Now Trending: BB Cream Nails
This nude nail is meant to look like your natural nail, only better.
Photo courtesy of Londontown
The of-the-moment nude nail isn’t exactly new; it’s more like a rebrand. The trending look has been dubbed the “BB Cream Nail,” yet nail pros say it’s similar to the nail concealer trend, meant to create the perfect, sheer, barely-there mani. Like BB creams, tinted moisturizers, and concealers in makeup, “these sheer polishes are almost like a veil for your nail to blur out imperfections,” says celebrity manicurist (and Long Islander!) Gina Eppolito, who tends the tips of A-listers who favor this clean, minimalist nail look, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Julianne Moore, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
What makes this nude mani different from the milky nudes we’ve been seeing? The sheer factor. “It’s less opaque,” says Eppolito. “It's just a hint of pigment — a step above a clear gloss top coat,” she says. “If it has enough pigment, it could even be achieved with one coat.”
Get the Look
The key is to find the right sheer nude for your skin tone. Eppolito says this may take some trial and error, as some look different in the bottle than on your nails and against your skin tone. “In general, I tend to stay away from peachy nudes because I feel like they look more yellow on the nail,” she says. “The super-sheer pink nudes tend to compliment most skin tones.” For dark skin tones, Eppolito says sheer, sandy nudes tend to work well such as Londontown Kur Illuminating Nail Concealer in Bare (in model pic, above), $20.
The other hallmarks of the clean-girl nail aesthetic are neat cuticles and a high-shine top coat, and the cuticle care starts at home. “If you get regular manicures, you must condition your cuticles in between,” she says. “Think of it as conditioning your hair; you're not going to do it only at the salon.” She says to keep a cuticle oil or cream on your desk or make it a nighttime ritual while you watch TV.
Ready to try the BB Cream nail? Scroll through for Eppolito’s go-to sheer nudes.
Londontown Illuminating Nail Concealers, shown in Bubble and Bare, $20 each; Zoya Nail Polish in Loretta and Sabrina, $12 each; and Emilie Heathe Macaron Nail Artist Polish, $30.
