‘Nightshade nails’ are the most surprising manicure trend for summer

Pastel manicures with their ice cream shades predictably go viral in summer. And yet, only a few weeks into the warmer weather, ‘nightshade nails’ are cropping up everywhere as a surprising, fresh trend. Better still, it's the chic tonal alternative to lavender milk nails we didn't know we needed. Until now.

Case in point: Hailey Bieber at the recent Fashion Trust Awards, whose nail colour was reminiscent of the Deadly Nightshade flower. Nail artist Zola Ganzorigt, who created the look, told GLAMOUR that she used OPI You Don't Know Jacques!, a purple-taupe shade, for the base of Hailey's long, oval nails. “She wanted her nails to match the YSL dress she wore,” says Zola.

Given that many of the biggest nail trends have come courtesy of Zola and Hailey, it was only a matter of time before I was being served different iterations of nightshade nails on my social feeds as the shade began capturing the imagination of content creators on TikTok and Instagram.

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What are nightshade nails?

While nightshade is the colour to know right now, it's not the easiest shade to define. Thanks to nail trend forecasters, we already knew that plum and purple were going to be breakthrough colours for nails in 2025. But nightshade isn't a run-of-the-mill purple, nor is it your typical warm plum, either.

Hailey has popularised the most well-known, purple-brown hue of the flower. But for others, nightshade is more of a smokey mauve. In salon, The GelBottle in Boysenberry taps into this nightshade nail trend, while polishes to try at home include:

OPI Nail Polish in You Don't Know Jacques!

£14.90

Boots

£18

Lookfantastic

Nailberry Oxygenated Nail Lacquer in Peace

£17 £10 (41% off)

Nailberry

And like the different plant varieties it's named after, the nightshade nails trend also encompasses cool glossy purples (the nightshade family includes aubergines, too), neutral berries and plums with chocolate undertones, which Felicity Jones favoured at this year's BAFTAs – as well as the bruised, almost-black shade of the fruit.

Either way, it's the go-to manicure for those wanting a more dramatic or glam goth take on pastel lilac nails this summer. Or maybe you're someone who isn't quite ready to retire their favourite autumn nail vibe?

How to wear nightshade nails

The beauty of nightshade nails is their versatility. We've seen them worn on long, short and rounded almond nails. We've also noted personal touches, such as a chrome or cat-eye finish and flower nail art.

You can even incorporate the nightshade hue into a lavender milk manicure by using the deeper shade for your tips or to draw on a wavy design, as content creator Melanie Graves, aka @overglowedit, demonstrates in the round-up below.

And remember, there's never a wrong time of year to wear a nail style you love, so why not try nightshade nails yourself? Here's some inspo to get you started…

For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.

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