design.”

Swirl and Dry. China Glaze’s Twist & Shout kit offers instructions to create a vintage swirl design, while the cute bucket holding Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coats revs up your retail.

French in color. “We’ve taken the classic French manicure and given it a vintage twist with the retro shades for a perfect FrenchTini!” says OPI’s Michelle Myles. With the brand’s summer bestseller, the classic white Alpine Snow, you can create a French manicure from any color, not just sheer pink. Myles says this season’s French manis pair the white with black, blue, dark pink and red.

To see the complete VINTAGE VIBE, MODERN STYLE collection of limited edition, retro-inspired products and tools available this May and June, visit cosmoprofbeauty.com or armstrongmccall.com.