If you haven’t heard yet, pink is making a major comeback this year. One of the ways that we’re expecting fashion girl to incorporate the color into their looks is by scoring pretty pink nail designs for their manicures. I caught up with Tricoci Salon and Spas nail artist Kameron Lange to hear the latest on trending pink nail designs (and start planning for my next mani appointment).
“I think pink nails are trending partially because of the 2023 Pantone Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, being in the red and pink family,” explains Lange. “We’ve also seen a rise in pink with the Barbie movie coming out this year.” Barbiecore, one of TikTok’s many trending aesthetics, highlights its namesake’s signature color, pink, while also incorporating ultra-feminine and Y2K elements. Need a real life example? Paris Hilton walking the Spring/Summer ’23 Versace runway in head to toe pink sparkles. Greta Gerwig’s upcoming film Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has also sparked a clear re-interest in blush-toned shades for nail designs.
Some ways Lange recommends trying out trendy pink looks for your nails with pink chrome (also affectionately nicknamed as the ‘Strawberry Donut Glaze Nails’ thanks to Hailey Bieber), or pink french tips. She’s also seen a re-emergence of ombre nails, classic French nails, and micro designs. As with any manicure, it takes special attention to detail and prep to create. “Precise cuticle work and nail shaping are key to make the polish look perfect,” says Lange. “Selecting a shade that complements the guest’s skin tone and esthetic is important too!”
If you’re ready to try the trend (but in need of a bit of inspiration), you’re in luck. We’ve rounded up four of our favorite nail designs we’ll be seeing everywhere this season! Scroll on to see which ones made our list.
Can you share a little about your experience being a Clinique brand ambassador and what it means to you?
I love it! I love representing Latinas as a brand ambassador because I grew up with Clinique, and I know the presence that Clinique has in Mexico, which is huge. Being able to be the face of Clinique and having so many women look at me and think, “Yeah, she looks like me” or “Because she’s a brand ambassador, I could be a brand ambassador one day,” I find that beautiful. Clinique has been in my family for generations, so it feels very full circle to be an ambassador for a brand I actually know and love and that has been in my family for years.
How does being the brand’s ambassador reflect your idea of beauty?
One of my favorite things about the brand is that they genuinely care about making people feel good and making everyone accept their own unique beauty. I love how all the makeup products are skincare first. … When we look in the mirror, if we like what we see, it affects us in a positive way for the rest of the day—how we carry ourselves, the energy we go into every room with. I always thought growing up that some people have flawless skin in middle school and high school, and some had constant breakouts and pimples, and it just feels unfair sometimes.
I feel now, being with Clinique, that beauty is an energy that comes from within, but we also want our outside to match our inside. I think that’s the mission of Clinique: to create products and be a brand that’s safe for all skin types and helps everyone achieve their best self. I love being a part of that message and knowing it’s a brand that’s accessible and safe for everyone to feel beautiful.
As someone who used to be hopelessly devoted to a monthly gel manicure, I get the appeal of the salon treatment. I do! You don’t have to lift a finger (except when the manicurist asks you to), you don’t have to worry about what your nails look like for weeks, and the juicy signature shine is hard not to fall head over heels for.
Alas, salon-job gel manicures do come with their fair share of shortcomings. A) They’re expensive, B) there can be hassle and inconvenience with making an appointment, parking, and actually making it *on time* to your appointment, and C) they can inflict some not-so-nice damage to your tips.
Therefore, when a slew of our favorite nail polish brands began to debut their own at-home gel mani dupes with comparable shining, long-lasting results, we threw our hands up and shouted hallelujah. Yes, a salon experience can be relaxing, but in our mind, nothing beats sitting at home in front of our current Netflix binge and doing the job ourselves. Not to mention, since so many of the best gel nail polish brands only require one, two, or three steps tops and have a super-fast dry time, we can nosh on our accompanying Postmates order mere minutes post–paint job.
Tempting, no? So kick the damage and time that your salon gel manicure requires and take a look at these best-of-the-best gel nail polish brands instead. (We promise you won’t miss a thing!)
A stunning pastel nail color feels quintessentially spring, and now that we’ve officially hit the turn of the season, we’re fully on board. From delicate bloom-inspired shades like lilac and rose to slightly punchier hues of peach or tangerine, our favorite nail polish brands have been debuting fresh, muted versions of our normal go-to hues.
Whether you love splashy shades of neon or you adhere to a steady rotation of black, red, and nude, we’re about to prove pastel nail colors don’t have to be predictable or boring. Below, we’re sharing the 15 prettiest pastel nail colors we’re currently lining up for our at-home manicure routine this season. Keep scrolling! Serious polish inspo is just ahead.
Do you think that beauty trends or aesthetics offset progress in the industry?
It’s a very nuanced and layered conversation because it’s hard to think about what I enjoyed and ingested culture-wise growing up. Whether it’s MTV, the J.Crew catalog in the age of Jenna Lyons, or the Delia’s catalog, you saw these jovial, carefree girls with their wispies (fake eyelashes), straight hair, and all these things. Not to mention how huge the French-girl beauty aesthetic became, where the focus was on having clean skin and not trying too hard, and we never really had permission to do that. It’s an aesthetic that I wanted, but wasn’t what I saw around me. I saw my aunties, and mom wearing the classic red lip and the classic red nail polish and pressing their hair every Sunday. And seeing how important aesthetics was a part of her routine, I did not see that replicated outside of my home. I feel like we, especially Black culture, when it comes to clean girl aesthetics, we’re the microcurrent and the underbelly of what moves that and what’s inspired that. Unfortunately, those small microtrends bubble up to the top, and suddenly, everyone just sees the surface level. No one has any idea what’s going on at the root of it or where it comes when it gets to that stage it’s very hard to trace it back because some people don’t want to hear it.
I remember working at a huge conglomerate, and we were selling haircare products. At the time, we were creating tutorials on how to get box braids, and the marketing collateral was “how to get Kim Kardashian–inspired braids.” I remember the uproar that happened in the comments, and it’s ironic that I was working for this brand, on that team, obviously, being a part of the problem. But on the flip side, having experiences as a woman of color, who grew up as a salon baby in a hair braiding shop understanding the problem. I was watching my team fight tooth and nail, like, “No, Kim Kardashian made this popular,” even though it was rooted in Black haircare routines. So part of me feels like the conversation sometimes is so counterproductive because some people just don’t want to see it, especially when said influencer doesn’t attribute it to the source. Then the other part of me is like, “Hey, maybe it’s our job to scream from the rooftops and showcase the true DNA and fabric of it.” I think everyone shares this frustration, it’s a constant state of tug-of-war, every few days when there is a “new” trend.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. There’s no better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than with a fresh manicure. It might not seem like much, but it’s a small, visual cue telling us it’s time to shed the old and embrace the new and isn’t that what spring is all about?
Just as we’re switching out our long jackets and cable-knit sweaters for trendy tees and flowy dresses, we’re switching out our dark nail polish and old, tired nail designs for something lighter and brighter. Luckily, we have a lot of inspiration after we took it upon ourselves to scour Instagram for the best spring nail designs. From French manicures to floral patterns and abstract creations, we found something for every taste and aesthetic. Keep scrolling to see 20 spring nail designs from some of Instagram’s best nail artists and salons.
When you think of fashion week, your mind may automatically jump to clothing. While it’s true that clothing is doubtlessly the focal point, as more and more beauty brands have become involved in fashion week, beauty has become an increasingly important aspect for designers to consider. Beauty can help designers express their vision and either complement or contrast the clothes to heighten their message. And just as the clothes shown set the forthcoming trends, the beauty looks we see at fashion week do the same.
From backstages at New York Fashion Week this season, I watched beauty trends emerge before my eyes. While some beauty looks, like French manicures and slicked-back buns, seemed like they were further cementing themselves into the zeitgeist, newer trends, like goth-inspired glamour and metallic accents, felt like they were just breaking into the scene. Keep reading for the best beauty trends I saw this season at New York Fashion Week—plus some of the key products that were actually used to create them.
Clearly, Wednesday-core is here to stay—and you can kiss goodbye to the “clean girl” aesthetic that dominated 2022. We’re going full goth this year, baby. Rodarte leaned into the trend with graphic liner and black lipstick. “We’re doing gothic fairies… more gothic than fairy,” Nars makeup lead James Kaliardos told Who What Wear. “For this show, we really wanted to do strong and bold makeup, linear eyeliner eyes with a dark black lip or a blue lip.”
While Rodarte may have been the most overt example of gothic glamour, Adeam and Sandy Liang also leaned into the trend with deep, blood-toned lips. In the case of Adeam, shaggy hair and face jewelery also proved to be centerpieces of the looks.
After years of many people categorizing French manicures as tacky, they’re now ubiquitous among the fashion set. This season, French tips are getting a face-lift: They’re bolder, more playful, and dare we say better than they’ve ever been before?
From her mosaic French nails at PatBo to gold tips at LoveShackFancy, Kiss brand ambassador Gina Edwards declares that the French is here to stay. “French is still on fire,” she said. “Everyone didn’t want to go near it, and now, it’s so explosive.”
At Proenza Schouler, Jin Soon Choi opted for a different take on French with a matte black gradient tip. “This collection is about portraits of women,” Choi told Who What Wear. “We decided to do a black ombré.” This nail perfectly showcased the modern femininity portrayed in the clothing.
Silver, gold, rose gold—metallics are in. From entire faces painted with heavy metals to strategic flecks of sparkle, expect to start treating makeup like jewelry for your face.
Shows such as Thom Browne and Prabal Gurung took a more overt approach to this trend with splashes of metal that stood out. “The classic look for everybody is this golden, celestial, beautiful [look],” said lead makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench. “The characters are actually asteroids.”
Other shows were more subdued, like the silvery moonlit highlights seen at Sandy Liang. “The look is inspired by sweet-but-psycho energy,” said international makeup artist Marcelo Gutierrez with Ilia Beauty. “They have this frosty, illuminated eye. It’s a sweet rock-and-roll look.”
When it came to lips this season, the theme was ROYGBV—any and every color in the rainbow was fair game. From two-toned lips at Kim Shui to blue lips and black lips at Rodarte, we saw just about every combination possible.
Even classic red got a makeover this season. At Alice+Olivia, the theme was Americana, but Elyse Reneau, the executive director of global beauty at Too Faced, took it to the next level. “I was thinking Marilyn Monroe, that true red lip, the bombshell lip,” she said. The result? What she coins “cherry syrup lips,” a hyper-glossy red that she says looks like “Dorothy’s slippers.”
TikTok’s favorite hairstyle isn’t going anywhere. Slicked-back buns are still the name of the game, with the sleek styles being by far the most pervasive hairstyle on the runways this season. This season’s ballet buns are sleek and neat, with shining examples seen at PatBo, Christian Siriano, and Jason Wu.
At Christian Siriano, classic buns got a floral twist. “We were inspired by the handcrafted floral accents found throughout the collection to echo this in the hair by creating a rose-like twist, with a ‘stem’ of hair weaving down the crown of the head, meeting the rose-like bun in the back,” says Lacy Redway, Unilever stylist and celebrity hair artist for Tresemmé.
At Jason Wu, Jimmy Paul, hairstylist and Olaplex ambassador, payed homage to the ’90s with sleek, side-parted buns. These buns held the perfect tension between masculine and feminine, seamlessly complementing the collection.
Braids are nothing new, but this season, we saw them reimagined. From floor-grazing plaits at Head of State to more sculptural iterations at Ulla Johnson and Tia Adeola, braids are entering their whimsical era.
At Head of State, Oribe principal artist of global design Kien Hoang created braids that mirrored the collection’s intention to convey designer Taofeek Abijako’s father’s immigration journey from Lagos, Nigeria. Hoang opted for sculptural braids with references to Lagos to create a throughline.
Head of State wasn’t the only show that drew hair inspiration from a specific place or moment in time—Tia Adeola did the same. “This season, we’re taking inspiration from the iconic ’90s Atlanta style, adding extra length and flair to our models’ tresses with long extensions and bold gel-sculpted curls,” says Mike Martinez of Cutler Salon with Bread Beauty. “The models selected perfectly embody this look, and we’re thrilled to pay homage to the Black film BAPS style while incorporating our own unique twists.”
Nail trends come and nail trends go, but one thing is for sure: White nail polish is a forever mood. For decades, it’s been one of those nail polish shades that are almost too good to be true. It fits the bill all year long (that Labor Day rule is totally outdated), it’s appropriate for any occasion, and it looks good on everyone. What more could you want out of a nail polish?
If you’re operating under the assumption that white nails are too basic, too flat, or even too extra, chances are you just haven’t found the white polish finish that’s right for you. Just ask the countless celebrities such as Lizzo, Rihanna, and Victoria Beckham who just can’t get enough of their white nails.
Ahead, find our edit of the 20 best white nail polishes, broken down by varying finishes to help you find your new favorite.
To fully understand more about what builder gel is exactly, I asked celebrity nail artist Julie Kandalec to break it down for us. “Builder gel is a gel product that has a thicker viscosity that is able to be used to lengthen the nails as well as build strength at the apex period,” she says. “I recommend builder gel for clients who like to have an enhancement that is a little more on the flexible side as compared to acrylic, which is a great product but it is harder. Builder gel is sort of like if you take a plastic dish and drop it on the floor, it’ll bounce back versus an acrylic dish, if you drop it, it’ll crack. Builder gel is good for people who are heavy lifters (meaning their nails lift easily on the side) because it’s more flexible.”
Even I’ll admit that there are so many different types of nail gels out there that it’s hard to know the difference between them or which one is right for your particular nails. Kandalec went into a little more detail. “Builder gel frequently is a hard gel,” she says. “Hard gel is a nonporous gel that has to be filed off. Builder gel can either be soft gel or semi-hard gel or hard gel. The difference between [builder gel like] Solar Gel and Aprés Nail (which is a brand of gel tips) is that that is a full-coverage tip that is already pre-made. It’s made out of gel, but it’s adhered with more gel as opposed to builder gel. Builder gel you can sculpt with, apply it over a tip, or you can just do a structured manicure with it to give the apex the shape and the strength.”
Now that you have a little more background, read on for my experience getting builder gel for the first time.
Celebrity clients: Tracee Ellis Ross, Alicia Keys, Gabrielle Union, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya
Top makeup tip of all time:
I love to custom-make my own rollerball for de-puffing and hydrating my skin in the morning. It’s an inexpensive, luxurious self-care morning ritual. I use a whiskey ice ball mold (very inexpensive), and after filling it with water, I add jojoba oil, essential oils, and strained chamomile tea. The results are tightened, glossy skin that often allows me to skip foundation afterward. That said, if I do wear or apply a medium-coverage foundation, I always have to powder to set the foundation. My trick for making it look very light and clean is to go back in and whisk a bit of foundation on your cheeks, forehead, and chin back over the powder with a loosely bristled brush. One would think adding more coverage would make it seem overall very heavy, but whisking a little foundation back over the powder breathes a little bit of glow and texture back into the skin.
One standout moment or memory you’ve had since making it in the beauty industry:
Two memories stand out in a career where I constantly live beyond my wildest dreams every single day. It’s very rare to have a client perform at the Oscars. I’ve now been back several times, but the first time so clearly stands out in memory. I was working with Florence Welch. She was also performing with Elton John at his annual Oscar party, so we had a lot of logistics to sort out during the day, including having a police escort to make it to both red carpets with a change in between. We were moving very fast. A door closed and locked behind me, and I somehow ended up walking the entire red carpet, casually drinking champagne. Later, I was standing right behind the main curtain backstage doing touch-ups, and I looked out into the front row and at the theatre. It was the first time I paused all day and took it all in. That’s when the moment fully sunk in. Later that night, I had the same feeling standing just offstage watching her and Elton sing “Tiny Dancer.”
Touring with Jill Scott was also a dream. I’ve seen her perform “He Loves Me” countless times in countless countries across the globe. She moves me every single time. No matter how hectic things are backstage, when the chords to the song start, I run back just off to the side behind the curtain. Touring is hard on the body and hard on the mind. You’re living on the road with no schedule. You’re moving from country to country and city to city at odd times, in the middle of the night, by plane, bus, and car. Hearing her sing “He Loves Me” when the key changes to opera restores me every single time. Occasionally, I’ll zone out and watch someone in the audience watch her, and the look on their face reminds me… that while Jilly’s a dear friend and client, I’m working with living legend Jill Scott.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give artists who are just starting out?
Have your own point of view—your own aesthetic and style. Be authentically and unapologetically you in your art. The right clients will find and appreciate you. It’s a terrible place to be as an artist when your art doesn’t fully reflect your instincts and you’re aware of it. You can’t fully create and thrive in that space. Be you. The world needs more you.
What beauty products can you not live without when working on your clients?
I use Chanel’s Baume Essential Multi-Use Glow Stick on every face every time. It’s like painting with light. It brings a sheen back to skin that powder or foundation can dull down, so it’s also the perfect trick to hide a fuller coverage into looking like bare skin. I like to apply it where the sun would naturally hit—the tops of cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, and the chin. I’ll even apply a dab in the center of the eyelids to “wake up” powder eye shadow. A little on the décolletage extends the glow and makes the sheen on the face look so natural. I don’t like the face to look too made up, per se, and eyeliner can sometimes be a bit too much when you’re trying to strike a delicate balance with a bolder lip. I do, however, also love definition around the eyes. Enter Le Volume Stretch de Chanel Mascara. The 3D-printed brush lets me get right up to the lash line, so I get my definition without the added product buildup. The eyes pop, and it really wakes up the whole face.
Dear Love encapsulates Bahbah’s work in gut-wrenching poetic fashion. It is broken up into four main chapters: “Dear Heart,” “Dear Darkness,” “Dear Light,” and “Dear Love,” which she says are based on the human experience and follow the same journey all of her protagonists do. “Dear Heart” represents Bahbah’s coming-of-age years and features her early projects The Wild Ones and Sex and Takeout. “I was so young, and I was falling in and out of love constantly, at least what I thought was love,” Bahbah shares. As you move into “Dear Darkness,” the work gets moodier and more meaningful, a reflection of a difficult period for the artist as she entered therapy and began addressing her trauma, anxiety, and depression. “Dear Light” is the result of that process and the realization that it’s going to be okay. And finally, “Dear Love” is coming back to one’s true self and embracing all of the emotions.
“As scary as it is to have revealed so much of myself in this book, especially in the series synopsis where I break down the story behind every single photo series that I’ve done, I think it’s a risk worth taking,” Bahbah says. “I think vulnerability is a superpower, and having that to reflect on in a year from now, five years from now, 10 years from now is just going to be a really special feeling. So I did it for my younger self, and I’m doing it for my future self.”
The self-funded, self-published book is available on Bahbah’s website via a sliding-scale price format, a “pay what you can” initiative she adopted in 2020 in an effort to make her work more accessible to fans.
Keeping your nails in tip-top shape can definitely be a task. Ahem, especially if you’re also on a major budget. I’m guilty of dropping over $100 at the salon per visit, and I have to admit that there are times I wish I were good at doing my own nails so I could save some time and extra dollars. I may not be the best at home manis myself, but I know some of you out there are and are in need of a few polish recommendations. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.
Even if you’re like me and don’t necessarily have the skill to do your own nails, these polishes are still great to keep top of mind since, according to nail artists and editors, they’re the best in the business. Whether you’re ready to DIY or are looking for the perfect shade to bring to your next salon visit, you’re going to want to keep reading below. Celebrity nail artist Julie Kandalec shared a few of the absolute best nail polish brands she uses time and again. I also snuck in a few editor favorites. Keep scrolling.
First thing’s first: Select your serpent-inspired color palette. “The most common colors used to achieve a serpent, reptilian nail look include deep metallic green, black, and brown,” says Jin Soon Choi, editorial manicurist and founder of JINSoon. “Other colors such as holographic blue, purple, and teal are also popular.” Feel free to choose your own reptilian adventure here—but metallic or chrome hues will really help you nail that scaly effect.
OK, here comes the tricky part. “There are few ways to create serpent nails with regular nail polish,” says Choi. You could opt for the netting method—after applying your polish of choice, apply netting on top while the polish is still wet (here’s a great option from Amazon), then finish with a top coat.
You could also use a nail art stamper or sponge to create a uniform scale pattern. Simply apply a base coat of polish, wait for it to dry completely, then dip your stamper into a metallic hue before lightly pressing it onto your nails. After attempting both netting and stamping, I found the latter method easiest—I didn’t have a proper stamper, but a regular kitchen sponge works just fine if you use the edge.
The pores of the sponge create a scaly, almost cloud-like effect (if you choose dreamier pastel hues, you could easily create “cloud nails.” But that’s a tutorial for another day). Just make sure to tap the sponge super lightly; if you press too firmly, the polish will bleed and create one big blob.
I have this thing where I love having my nails done and painting them all kinds of colors—I’m talking about everything from marine blue, and cherry red to rich, chocolate brown. However, I hate when they don’t match my outfit or aesthetic (for example, I find it irritating when I have beachy blue nails but I’m attending a fancy event wearing a red dress. You get the picture).
There’s only one nail color I can always count on to match every season, outfit, and situation. Okay, not so much a color, but a category of colors. I’m talking about nude nail polish; anything ranging from pinky-white to taupe-brown and beyond. Keep scrolling to see my favorite nude nail designs on Instagram. Then, shop a selection of my favorite nude nail polishes.
I also wasn’t necessarily looking for dramatic changes to my hair when I started this supplement, but much to my delight, my hair has grown significantly in the past few months—and I bet I can thank collagen for that extra nudge since collagen supplements provide many of the amino acids and nutrients needed for hair growth.* mindbodygreen’s formula also includes biotin, the famous B vitamin that aids in the keratin-making process and promotes healthy, strong strands.*
And let’s not forget about the gut: I love that this collagen powder focuses just as much on gut health as it does on beauty benefits, like nail and hair growth.* Quick anecdote: Before I began supplementing with collagen, I implemented a strict ritual of one yogurt a day to help keep my gut health in check (as yogurt is naturally rich in probiotics). If I didn’t eat my daily yogurt, I noticed a difference in my digestion, likely because of the influence on my gut microbiome.
I’ve now noticed that skipping my collagen supplement has an impact on my gut health, just as the yogurt did before.* It’s a relief to know that the supplement I am paying for is doing so much at once, making it even more worth the price.
Needless to say, I decided to subscribe after my first month, as the results were unmatched. The subscription-based service is also a plus since I don’t have to ever worry about running out of my beloved collagen—and as a bonus, I save money each time I get it! I’ve been taking it for about six months now, and I couldn’t be more satisfied. I use the unflavored powder and mix it into my morning coffee, which is a great way to keep my collagen supplement routine both easy and enjoyable.
Her favorite mermaidcore look that she created for a client was a mix of Euphoria glam and aquatic inspiration. “There are so many ways to draw inspiration to create a mermaidcore look,” says Braha. “My take would be open, fluffy brows, a wash of lavenders or sheer aqua blue across the lids, or a pop of color in the inner corner of the eyes. Glossy, fresh skin and lips complement this look well, too.” While mermaidcore may appear overwhelming to create at home, there are a few go-to products Braha suggests using Makeup by Mario’s Master Crystal Reflector in Quartz, Gucci’s Luminous Face and Lip Gloss, and Natasha Denona’s Mini Pastel Eyeshadow Palette.
“Quartz can be used on lids over top the pastel shadows, or used alone on lids or in inner corners. Use Gucci’s face balm under makeup on cheekbones for a wearable dewy effect,” Braha begins. “Natasha Denona’s mini pastel palette has the perfect mermaid vibe and can be worn individually or paired together for dimension and depth on eyes.” She also proposes adding extra details like delicate jewels, stones, or pearls sporadically near the eyes for an ultra-chic approach to the trend.
On my long list of resolutions for the new year close to the top is focusing on wellness. Now when I say that I don’t mean elaborate wellness trips or making any major lifestyle changes, I just want to be more intentional on how I take care of myself. After all when you’re not taking care of yourself in the way your body needs you can’t show up as your best in other areas of your life. The main things I’m focusing on are getting enough sleep, after all feeling well rested is the best way to kick ass in life both professionally and personally.
I also want to focus on my skincare and doing things that make me feel centered like taking long baths, listening to my favorite podcasts while walking around New York, and cuddling up with an Ugg blanket to watch my favorite movie, and integrating some wellness supplements into my diet. When looking for items to help me on my wellness journey the retailer I turned to was Nordstrom. They actually have an entire section on their website dedicated to all things wellness. I rounded up 30 items that I cannot wait to try.
If we were to play a word association game and you said “J.Lo,” the first thing I would say back is “nude lip gloss.” The star has been sporting glossy nude lips since the ’90s. At this point, there’s no denying that Jennifer Lopez’s one great love is ultra-reflective, latte-toned lips. (Sorry, Ben Affleck.)
Though Lopez’s love for lip gloss has outlasted many a trend cycle, that doesn’t mean the star doesn’t dabble in other beauty trends. At the world premiere for her most recent movie, Shotgun Wedding, Lopez tried another form of lip gloss—“lip gloss” nails, that is.
Lip-gloss nails are essentially 2023’s version of the “glazed donut” manicure that took the world by storm in 2022. Like actual lip gloss, you’ll want to opt for a color that suits your skin tone—consider something similar to the nude gloss color that would look best on you. Lopez’s manicurist, Tom Bachik, did this by creating a custom soft brown reminiscent of her signature lip gloss.
It’s a new year, and you know what that means: Most of us are setting personal goals and intentions, tossing out old habits that aren’t serving us, and just looking for a fresh start. It’s also a prime opportunity to have a little fun and try something new.
One way I like to mix things up at the beginning of the year is by changing up my beauty routine. Listen, I’m not forcing you to trim your own bangs or to box-dye your hair a crazy color, but if you did and it didn’t quite work out, that’s what hats are for, right?
Even if you’re a little wary of making a drastic change, you can take baby steps and start by mixing up your manicure routine. If you normally stick to reds and neutrals, why not opt for blues and greens? Or if your nails are usually bare, you can treat yourself to an at-home mani and experiment with some new colors or designs. The sky’s the limit here, and if you don’t like it, well, there’s always nail polish remover!
To get you inspired, we compiled a list of our favorite nail colors to wear this January. Some are classics, but we’ve also got a couple of funky and unusual options. Take a look below.
You’ll want to invest in a strengthening treatment if you really want to see a difference in nail thickness. Stay away from ingredients like formaldehyde, acetone, ethyl acetate, or butyl acetate if possible, Stern says.
Stern developed her own kit, called the Nail Renewal System which includes a gentle exfoliant, a buffing bar, and a leave-on hydrating formula.
“This 3-step system is a revolutionary, once-weekly, nail treatment that immediately reveals a healthy, hydrated, youthful shine. This polish-free system is clinically proven to improve the appearance of nails, leaving them with a healthy, strong, smooth, shiny, glossy, and less brittle look and feel,” Stern says.
