This summer, forget plain, neutral nails and take a cue from music’s style daredevil. Katy Perry is known for her ever-changing wardrobe—an eclectic mix of pin-up girl coyness, cartoon colors and cotton-candy femininity—and she keeps her nails just as eye-catching. “It’s very fun to work with Katy because it’s not the same old stuff all the time,” says Kimmie Kyees, the pop star’s Los Angeles-based manicurist. “Very rarely are we just doing a solid color.”

Russell Branded

At the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, Perry wore custom-made decals from a company called Minx bearing the likeness of her then-fiancé (now husband), Russell Brand. The British comedian was filming a movie at the time “and couldn’t come to the event,” Kyees says. “But Katy said, ‘He could be my date on my nails!’” Perry found some pictures of Brand online to use, and Kyees ordered the decals just a few days before the show. In fact, they were driven to Perry’s hotel that day!

Pretty Kitty

Kyees designed these custom claws for Perry to wear in the advertisement for her first fragrance, Katy Perry Purr. (It launched last fall and is available at Nordstrom.) Perry’s wardrobe stylist sent Kyees sketches of two different bodysuits Perry was considering for the ad campaign. “I made four sets of nails—two for each look—and mailed them to New York City, where the shoot was happening,” Kyees says. The winning mani: a purple, faded leopard print on a hologram background.

Blinged Out

“She really enjoys the sparkly look,” Kyees says. No kidding: At the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards, Perry brought the swagger with these shimmering, glammed-out nails. “I set each rhinestone individually,” Kyees says. And there were plenty: about 50 on each nail and 76 on the thumbnails. Want to try the look at home? Kyees suggests this easy, do-it-yourself substitute: Sprinkle a bit of silver craft glitter on wet polish, let dry and seal with a top coat.

Oompa Loompa’d

To celebrate her 25th birthday in 2009, Perry threw a candy-themed bash in Los Angeles. Befitting the theme, Kyees reached out to Minx for some brightly colored nail options. Lo and behold, among the nails, the company threw in these Oompa Loompa heads, from the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. “For a long time, Katy used to say they were her favorite nails,” Kyees says.

Very Violet

For the 2010 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, Perry “said that she wanted ‘rainbow nails.’” Kyees adhered multicolored gems of different shapes and sizes in randomly placed clusters atop a glittery purple polish she and the singer chose together. The result was a perfect complement to Perry’s flirty, sequined mini-dress.

For even more on Katy Perry’s style, click here!