Heart Nails Are Trending, and They’re Ridiculously Chic
From checkered nails to manicures that look like actual blocks of ice, there has been no shortage of cool nail trends lately. And now heart nails are the latest design that's poised to take off.
Now, you might be thinking heart nails aren't exactly new, and you'd be right. Anyone who's been to the nail salon around Valentine's Day can vouch for that. Rather, there's a very specific genre of heart nail designs that have been popping up on our feeds lately, particularly inspired by cool-girl phone case brand Wildflower and 2000s TV revivals.
We're calling them heart beams—one look at them, and you'll see why. The multilayered cuties make us nostalgic for late afternoons spent obsessing over action-packed cartoons with strong female leads and are quickly becoming as classic as a French mani.
So what is it about these hearts that have us wanting to wear them over every finger? “It’s customizable to each person, which makes each set fun,” says Montreal nail artist Victoria Gabreau. “I think it also has a little bit of nostalgia for people who grew up watching The Powerpuff Girls and popular Y2K trends.”
The first person to request this playful riff on heart nails at Gabreau's salon wanted to match her favorite Wildflower case, the nail artist recalls. “We did a mismatch set with some brown French tips and the beaming heart in different shades of browns,” she says. “At that point, I feel like the beaming heart wasn’t as big.”
That was last fall. Only a few months later, and Gabreau says the design is suddenly everywhere—and that we’ll only “keep seeing it” as people start feeling more comfortable going to the nail salon regularly again. She also predicts we'll see the trend popping up with a mix of different patterns and shades, whether that's in bright colors or with complementary swirls.
Because you can play with placement, giving a personal spin to the look is pretty easy. Once you've nailed the perfect nail shape, all that's left is to settle on the right color mix that'll make your nails pop. If you need some inspiration, take a cue from your zodiac sign or Gabreau's Insta, where she's been posting all kinds of creative versions of heart-beam nails. “I haven’t done one in orange yet, but I think it would look so good,” she says. “It's a great spring color.”
Spring is always a good time to refresh and reset. It's also the perfect opportunity to get a new mani that you'll fall head over heels for. Luckily, we've got plenty of options. Scroll on for a few variations of our favorites.
Michella Oré is a beauty assistant at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @michellaor.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
