When it comes to nails, I consider myself something of a maximalist. As soon as I sit in my manicurist’s chair, the chrome, cat-eye and glitter-packed polishes call to me and for winter, I’m naturally gravitating towards more brooding hues of burgundy and merlot. But the celebrity set has different ideas.
Lately, Instagram is awash with milky translucent nails, gauzy, barely-there manicures that allow the natural free edge to peek through and reveal all the subtle irregularities of the nails, rather than covering them up entirely. It’s a trend we’re calling “lucent” nails: ultra-shiny and of course, semi-sheer.
@betina_goldstein
What are lucent nails and why are they everywhere?
Session manicurist Ami Streets is well-versed in lucent manicures, having created them on her celebrity clients and for models during fashion week, where nails need to be polished while allowing the clothes and accessories to take centre stage. “Lucent nails are all about a soft-focus, light-catching finish for nails that look naturally healthy, with a delicate wash of milky colour and a glass-like sheen,” says Streets. “Think of your natural nail, but subtly perfected, more luminous, a little more even-toned and beautifully glossy, without looking as though you’re wearing an opaque block of colour.”
For Streets, the appeal of milky translucent nails lies in the wider shift towards understated beauty: “Lucent nails sit alongside the skin-first approach to make-up,” she says, adding, “They enhance and improve what you already have rather than covering it up and there’s something refreshing about a manicure that feels effortless and considered.”
Chanel Le Vernish in Particuliére, ₹3,200
