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Last week I was at a smart breakfast event when I noticed something new. For the last five years or so, all the women would have been sporting an immaculate set of gels. Not so any more. A couple were daring to bare – naked nails.
A beauty launch the same evening confirmed the trend: several sets of natural nails raising a toast. Mine among them. The summer of the naked nail is here.
The Rise of Bare Nails
When bare nails started showing up in the Loewe and Balenciaga's Spring/Summer shows, it was bound to filter down. Gone are the brightly-coloured gels and pointed acrylics. And understandably so. Gels – especially done back-to-back – leave my nails peeling and weak.
Alongside nail health, we're all feeling the squeeze, and bare nails is a way to help ease that time before payday.
Essential Products for Naked Nails
- Diptyque Softening Hand Wash – Gentle and nourishing, £59 at johnlewis.com
- Margaret Dabbs Repairing Hand Cream – £18 at spacenk.com
- C.Atherley Geranium No.04 Hand Cream – £18 at c-atherley.com
- Bramley x THE PIG Hand & Body Lotion – £24 at bramleyproducts.co.uk
For many, the idea of going completely bare might be too much to contemplate, and for those who love a holiday manicure, fear not. The beauty of a bare nail is that it can be opted into at any time.
That said, like all 'effortless' beauty, there are rules. And this definitely requires input. It's all about condition. If you want to wear no polish and still look, well, polished, then you need to do it properly.
Nail Care Tips
Gentle products – I use Diptyque's Softening Hand Wash – and a good hand cream are paramount. I have a tube of Margaret Dabbs Repairing Hand Cream on my desk. I also love C Atherley's divine geranium scented No 4 hand cream and Bramley's offering in collaboration with The Pig hotels.
Nail guru Leighton Denny told me you can't over-moisturise your nails, so don't scrimp on your cream of choice.
Cuticle and Filing Care
Keeping cuticles in check is everything – I have a small tube of Margaret Dabbs's Nourishing Nail and Cuticle Serum (£15, spacenk.com) in my make-up bag and stick it on regularly. Filing is also important: nails should be short, but in great shape. I use Leighton Denny's crystal nail file (£13, boots.com). In terms of shape, a soft square or round works best.
You can buff at home to smooth ridges and add shine, but I like a monthly no-polish manicure (I've been going to Margaret Dabbs for years). In between, a coat of her Nail Strengthening Treatment in The Marylebone (£16, spacenk.com) looks great.
Ditto Leighton Denny's Nail Illuminator in Milky White (£15, amazon.co.uk) – a nude polish and strengthening treatment. One thin coat is perfect. Or, for an up-to-date French manicure try The Manicurist Nail Care Active Shine (£16, uk.manicurist.com).
