Jelly nails have reigned supreme this summer as one of the biggest manicure trends, and while the fad isn’t going anywhere just yet, it is shifting a bit for fall. Enter syrup nails, a trend that originated in Korea, according to professional nail artist Steven Li. “When I was in Seoul last May, I met with a few nail friends, and they told me the biggest trend was to not see the crisp line of gel or polish at the cuticle but to see a sheer nail bed instead, using syrup gels,” celebrity nail artist Julie Kandalec tells us. “When I went back again this year for NailCon Korea, almost everything was syrup, so it’s more than a trend—it’s sticking around!”
Featured experts
- Steven Li is a professional nail artist
- Julie Kandalec is a celebrity nail artist
What are syrup nails?
Syrup nails are very similar to jelly nails in that they have a sheer look (think thick, gooey syrup on a warm stack of pancakes—more viscous, less structured). “Much like maple syrup that is see-through yet has an amber color, syrup nails do as well, but in all shades like blues, greens, lilacs, pinks, and even with micro glitters,” says Kandalec. “They are beautiful to wear alone, or you can use them to easily create ombré/gradient nail art or aura nails.”
How to get syrup nails
“Ask your salon for syrup, jelly or sheer gel shades. If they don’t have them, your artist may be able to mix color and clear gel on a palette then apply to your nail using a flat nail brush, but it doesn’t always mix properly (chemistry!),” says Kandalec. “But, whatever underlying color is in a deep solid color (say, red that you want to make into a syrupy red), that undertone will be more predominant and will change the shade of a color to look totally different,” she notes.
Another way to achieve syrup nails is “by layering sheer nail polish over a more opaque color at the tip to give it a more natural ombré finish,” notes Li. Kandalec says there are a handful of popular brands that have jelly collections that can help create the syrup nail look, including Essie, Lights Lacquer and Cirque.
Syrup nail inspo
