On TikTok and Instagram, summer manicures are played gently: short nails, neutral colors, neat shine. No more XXL labels, make way for shades that go just as well with jeans as with a wedding dress. Among the very flashy chrome nails and ultra reflective glazed nails, a more subtle version is starting to take over. Spotted on the red carpet as well as on promo, worn with totally opposite looks, this nude manicure has already found its muse.
These are the satin nailsadopted by
Zendaya during recent promo tours, where she went from a luminous goddess look to an almost gothic silhouette without changing her nail polish. According to Cosmopolitan magazine, this manicure combines a pale pink or neutral beige veil with a satin shine, less mirror-like than chrome but more glossy than a cream polish. Result: a chic nude that works with a linen dress, an office suit or a guest outfit until September.
Satin nails: the nude manicure validated by Zendaya
Concretely, satin nails are built on a base of very light pink or translucent nude shade. The color remains light, almost milky, so as to reveal the natural nail underneath. The difference is mainly in the reflection: the surface is ultra smooth, shiny, but without an aggressive mirror effect. We think of the finish of a silk camisole rather than polished metal.
This rendering fits perfectly with the movement
clean girl manicure described by Elle magazine: hydrated hands, cuticles nourished with oil, short nails impeccably filed then covered with two thin layers of pale pink varnish before an ultra-shiny top coat. Satin nails take up this very neat base, but with an emphasis on the veil effect and chic transparency rather than a pink visible at first glance.
Satin nails, clean girl, chrome nails: what are the differences?
The confusion often comes from chrome nails, which are also very present on TikTok. The chrome manicure, described by Elle, is based on chrome powder applied over the color, then fixed with an ultra-shiny top coat to obtain a real mirror effect. Satin nails do not use powder: everything relies on a translucent varnish and a luminous top coat, for a softer and diffused shine.
Facing a very spectacular, almost metallic chrome, satin nails slip effortlessly into everyday life. They accompany a linen dress on vacation, a sober suit at the office or a satin jumpsuit for a wedding. We find the idea of glazed nails, but in a less shiny version: a second skin finish which gives the impression that your nails are naturally polished and shiny.
How to copy Zendaya’s satin nails at home
- We start by preparing a very clean base: moisturized hands, oil on the cuticles, nails filed and lightly polished, then protective base;
- Then apply one to two thin coats of a milky pink like CND “Backyard Nuptials”, OPI “Bare My Soul” or Essie “Skinny Dip;
- For a very neutral Zendaya-style finish, first apply a thin layer of white varnish, then the pink;
- Seal with a high gloss top coat.