Shiny, pretty polish up ahead.
Last summer, we couldn’t seem to escape the shimmering lure of Hailey Bieber‘s glazed donut nails. And just shy of one year later, there’s a new chrome nail craze on the rise that is just as sweet. Enter vanilla chrome nails, the creamy metallic manicure making us melt.
Not to be confused with the original glazed donut look, this new iteration of last year’s trend features a more off-white, vanilla-coloured undertone — hence, the name of the look — paired with a classic chrome top coat that gives off a pearlescent finish. By combining a neutral base with a pearly element of high shine, the result is a look that reads subtle yet glamorous. Call it a cross between quiet luxury and mermaidcore, if you will.
RELATED: These Celebrity-Approved Manicures Are Giving Us Major Spring Nail Inspo
Racking up nearly 100,000 likes on Instagram, it was nail artist Alexandra Teleki (a.k.a The Hot Blend) who posted the save-worthy snapshot of her vanilla chrome manicure back in March that has served as the main source of inspiration for the trend ever since. “This is a chrome twist, it is so subtle and beautiful!” comments one user beneath the viral post. “Omg I am obsessed,” writes a fellow nail tech. With her vanilla chrome look in high demand and over 500,000 curious followers on TikTok and Instagram to answer to, Teleki revealed her creative process on both platforms in a step-by-step tutorial right in time for spring and summer. The best part? You can recreate the look yourself at home — and it only requires a few simple steps.
As seen in her viral TikTok (which has accumulated over six million on the app so far), Teleki begins by painting each nail with a coat of The GelBottle’s Love Letter polish to create a creamy vanilla-coloured base. To lock it in, she then swipes a layer of Extreme Shine Top Coat on top of the off-white polish. As for the pearlescent pièce de résistance, each nail is then buffed with a white pearl chrome powder to create that shimmery, reflective finish. Lastly, she cleans up the look by brushing away any excess powder surrounding the nails, and reveals a fresh spring-ready vanilla chrome mani. It’s as simple as that!
Loving the look of this manicure trend? Keep scrolling for more pearly inspiration — including two new ways to further simplify your at-home chrome manis that’ll change your nail game forever.
Try a French vanilla
If you’re already into the vanilla trend, might we suggest a vanilla Française? And why not save yourself some time by going the press-on route? These French Glaze press-ons by Canadian beauty brand Quickies are gorgeous, easy to apply, and right on trend.
Go for a pink pearl mani
Strawberry chrome nails, anyone? Try opting for a layer of translucent pink polish over your cream shade before adding your chrome powder to create a soft pink pearl look that is subtle yet chic.
Get the look with a glaze pen
Using this convenient Glazing Powder Pen by Salon Perfect, all you’ll need is a single swipe of the gel polish included on one side of the pen followed by a buff of chrome powder on the other to achieve the chrome look overtop bare nails or coloured polish.
Try soft spring shades
Giving in to pastels for spring? As you should! Elevate the classic chrome look with a multicoloured pattern by swapping out the neutral base shade with any combination of your favourite springy pastels. Baby blue, candy floss pink, sweet lilac — the choice is yours.
Make it abstract
If you’re feeling experimental, follow Teleki’s lead and take the classic vanilla chrome manicure to new heights with this abstract design on a few accent nails for a little extra fun.
