2012 Olympics: Nail Art Ideas to Show Your Team Spirit

Mirror the iconic Olympic rings with a blinged-out mani in coordinating hues. Paint on two coats of a buff hue like Dior's Incognito ($23; dior.com), and once the polish is slightly tacky, press on a few flat-backed rhinestones (at craft stores;michaels.com for locations). Use a generous coat of clear nail polish to create a glossy finish and seal the gems in place.

With gold, silver, and bronze all being such pretty shades, why decide on just one? Start with a copper base like Le Metier de Beaute's Silk Road ($10;nordstrom.com). Then, using a small piece of a makeup sponge, lightly dab on Butter London's Diamond Geezer ($14;butterlondon.com), a steely silver, working from the middle of your nail to the tip. Blend the two colors by blotting a true gold like Sephora's I'm a Rich Girl ($4;sephora.com)where the shades meet.

Cheer for Team USA with a pattern inspired by Old Glory. Paint a bold red like Essie's Clambake ($8; essie.com) onto four of your nails, then use a shimmery blue like Kat Von D's Mad Max ($7; Sephora stores) as a statement on your ring finger. Using Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pen in Pearly White ($8; drugstore.com), draw a set of stars over the blue polish, and stripes over one of your red nails. Thanks to the user-friendly stylus shape, nail art becomes as easy as signing your name.

Even if you can't jet-set across the Atlantic before the games start, you can pay homage to their host city with a Union Jack mani. Lacquer all five of your digits up in a royal blue like Nails Inc.'s Baker Street ($9.50; sephora.com). Then on your ring finger, use Orly's Instant Artist in Crisp White ($5; orlybeauty.com) to paint on a T-shape, followed by an X-shape over that. Follow the same steps with the Instant Artist polish in Fiery Red ($5;orlybeauty.com).