When I recently sat down to have a manicure with celebrity manicurist and nail expert Harriet Westmoreland (who tends to the nails of Zendaya and Rochelle Humes to name but a few) it was only natural that I had to ask her what nail trends will be big news this summer. Westmoreland is the queen of minimal nail looks and chic nail art, after all.
In the past couple of months, we've seen spring nail trends take shape in the form of the milky nail, sheer blush nails or the lip oil mani. It seems we've all been gravitating to those neutral and very wearable neutrals. But, as she painted my nails she said that we're bidding farewell to those sheer pinks in favour of sheer brown for summer. Think of it as a pair of 40 deniers for your nails, evening the nail plate while giving a hint of colour.
Celebrity manicurist Betina Goldstein mixed Chanel's new Le Vernis Polishes in Legendé and Ballerina—a Chanel best seller—for Whitney Peak's Met Gala manicure.
As Westmoreland painted my nails, she showed me Chanel's new collection of its iconic Le Vernis nail polish colours. Among the 17 new shades, she tipped Legendé, a sheer putty brown, to be the shade we'll all be wearing. "This summer we're going to move away from the milky pinks, and it's going to be about sheer browns," says Westmoreland. "Legendé is so flattering, it has a yellow undertone to it and one coat gives you a really sheer brown."
As I've been scrolling through my feed, I even spotted celebrity manicurist Betina Goldstein using the shade for Whitney Peak's manicure at the Met Gala. "[I] mixed one part Chanel Le Vernis Legende with two parts Chanel Le Vernis Ballerina and applied two coats of the mix to her nails. I then topped them with Chanel Le Gel Top coat, to protect and give a glossy finish. To make the look come together I adhered real freshwater pearls to the underneath of each nail, creating a hidden peekaboo effect," said Goldstein in her Instagram post.
Betina Goldtstein mixed Chanel Le Vernis Polishes in Legendé and Ballerina to create the custom sheer brown nail colour for Whitney Peak.
The beauty of the sheer brown nail trend is that it suits everyone, and you can mix a little clear nail polish into the brown to achieve the perfect sheer result. If you're looking for the best sheer brown nail polishes, scroll ahead for the chicest ones we've found.
Shop sheer brown nail polishes:
Harriet Westmoreland tips this new Chanel Le Vernis nail colour hue to be big news this summer. The newly designed wide brush makes achieving the sheer look easy—one coat is all you need.
Make like Whitney Peak and mix in Chanel Le Vernis in Ballerina for a softer brown hue.
Mylee's Birthday Suit shade is the perfect sheer ashy brown that is so flattering on darker skin tones.
This is like a tinted moisturiser for your nails, offering a hint of sheer colour while nourishing the nail plate.
This cocoa hue is beautiful alone, but you can easily mix it with a clear nail polish to achieve a sheer effect.
Turn any nail colour sheer by mixing in a topcoat—we love this long-lasting one that has a gel-effect finish.
Experiment with different brown hues—this pink undertone will flatter fairer skin tones.
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