Summer is the season of glorious beach walks, sipping cocktails, amazing tan lines and new nail trends. Whilst we can’t guarantee a tropical heatwave here in the UK, we can help your nails look summer fleeky and ready for that Instagram shot of your dreamy manicure with blissful beach background in tow. Clearly, we’ve been stalking #beachnails on the ‘gram, but you get the picture. If you’re anything like us, then you’re probably starting to realise that along with beautiful hair, great skin and a killer tan, your nails need particular attention over the summer months too. As soon as those temperatures start to soar, you bet we’re ready to crack open all the bold, bright and beautiful neon shades. Bonus points are in store for those who opt for on-trend, fluorescent and uber bright colours too as neon shades are *everything* this summer, that’s if the S/S19 catwalks were anything to go by. Summer is the prime opportunity to really go for it with your manicure, after all, your nails are a crucial summer accessory and nothing short of fabulous will do if you’re looking to #chooseconfidence and #choosecolour. From full-on rainbow to subtle gradients, we’ve scoured our feeds to find the best trends and in fact, some have been on some very famous hands.
Are you ready to see the summer trends that you should be taking to your next Regis Beauty appointment?
Keep reading for the latest trends as well as our nail technicians’ top tips on keeping your nails in tip top condition this summer.
Rainbow Nails
Why choose one colour when you can choose five? Rainbow nails are shaping up to be the it manicure for summer. Giving us a sense of 90s nostalgia, they’re back with a much more adult appropriate twist. Supermodel Kendall Jenner sure has been an avid fan of the trend, posting her recent multi-coloured manicure to her Instagram story to show off her coral red, mango orange, electric blue, neon green and lemon yellow shades. A beautifully simple way to brighten up any outfit while on holiday. As this trend is super versatile there are literally dozens of ways to showcase your shades.
Rainbow stripes: each nail is painted a different colour. You can either keep it simple and just paint the tips of your nails for a splash of colour that’ll last the whole of your holiday as your nails grow, or you can paint the whole nail for added wow factor. Once you’ve decided on the style, next comes the fun part – choosing your colours! According to our nail technicians popular shades this summer include fiery red, cobalt blue, electric teal, citrus orange, fluorescent pink and luminous purple.
Pastel Perfection
If the thought of wearing a neon shade that resembles the effect of strobe lighting fills you with horror and some very bad 80s flashbacks, then fear not, we’ve got a lighter version up our sleeves too that ought to tickle your fancy. Also very much on trend this summer, these gorgeous hues of minty pastel blues, sherbet orange and dusty flamingo pink means that there is literally a shade for everyone. And if like us, you walk into the salon and are completely overwhelmed by the choice of colour – whatever you do, don’t bottle it by going for your standard ‘nude’ because you think it goes with everything.
We hear you – a basic nude goes with everything, we get it – but that’s because it’s so, well, ordinary and so five years ago. We reckon it’s time to switch things up because guess what, it’s summer time and that means it’s time to have a little fun, step out of your comfort zone and give your nails a real make over. Gone are the days where only nude shades have the power to take you from day to night – because believe it or not pastel shades have the same power to match any outfit, off set your summer accessories and even compliment your hair colour. Pastel nails are a great summer shade as they are a low-key colour offering but still show off those pretty, manicured hands in a delicate and sophisticated way.
Nail technician Danielle told us that if you want to make your pastel shade stand out apply an opaque base coat first, followed by a thin coat of white. White shades brighten up anything applied over them so by the time you apply your top coat, your pastel will be popping.
Gradient Neutrals
If you can’t be pried away from your nudes and neutral shades, ok – here’s one for you too. We do however possess one more trick up our sleeve to help you upgrade your neutral #nailsgame and get back on trend for S/S19. We knew we’d have a hard time convincing nude nail enthusiasts to go bright this summer, and when we spotted Ryan Lo’s S/S19 Ready to Wear Collection complete with nude nails galore, we had to think of something to help refesh this classic shade. We were relieved to see our feeds flooded with nude nail inspo and we reckon we’ve found the perfect way to update a classic shade that never seems to go out of style (despite our efforts). Enter in: gradient neutrals. This style is simplistic, effective, beautiful and bang on trend too. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is some fancy trend with a posh name that you’ll never be able to do but don’t be fooled – it’s actually really simple. The manicure works by using five shades from the same colour family i.e. mocha, suede, sand, beige and blush (they all sound quite similar, don’t they?). You can either paint each of your nails a different colour, going from light to dark so it looks like a cool gradient travelling across your hand, or you can add a simple pattern over the top of your nude to add a bit of depth and dimension (not to mention interest 😉) to your nude shade. Another great way to update your neutral shade is to pick a colour that has peach, coral or caramel tones to it as seen on the Gucci, Prabal and Gurung catwalks – apparently they’re the ‘new neutrals’ and we’re all for it!
For those that want to take the ‘new neutral’ or ‘gradient neutral’ trend a step further, our nail technicians recommend the two-tone approach as seen on Sadie Williams, Gareth Pugh and Jeremy Scott’s catwalk shows. This involves taking a wider spectrum of colours and creating a striped effect on each nail showcasing contrasting colours. If you’re a newbie to nail art we recommend heading to your local nail bar as this can get a bit complicated and requires a steady hand and expert eye.
Sunset Ombre
The mix and match movement of hair trends is starting to catch on in the nail world – ombre hair isn’t going anywhere this season and neither are ombre nails – in fact they are getting bigger and bolder. The colour combinations are endless, but this year’s major ombre nail trend according to Gigi Hadid’s nail artist, Mei Kawajiri, is Sunset Ombre. What’s even better about this trend is that it’s not just for vacays and festivals, and can quite easily be worn day to night during your usual daily routine too. There’s two ways you can go with this trend: pick from either a beautiful, calming sunrise using blues and purples or a roaring, fiery sunset with corals and pinks. Whatever you choose, it’s sure to stand out. Although, it’s important to note that this trend is best suited to those with slightly longer nails to make the most of that gradual, gradient effect.
So, you’ve got the trends down which means you’re probably thinking about which design, shape and colour you should opt for on your next appointment. But, there’s one important detail that definitely deserves your attention first: nail care. How you care for your nails is an essential part of nail maintenance, after all, what good is a great manicure if the nail below is weak and damaged and prone to breaking on the first day of your holiday? We’ve listed below our beautician-approved professional tips on how to achieve your strongest, nourished talons yet.
Strengthen
Long, strong nails are the very definition of #nailgoals but getting them to the length you desire before they break off is a bit of a task. This is where OPI comes to the rescue; say bye-bye to broken nails and hello to Nail Envy. This specialised formula contains hydrolysed wheat protein and calcium to encourage nail growth. For harder, stronger nails our beauticians recommend applying two coats to your nail and then applying another every other day for the best results.
Hydration
Moisturise. Moisturise. Moisturise. We can’t stress it enough! Dry hands can be a pretty big problem when it comes to maintaining nail strength and health. Our therapists live by the words: ‘healthy cuticles equal healthy nails.’ Dry and brittle skin will only lead to nails chipping and splitting so avoid picking or trimming away at your cuticles and instead apply hand cream and cuticle oil daily to repair and nourish those precious nails and the skin that surrounds them.
Protection
We’re all guilty of skipping this step when it comes to doing our own manicure in the comfort of our homes. But remember that a topcoat is just as important as the nail colour itself as it locks in the polish’s colour, adds a much-needed glossy finish and prevents your nails from chipping. Our nail technicians recommend applying a top coat every three days to get the most out of your manicure and if you don’t have the patience to wait for another coat to dry, we recommend OPI’s Rapid Dry Top Coat as it’s quick and easy to apply and dries in minutes.
Maintenance
Regular nail trims are just as important as regular hair trims. It’s vital to prioritise your nail health over length, while long nails, acrylics and shellac are extremely beautiful your nails do need a break from time to time or they just won’t be able to handle all the fancy nail designs mentioned above. We recommend visiting your nail technician every two to three weeks (depending on how quickly your nails tend to grow) to professionally soak off your nails and give them a much-needed pamper.
The saying goes that your hands say a lot about you, so keep those nails in tip top condition! We hope you found this guide useful and fingers crossed you’ll be well on your way to getting healthy, summer nails. Pop into your local Regis Beauty salon and book in with one of our fabulous nail technicians to get your nails holiday ready.
Stay social
Share your summer nails with us @regisuk by using the hashtag #RegisBeauty
