There’s been a lot of talk about trending manicures lately.
After a few quiet years where things varied from bare and bitten (thanks pandemic!) to venturing back into classic nudes and reds and then playful, mood-boosting nail art, more dominant waves of nail colour and style trends are continuing to emerge at an ever-increasing pace.
That doesn’t mean they are always in-your-face looks. Quite the opposite.
Who can forget the tsunami of popularity of ‘glazed donut nails’. Still popular everywhere, the trend adopted a glossy pearlescent, shimmery-finish topcoat over a pale base nail colour that gave the same kind of glistening dew as a hot glazed Krispy Kreme donut.
Hailey Beiber (and her manicurist) were to thank for establishing that one, but now there’s a new similarly understated look catching on everywhere.
What are ‘lip gloss nails’?
Slotting in with the current understated makeup trend for clean, dewy skin and gently defined features, ‘lip gloss nails’ offers the wearer a stylish and simple option that also lasts longer than your average polish.
The look is all about using sheer nude, natural or baby-pink hues of polish and sealing them in with an ultra-glossy topcoat to mimic the look of shiny, glossy lips. The idea is to gently enhance the colour of your bare nail base with the slightest hint of colour, but the real star is the patent-shine gloss coat that gives the look it’s name.
Imagine you’ve swiped a sheer or clear lip gloss over your natural nail – that’s the look you’re going for. The overall result should look cohesive with the rest of your hands without adding too much color.
The minimalist look works well with any length of nails and because the regrowth isn’t as obvious, you can leave it longer between appointments or touch ups.
How to get ‘lip gloss nails’
Because your natural nails are the star of the show for this look, you’ll need to make sure they and the skin around them are in tip-top condition. That means applying a rich, nourishing hand cream regularly, making sure they’re clean and buffed and shaping nails with a file into a uniform shape.
Choose a sheer shade of pink (try OPI’s Bubble Bath) or a milky-nude hue and apply two coats to nails. You can add a clear gloss with sparkles or a little pearlescence at this stage if you fancy, although most fans prefer a simple look.
Then, add two coats of ultra glossy gel topcoat on top. A gel polish gives the depth of shine and reflection you’re after for this look.
A drop of nail oil massaged into each nail every day will help keep them in great condition.
Lip Gloss nails inspiration:
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Image (top): @Gel.bymegan
