Fueled by professionals and enthusiastic amateurs sharing their latest designs on social media, nail trends evolve at lightning speed these days, with new colours, shapes and creative ideas popping up all the time.
But that’s the beauty of nail art – it’s so easy to chop and change your look, whether you’re devoted to one favourite beauty salon, or prefer to play with polish at home.
This season, it’s all about colour – with pastels, jewel tones and other beautiful brights reflecting the looks seen on the spring/summer 2022 catwalks.
Bring fashion to your fingertips with these six stylish nail trends…
1. Going green
Emerald and chartreuse were big on the spring/summer runways, and bright green is trending in the nail world, too.
Treatwell (treatwell.co.uk) nail expert Laurie Nicoll, salon manager at Lacquered and Stripped (lacqueredandstripped.com), says dark green was the “colour of choice” for her clients over winter.
“Now, as spring approaches, we’re seeing a high demand for grass greens and pastel greens. Try a green French mani, or a green gradient mani – there are lots of fun ways to play with green this spring.”
OPI Infinite Shine To The Finish Lime!, Nail Polish Direct
2. Colourful chrome
As seen on the impossibly cool cast of hit HBO series Euphoria, jewel tones with a shimmering chrome finish – think ruby red, rose gold and Quality Street purple – are all the rage right now.
Not just for party time, a metallic mani in yellow gold or gunmetal goes with everything.
Orly Gorgeous Nail Polish
Cienna Rose Big Spender
3. Luxurious blue
Nail artist extraordinaire Harriet Westmoreland proved blue is the coolest colour when she posted pictures on Instagram of a shade she named ‘Bader blue’, inspired by the packaging of Augustinus Bader skincare (a brand Victoria Beckham swears by, FYI).
The inky, slightly darker-than-royal blue is the perfect spring alternative if black is your usual go-to.
Peacci Prussian Blue
4. Spring sparkles
“Another trend we expect to see much more of through spring is all things sparkly,” says Nicoll. “With Christmas long gone, we’ve found our clients are still opting for glitters.”
Gold nail art is proving particularly popular, she adds: “We’ve seen a lot of marble with gold foil or chrome details. A touch of gold can elevate a mani.”
Mavala Nail Colour Gold Cosmic, LookFantastic
5. Almond nails
While square-tipped French manis are still going strong, Nicoll predicts almond-shaped nails will soon be taking over our Instagram feeds. “It’s an elegant and timeless shape that can be a great canvas for soft and delicate, or bold and bright designs,” she says, adding it “suits most hands”.
When shaping your nails, always remember to file in the same direction to avoid breakage.
Leighton Denny Large Crystal Nail File, Boots
6. Lavender looks
Pantone declared Very Peri – a blend of periwinkle blue and purple – its Colour of the Year 2022, and now similarly pastel manis are everywhere.
From lavender and mauve to duck egg and baby blue, these soft shades are ideal for teaming with Noughties-inspired outfits.
Naio Nails Periwinkle UV/LED Gel Polish
Elegant Touch Lush Lavender Nails, Amazon
