When it comes to nail art, we love a theme, and one thematic summer manicure trend has caught our attention: mermaid nails. The aquatic aesthetic is cropping up on our grid and For You pages with some of our favorite manicurists and influencers leaning into the look.

The mermaid movement has been building for a while, with crimped mermaid waves, wet-look hair, and dolphin skin all making a splash over the past couple of years. And if the autumn-winter ’23 runways are anything to go by, interest in the trend is only set to intensify. Dion Lee painted shimmering scales across the models' foreheads, Chloe gilded its models' eyes in fluid silver, Di Petsa leaned into the aesthetic hard with sandy skin, silver-lined lips and fishnet hair accessories, and wet waves were worn at Collina Strada and Kim Shui.

Now that we're heading into summer, which means sipping cocktails in the sunshine and sunbathing on the beach, we reckon now is the perfect time to jump onto that ship.

As for mermaid nails, the finish is everything. Think metallic silvers that replicate shimmering scales and aqua tones of sea foam, turquoise, and azure. Likewise, pearlescent shell-like shades are in, which bodes well for the high-shine appeal of chrome and glazed nails, which remain popular for another summer.

If you want to go a little more literal, we have all the inspo there too. We've seen nails decorated with teensy shells, starfish and waves, which may not sound chic, but we've got the pics to prove it. Ditto tiny pearl details dotted across nails play perfectly into the theme.

Want in? See some of our favorite ways to wear mermaid nails below.

Blue chrome splash nails

Ocean blue shimmer

Pearlescent Frenchies

Pearls, sand, and starfish

Seashell tips

Shimmer scale nails

Gold starfish accents

South Sea pearl nails

Wave nails

Sea mist blue and seashell accents

Wave print

Wet-look chrome nails

Caught in the net nails

3D mermaid nails

Marble water nails

Scales nails

3D seashell print nails

Mermaid tail nails

Orange starfish nails

What the shell nails

Pearl-speckled nails

Allover pearl nails

Shimmer and wave swirl nails

Waterdrop nails

Seashell-accent nails

Sand and starfish nails

This story originally appeared on Glamour UK. 

Originally Appeared on Glamour