While we often expect springtime manicures to be full of whimsical pastels and light neon shades, but there’s a new trend in town for a fresh direction on spring nails. Though spring and summer manicures tend to lean into those softer and lighter shades (think matcha nails and butter yellow, which Fresha beauty expert Annabelle Taurua says have both seen a surge in popularity over the past month), there’s been a big shift this season.
Courtesy of Hailey Bieber, dark manicures have quickly become one of the coolest spring manicures this season. Following the debut of her Coachella mani, beauty and wellness booking platform Fresha reports that searches for ‘neon floral nails’ have surged by 600 percent over the past three months.
Bieber wore a dark glow-in-the-dark floral manicure to the first weekend of Coachella, which fans and beauty lovers alike immediately fell in love with. Upon first glance, they’re simply black nails with pastel floral designs; but at night, the flowers glow in the dark for a fun twist. Bieber’s go-to manicurist Zola Ganzorigt created the look using OPI Nail Lacquer in Black Onyx ($12) for the base and Stay Out All Bright ($12) and Blue Them All Away ($12) for the florals. To get the glow in the dark feature, she mixed the polish she used for the flowers with glow-in-the-dark powder. Here’s the actual manicure Ganzorigt created on Bieber:
But Bieber isn’t the only one leaning into dark manicures this spring: Alongside dark florals, black polka dot nails are another nail design to pay attention to.
“While black nails are typically associated with autumn and winter, we’re now seeing growing interest in darker bases for spring/summer, reimagined in a more playful, seasonal way,” says Taurua. “Expect black manicures to be paired with brighter, more expressive designs such as florals, neon accents and polka dots, creating a fresh, modern contrast for the warmer months.”
It seems everyone is wearing black or darker manicures this spring. When sprinkled in with trending spring nail patterns like polka dots, grids or florals, the dark shade adds great dimension and a fresh take on the season. Taurua notes that searches for ‘black polka dot nails’ have seen a 380 percent increase on Pinterest, “as people look for fun, wearable ways to incorporate darker tones into their seasonal looks,” she says.
Want to get in on the trend? Switch up your springtime manicure and try a dark nail base or dark accents this season.
