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A manicure is my best souvenir from Seoul, South Korea. Before taking a flight back to New York City, I visit Unistella, the center of the world’s most daring and avant-garde nail trends, and tell my manicure technician to create any vibrant designs she pleases. Every time, my fingers served as a showcase for the most recent nail art styles from Korea. With Maby, you can take the initiative in everything.
The owner of Unistella Park Eunkyung gave some of my nails a lovely watercolor finish in 2020 and covered others with chunky glitter. Another Unistella nail technician named Ellie performed the task for me during my most recent trip at the end of May. She provided me with a detailed glimpse of upcoming Korean nail art trends. A few days after my visit, Blackpink’s Lisa and Aespa’s Giselle’s nails had chrome beads, 3D blobs, and abstract gradient nail art comparable to mine. Please visit Maby blog to update the latest nail news.
Ellie reached for dozens of jelly-like gel paints and meticulously and joyously painted each of my ten nails. They have become an industry standard for creating the famous “syrup nail” style popularized by K-beauty. Ellie experimented with squeezable 3D gel tubes to make tiny chrome beads and blobby lines. They made me think of the frosting gels I used to decorate Funfetti cakes with when I was a kid, writing “Happy Birthday.” Visit more at The 8 Biggest Nail Trends Coming in 2021.
Because various other nail art fads are catching on, such as cheek nails and chrome acrylics, I urgently need to make another trip to Seoul. Instead of waxing lyrical about the latest Korean nail trends, I suggest showing you all of them.
Chome Beads
In many different forms, three-dimensional nail art has been popular in Seoul for a while. Little chrome beads are one of the top design competitors, as seen on Blackpink’s Lisa (thanks to Park) and clientele at various salons in Seoul.
I even had one added by Ellie when I visited Unistella. She didn’t just glue them to my nail, though. On the other hand, Ellie created the chrome bead herself using clear building gel and chrome powder. She applied each in several small applications until a tiny metallic spherical flecked my nail. If you don’t have the patience, you can glue on silver flat-backed pearls for your at-home manicure.
According to the proprietor of Odd Nail Studio, which is close to Seoul’s Wangsimni Station, chrome beads are frequently combined with lilac, sky blue, and other hues of gray. The disco ball-like accent is typically placed on top of the square and circular nail shapes.
Cheek Nail French Manicure
You will undoubtedly see manicures with ethereal pink spheres in the center that adorably mimic flushed cheeks if you visit any Korean nail artist’s Instagram. This nail art style is known as cheek nails precisely because of this. They are so well-liked that K-pop diva Sunmi recently flaunted her cheek nails on Instagram. They are currently one of the most in-demand nail art trends in Seoul, according to Park, who also spoke to Allure.
Pink puffs are frequently worn with pastel French tips, especially sky blue, for an undeniably feminine appearance. Although nail technicians also dab pink syrup paint on the middle of the nail before buffing it out using a tightly packed manicure brush, like this one (in case you want to try to reproduce Korea’s cheek nails yourself), Park claims that the watch is occasionally done with an airbrush machine.
Blob Nails
Another method Korean nail artists use in 3D aspects is blob nails. This trend in nail art is known as “in Korean, which means “chunk” or “lump” nail. However, I like to call them blob nails. They can occasionally be put to nails as amorphous shapes, but three lines stacked horizontally on one or two nails are currently the most popular.
Ellie gave my nails this appearance by squeezing the thick, precise mixture from a bottle of the aforementioned squeezable gel, also known as drawing gel, directly onto my nail and curing it under a UV lamp.
If you already own a gel manicure kit and are interested in trying blob nails here in the United States, you may purchase drawing gel on Gellydrops or Gemhour.
Maximalist Brown Nails
Brown has never been my favorite nail art color, though I might consider it during the fall. In contrast, individuals in Seoul get neutral, autumnal-hued manicures all year round, even in the summer. Brown nails are frequently matched with colorful checkerboard patterns, 3D shapes, and green, purple, and blue French manicures.
If you show your nail technician your favorite design from the gallery above for them to reproduce, you’ll stand out because American nail art trends rarely use these color combinations. With the UUUUU Chocolate Stone Gel Nail Stickers, you can quickly learn to perform a polished manicure complete with nail art while relaxing in your home. Of course, you’re welcome to coat your nails in a sheer chocolate varnish like Cocoa Jelly from Cirque Colors.
Abstract Gradient Nails
According to Park, this trend in pastel-but-edgy nail art is abstract gradient nails. According to her, she found inspiration in a variety of design posters. The tribal designs are topped off with gradation hues and retro accents in the basic design. Giselle’s nails for Aespa’s “Girls” music video have this appearance.
Without the customary butterfly, cheerful face, and cherry patterns, the whole aesthetic has strong Y2K connotations. In the best conceivable manner, it makes me think of an airbrushed T-shirt from a boardwalk along the Jersey Shore.
Quail Egg
About as many quail eggs include nails as cheeks do. For individuals who desire a minimalist nail art appearance without straight lines, they are a great choice. Ellie even painted small black dots by hand onto a white background to give one of my nails a speckled look.
However, the craze has become so well-liked that Korean cosmetics companies like Rom&nd and Ohora have launched distinctive quail egg top coats and gel nails.
Chrome Acrylics
Without some chrome, no acrylic set is complete in a Korean salon. This is by far the most popular style at Clippi Nails in Seoul’s Itaewon district, according to the owner, who spoke to Allure. She frequently gives French tips and long square nails a reflective quality. As seen in the top right corner, Korean singer Camo even indulged in metallic extravagance.