Why The ‘Clean Girl’ Nail Trend Is The Perfect Summer Manicure
From healthy, buffed, well-manicured nails (aka the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic) to barely-there French tips and ‘milk’-infused hues, minimalist manicures are everywhere right now. Here, MALENA HARBERS tells us how to nail each finish
The ‘clean girl’ look
This year’s dewy, natural, no-makeup makeup trend focuses on the same ‘yours but better’ finish when taken down to our nails. Read: immaculate cuticles, a short shape and a glossy, sheer, neutral color that nearly matches your skin tone. It’s the nail trend du jour for celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Simone Ashley and Hailey Bieber, and is worth embracing for an effortlessly luxe look. According to nail artist Zola Ganzorigt – who counts Hailey Bieber, Sydney Sweeney and Kendall Jenner as clients – the key here is all in the prep. Use moisturizing cuticle oils (tip: lip balms can also hydrate dry cuticles), nourishing hand lotions and a daily gentle scrub to keep dry skin and ragged cuticle edges at bay. When choosing your shade, you’ll get a cleaner look if it matches your skin tone, too. “If you have cool or pink undertones, go for nude-pink shades. If you have warm or yellow undertones, it’s safe to go for a more brown or orange nude,” adds Ganzorigt.
The new pearlescent finish
Celebrity nail artist Tom Bachik, who regularly works with Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie, has dubbed this fresh look – a sheer, neutral-colored polish with a slight shimmer – as ‘summer blush’ nails. Think of it as the newest iteration of the uber-glossy ‘glazed donut’ trend made popular by Hailey Bieber, but with an added pearlescent finish for a softer, more ethereal take. Wear it on clean nails for a barely-there iridescence, or layered over an off-white or marshmallow shade to emphasize the look’s light-reflecting qualities.
Demure French tips
The French manicure has undergone many iterations, but this year’s ‘vanilla French’ manicure (also called the American) is a quieter take on the original loved by Adele and Kylie Jenner. “Instead of using an opaque white on the tips, as you do with the traditional French manicure, this is a softer, creamy, off-white color to make it look more delicate and natural,” says Ganzorigt. Equally as chic is the barely-there tip – a very thin, fine line of color that’s hardly noticeable. Bachik took this trend one step further, using chrome instead of white (and naming it the ‘micro-chrome Frenchie’) for Margot Robbie’s Barbie-inspired red-carpet looks.
Modern ‘milk’ nails
If nude and neutral shades are too simplistic for you, opt for milk nails (a semi-opaque, milky-white manicure) instead. As the midpoint between opaque and sheer, this look is designed to create a glass-like finish and emulate a traditional milk bottle. Dial up the trend by customizing a bright color with a milky finish. For example, add a sheer pink over an opaque white base to create strawberry-milk nails, or try a muted, milk-infused light-blue nail – a current favorite of Dua Lipa, Zendaya and Sofia Richie.
RELATED READING
The people featured in this story are not associated with NET-A-PORTER and do not endorse it or the products shown