We’ve fallen in love with shine and shimmer this season, so it’s no surprise our manicures are following suit. From glazed nails to fall-worthy brown chrome to J-Lo’s insane electric blue chrome, high-shine and ultra-reflective nails are having a major moment. While glazed donut nails have dominated the “quiet luxury” trend, late summer has introduced a new manicure that takes the glossy, expensive look to the next level. Meet glass nails, the latest K-beauty trend to get an American makeover. This look is all about understated colors paired with the ultimate glossy finish—and it deserves a spot in your fall manicure inspo.
What Are Glass Nails?
According to celebrity nail artist Queenie Nguyen, glass nails are the perfect way to make your manicure look luxe. “Glass nails are the new summer version of ‘quiet luxury’ chrome nails,” Nguyen explains. “Kylie Jenner debuted ‘glass nails’ as her version of chrome nails for the summer. Glass nails are quite similar to glazed donut nails started by Hailey Bieber in which a white chrome powder is applied on top of a base color of choice to deliver a very high shine finish.”
TThe key difference between the two looks? The color. “Unlike the soft white base from glazed donut nails, one would use a very sheer neutral base for the glass nails look in order to achieve the see-through finish to mimic the look of actual shiny glass,” Nguyen explains. “A great benefit to this trend is the longevity of the manicure. Due to the sheerness of the base color, this manicure will have a better ‘grown-out’ look because the nail growth is less obvious after a few weeks of wear.”
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K-Beauty Leads the Way
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From the ultra-popular blush placement trends to the gorgeous coquette looks dominating the beauty space right now, everyone is taking notes from South Korea. Fans of the super-delicate and hyper-feminine, Korean beauty trends tend to go global and glass nails are no different.
Korean glass nails create an expensive-looking depth and glamour to a manicure, and soft colors like pinks, neutrals and pastels keep the trend light and soft. You’ll notice that the American version of this trend tends to be a bit less sheer, focusing more on the ultra-reflective effect and high shine.
How to Get Glass Nails
While many manicure trends revolve around picking the perfect polish, this one takes a slightly different approach. “The best way to achieve the perfect glass nails is to have your nails done by a nail artist or at a salon because a nail professional will be able to use the right chrome powder for the right result,” Nguyen says.
Chrome powders are applied with an applicator or sponge between your base color and a sealing top coat, and there are a ton of options. Your nail artist will know exactly how much powder to use and what finish they want to go for, especially given that glass nails need very little chrome. However, this look can still be achieved at home with both gel and regular nail polishes.
At-Home Gel
“If you prefer to DIY your own glass nails with gel at home, you can get them with the Mini Macron Chrome Powder set and gel polish,” Nguyen says. “Apply one coat only of Meringue and cure one minute in the gel lamp, then apply the glazed chrome powder with the applicator that comes with the kit. Be sure to rub generously so that the finish is shiny like glass. Finish with a gel top coat to seal everything in.”
At-Home Polish
To achieve a reflective look without using chromes or gels, choose colors that enhance the natural hue of your nails. Nguyen recommends “a thin layer of Active Smooth to give the nail surface a beautiful sheer natural and nude base, followed by “one thin coat of Active Shine to add a beautiful high shine finish to the nails.” She says that “because of how subtle the shimmer is, you can also apply two coats for the extra shine and finish with a shiny top coat.”
