After a summer of nail art fads which seemed to get progressively crazier as the season wore on (mermaid nails? bubble nails? aquarium nails???) we’re pleased to report that the latest big thing takes a rather more classy approach.
Mamas, allow us to introduce the naked manicure! In neutral shades of light pink, camel and apricot, this trend is all about showing off healthy, natural looking nails.
But nude nails don’t have to be boring! We’ve taken inspiration from the AW15 catwalks to bring you our top 3 ways to work the trend & the perfect maternity dresses to match:
1) Subtle Sparkles
From dots of bronze sparkle at Jenny Packham to a thin stripe of gold glitter at Delpozo and a chic cross detail just for the ring finger at Erin Fetherston, designers found clever ways to enhance the natural beauty of the nails with just a little touch of glitter. We love this look – it’s the perfect way to work the trend without giving up your glitz!
Work it with: Gold Sequin Maternity Dress
2) Negative Space
Another way to make the nude nail trend your own is to experiment with negative space. Tibi put a new twist on the classic French manicure creating stylishly angled white tips, and we love the subtle window pane style at Suno – just a few simple white lines against an all-natural base coat.
Work it with: Knitted A Line Maternity Dress
3) Pop of Colour
And finally, if totally nude nails just aren’t your style, why not try livening up the look with a splash of colour. We love the blue applique squares at Cushnie et Ochs, and the vibrant red and orange outlines at Tracy Reese set off the nude base perfectly.
Michelle Saunders, the lead manicurist at Rebecca Minkoff shared the secret of her AW15 runway look. She applied a base coat of Essie’s Mademoiselle, then layered shades of Berry Naughty & Midnight Cami in chevrons at the tip. She said:
“This is one of the easiest manicures you can do on yourself… The brush does all the work for you. The width of the stripe is the width of the brush – you’re doing a little X at the top of your nails with the red, then you follow the exact same pattern with the blue.”
Work it with: Printed Twist Maternity Dress