Spritzing a rose water face mist with abandon comes with the territory in a heat wave. But beyond a refreshing veil of moisture, rose water nails are also having a moment.
Characterised by their translucent, rosy pink flushes, rose water nails are a sheer, tinted manicure that boosts your natural nail colour. While sharing some of the hallmarks of blush and jelly nails, they involve pink shades in varying intensities, watery-thin layers of polish and a high-gloss finish.
Imagine Benefit's iconic Benetint Blush – but for nails. Or your stained fingertips after eating a raspberry popsicle.
Why are rose water nails going viral?
Rose water nails aren't exactly new. They've enjoyed spikes in popularity ever since Canadian nail brand Gelcare gave birth to the trend with a polish of the same name. “A delicate, jelly pink that enhances the natural beauty of your nail while giving them a glow 💗” is how the brand described its Rose Water gel polish in an Instagram post.
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But rose water nails are currently enjoying a revival and flooding our FYPs for a couple of very good reasons.
The first – and perhaps the most obvious reason – is that Gelcare's Rose Water Gel Polish has been pushed to the top of the “trending” shades category on its website.
Then there are the current rising temperatures. Creams and milks no longer feel fit for purpose in the heat and we're leaning more into watery textures – from our moisturisers to the new raft of gel-like blushers that have launched in recent weeks. So it's perhaps unsurprising that we're stepping away from milk nails to embrace something lighter manicure-wise, too.
Low-maintenance nails in neutral shades – a.k.a the antithesis of ‘holiday nails’ in neon shades – are also the current zeitgeist. Princess nails and Dakota Johnson's glass French manicure, for example, have both gone viral; rose water nails share a similar DNA with both of these manicure trends but are just that little bit juicier and pink tinted.
And like the “BB cream nails" trend that Gelcare also coined, rose water nails share the same sheer glaze that masks any ridges on the nail bed and can be created using polishes containing nail-strengthening ingredients.
How to create rose water nails
But perhaps the biggest appeal of rose water nails is that you can easily get the look at home.
Given your natural nail will be peaking through, it's important to do the prep work. First, trim your nails by clipping straight across to create short tips and file the top edge of the nail into a straight line before rounding the edges.
Then pick your sheer pink polish. What switched me back onto the rose water nail trend was watching celebrity manicurist Harriet Westmoreland apply a single coat of Hermès Nail Polish in 04 Rose Papillon before topping it off with the brand's iridescent 02 Blanc Orage polish.
All shades of Manucurist Active Glow – from Blueberry and Raspberry to Grape and Cranberry – deliver a tinted pink glow that can be tailored to your mood and skin tone. They're powered by nourishing ingredients including sweet almond oil, which is rich in nourishing fatty acids for weak nails.
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Similarly, Leighton Denny Nail Illuminator Blush Pink Brightening Nail Polish & Base Coat Treatment is a 2-in-1 a blush-toned nail polish and brightening treatment to target dull, discoloured nails, while Essie Hard To Resist Nail Strengthener in Pink Tint, helps to protect against splitting and peeling.
Nails Inc's Glowing My Way Glow-Enhancing Nail Perfector Polish and Dior's Vernis Nail Glow are good options for subtly enhancing your nail's naturally pink tones. Gelcare Rose Water Gel Polish can be cured with an LED lamp at home and Chanel Le Vernis in 361 Pionnière adds a subtle hint of sparkle.
If you choose to go down the gel route, Harriet gave rose water nails a fresh twist using Glitterbels gel polishes, applying the neutral white shade Sweet Lily thinly on the outer edges and concentrating the pink shade of Candy Pie in the centre of the nail.
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Manicure mood board: Rose water nails
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For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
