If You Try This "Dated" Nail Trend Now, You'll Be Way Ahead of Everyone Else

My best friend consistently has the coolest nails. Every time she goes home to Toronto, she has a new set put on, and when she returns to New York, I spend 10 minutes ogling her nails. When she came back from her most recent trip, she was sporting a set of long, translucent tips that were see-through in the light and made her fingers look a mile long. 

I’ve always been a bit of a manicure traditionalist (I stick to classic red nearly every time I do my nails), but once I saw my friend’s jelly manicure, I fell in love. I had to try this nail trend for myself. I had a bottle of Butter London’s Jelly Preserve Strengthening Treatment ($18) on hand, so I painted on a few coats. After I saw the results, I immediately beelined to Amazon to buy every shade because this trend will be on heavy rotation for a while.

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(Image credit: @ktberohn)

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(Image credit: @ktberohn)

What are jelly nails?

Jelly nails aren’t new—they’ve been popping up for years. Jelly polish looks like stained glass on your fingertips. It is slightly see-through and can come in any color. Since they’re glass-like, they make a great base for any and all nail designs, including jewels. You can have a set put on at the salon as my friend did, but they’re also incredibly easy to achieve at home. Below, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite jelly looks that I will be re-creating myself and the polishes to match—happy glazing!

#1: Grapefruit Jelly

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(Image credit: @imarninails)

Get the look:

#2: Rhubarb Jelly

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(Image credit: @hollyfalconenails )

#3: Green Apple Jelly

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(Image credit: @hollyfalconenails)

#4: Raspberry Jelly

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(Image credit: @nails_of_la)

#5: Lavender Flower Jelly

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(Image credit: @harrietwestmoreland)

#6: Orange Marmalade

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(Image credit: @hollyfalconenails)

#7: Watermelon Jelly

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(Image credit: @imarninails)

Get the look:

#8: Cherry Jelly

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(Image credit: @imarninails)

Get the look:

This article was published at an earlier date and has been updated.

Next, The 10 Nail Polish Brands We Could Use Until the End of Time, No Complaints

Associate Beauty Editor

Katie Berohn is the associate beauty editor at Who What Wear. Previously, she worked as the beauty assistant for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her master's degree at NYU's graduate program for magazine journalism. In addition, Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan; a digital editorial internship at New York magazine's The Cut; a social good fellowship at Mashable; and a freelance role at HelloGiggles. When she's not obsessing over the latest skincare launch or continuing her journey to smell every perfume on the planet, Katie can be found taking a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at New York's newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.