What nail colours are trendy?

Start with the idea that your manicure should be a source of joy and go with bright tones to celebrate reopening

“I’m thrilled to be able to go back at the nail salon, but I’ve lost all track of what the ‘right’ colour trend is anymore. Also: all the moms on my kids’ soccer team are now doing nail art. What’s the nail news I’m missing?” — Clueless in Niagara

If you’ve ever had a teenage child, you know the fear of choosing the wrong nail colour: too trendy, you risk mockery; too off-trend and you risk, well, mockery. But this disconnect happens in grownup settings, too, like when you go to a cocktail party and everyone and their sandals seem to know we’re supposed to be painting our toes green at this exact moment.

I’m not sure why I care about this so deeply — maybe it’s some kind of vestigial trend trauma, like the time I couldn’t get my hands on Chanel’s Vamp polish. (For the record, that black-red nail craze began in 1994 when Uma Thurman wore the shade in “Pulp Fiction” and lasted until the turn of the last century; now Vamp and its fellow neopunk/Goth shade Rouge Noir are back as the ’90s retro train continues to run us all over.)

Recently, en route to the salon, I tucked a bottle of Vamp into my purse, but when I arrived dark nails felt wholly wrong in the steamy haze of this socially tentative summer, as we stumble through the motions of re-engaging with the world.

To confirm my instincts, I reached out to Toronto’s nail art superstar Leeanne Colley, the founder of Tips Nail Bar, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary.

The original Danforth salon has been joined by a Dundas West location, and Colley and her team are also active on editorial shoots and film sets.

According to Colley, “The joy of doing something people weren’t able to do for so long” is driving a fall nails trend toward bright, bold colour, all mixed up and worn together on different nails of the same hand.

(We find ourselves with another ’90s stalwart: neon brights.)

“I have neon fuchsia on my nails right now, which is so odd for me,” says Colley. “Hot pinks are big, as is pairing pink with orange on toes or a combo on both. People are gravitating to a turquoise/ aqua shade in a powerful pastel tone and yellow in a very primary shade is really hot, too.”

During the pandemic, Colley kept most of her team employed by creating customized press-on nails for clients. That pivot is on hold now that live-action artistry has resumed, but what has held over is the number of clients who are now committed to nail art.

“Some clients come in with pictures on their phone or TikTok videos as inspiration, which is the modern version of the magazine tear sheets they used to bring as inspiration,” says Colley.

And everyone is doing it. “There is no specific demographic,” says Colley, who adds that nail art costs $15 for basic patterns, and up to $50 or $60 on top of the manicure for original, intricate work. “It’s an every-age thing and men are starting to do it, too.”

Nail art doesn’t require sculptural talons like the ones Lizzo and Cardi B display in their “Rumours” video, a look which Colley cites as artistically mindblowing and an important step up from the cultural dominance of Kardashianinspired nude nails.

“You can do nail art on shorter nails; you could be a hockey mom,” she says, a direct shout-out to our reader’s experience with other, more fabulously nailedup moms on the side of the soccer field.

The trickle-down of this trend is yet another example of how Black culture has influenced the mainstream.

Elaborate nail adornment has a rich heritage among Black women, including female music icons, from Donna Summer through generations of hip-hop and R&B stars, culminating in this month’s golden Lizzo/Cardi B moment.

And, this being an Olympic year, a notable mention goes to the late, great running champion Flo Jo (Florence Griffith Joyner) and new phenom and style-setter Sha’Carri Richardson, both excellent ambassadors of the joy of fancy nails.

So what should our fall nails look like beyond being fancy?

“People are leaving negative space in the cuticle area,” says Colley, meaning that the nail artist paints the tips of the nails, leaving the natural colour of the nail along the cuticle area.

“This helps extend your manicure because you don’t see the grow-out.”

As for patterns: “Everything wavy is big, no more straight lines. This is quite literal, really, as in: ‘What wave are we in?’ ”

If you’re ready to go all in on acrylics, Colley says the technology has evolved significantly. She recommends looking for technicians with skill and experience to protect the health of your nails under acrylics. Colley has also seen improvements in gel polish and Shellac, which need to be removed professionally as well, and which last for two to three weeks.

But the most important part of nail care and nail art is how it can make you feel.

After so long away from the cosy ritual of sitting down and choosing your colours for a little self-care, we want to go big now that we’re out of the home.

“The bright, bold colours we are seeing right now make you feel alive,” says Colley. “It’s about the compliments you get when you walk around with fresh nails.”

Plus — and this is important as none of us know what to say to each other anymore — “Nails are a conversation starter. Fun, cheerful nails are a great way to break the ice.”