If you want to tag a nail trend months before it hits the masses, look no further than Tom Bachik’s social media. The celeb nail magician—he’s responsible for the regular manicures of J.Lo, Selena Gomez and Hailee Steinfeld, to list a short few—is constantly and consistently dishing out the most beautiful nail art trends, offering step-by-step instructions so the rest of us can successfully pull it off at home.
The latest: The mermaid micro French mani, an under-the-sea special that Bachik calls “meticulous.” The perfect summer manicure enlists the help of Tweezerman tools, as well as a pearly-blue essie Nail Art Studio Special Effects Nail Polish ($13). Available on Amazon, the polish gets rave reviews from consumers who say it “practically glows.”
“First, I create the shape using Tweezerman’s Stainless Steel Clipper ($7). Then, I perfect the shape using Tweezerman’s Glass Nail File ($8),” Bachik explains in his beauty notes. “Next, I Gently push back the cuticles using Tweezerman’s Glass Cuticle Pushy ($18). Then, I remove the cuticle from the nail using Tweezerman’s Glass Cuticle Pushy. Next, I cut the excess cuticle and hangnails with Tweezerman’s Rockhard Cuticle Nipper ($25).”
Bachik also likes to smooth the cuticle and nail with his Tom Bachik x Tweezerman Nail Buffer, prepping the nail by cleansing and dehydrating using Tweezerman’s Reusable Polish Remover Pads ($10).
The main secret to the Micro Mermaid French, Bachik shares, is “Frosted Fantasy” from Essie’s Special Effects Nail Color line. The jelly-blue vegan nail polish features gold shimmer pearls fused with holographic and light-reflecting finishes.
“I create my smile lines for my Micro French with Essie ‘Offbeat Chic’ Nail Lacquer ($10), then I seal the look with Essie’s ‘Stay Longer’ Longwear Top Coat ($11),” Bachik says.
In keeping with the “water theme,” Bachik says his finishing step is “rehydrating the cuticles with Essie’s On a Roll Apricot Cuticle Oil ($15).”
