Autumn beauty trends have taken a turn for the toasty. Suddenly, it seems like everyone’s wearing warm makeup, cosy hair colours, and “toasted nails.”
Celebrity nail artist Tom Bachik, whose regular clients include Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, and Margot Robbie, coined the name for the toasted manicure trend. From Gomez’s transitional pumpkin-spice set to Robbie’s elegant champagne shimmer, we’ve been dying to know how to get the look. Below, Tom tells GLAMOUR how the toasted manicure was born – and how to re-create it yourself.
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What is a toasted manicure?
Rather than a statement colour or a distinct design, Tom says that the toasted manicure relies on a subtler nail effect. From a distance, it may read as a pure neutral, but its beauty is in its warm, dimensional finish. “Nail art in general has taken a more minimalistic stance,” Tom says. “Effects are an easy way to give the simplest shades a little something without being over the top.”
According to Tom, the perfect toasted mani combines a nude base with “golden-hour tones – like pink iridescence and glowy satin chrome effects.” A plain neutral manicure can feel too subtle, but Tom says that “you can use these types of effects over any colour to ‘toast’ your favourite autumn shades.”
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What inspired the toasted nail trend?
“I often get inspired by makeup when creating [nail] looks,” Tom says. He notes that while he has previously pulled manicure inspiration from dramatic eyes and bold lips, this subtler trend was influenced by sun-kissed cheeks. “My wife actually stumbled upon the ‘toasty’ makeup look and loved it,” he says.
Toasty makeup is characterised by warm, autumnal shades (think caramel, terracotta, and dusty rose) and soft, golden shimmer effects. The toasty makeup look enhances the natural surface of the skin rather than covering it up: It skips heavy foundation and instead leans on bronzer and blush placement to create a natural glow.
Toasted nails and makeup routines both demand a shimmering finish – whether a swipe of gold-toned highlighter or an opalescent topcoat. You can think of the toasted manicure “like makeup for your fingers,” Tom says.
How can you get the look?
The toasted manicure is all about illuminating the natural nail, and Tom says that it works best with “sheer nudes” as a base. Because of this, nail prep is especially essential. To perfect the canvas, Tom always starts with Tweezerman tools: “Tweezerman Rockhard Cuticle Nipper for meticulous cuticles, Stainless Steel Fingernail Clipper, and Professional Nail Files for a perfect shape.”
To create Selena Gomez’s viral toasted nails, Tom followed a simple formula: “Base coat, two coats of colour and a high-gloss topcoat to really make it shine.” For an even more subtle look, Tom recommends the “sophisticated silk” manicure, which he created for Gomez at the Emmys.
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While you can recreate Tom’s celebrity looks exactly, he emphasises that the toasted manicure is more of a philosophy than a formula. It leaves plenty of room for experimentation with your favourite autumn shades. “Think golden, bronzed, and toasted,” Tom says. “Ask for or use pearlescents, iridescence, mirror chromes, even cat-eye effects to make any colour toasted.”
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What nail shape works best with a toasted manicure?
While you can easily give any nail shape the toasted treatment, Tom says that the recent surge in minimalistic, natural manicures inspired the trend. “Nail shapes are trending shorter and more square, which is interesting because normally, as we transition into fall and winter, nails get longer,” he says. “I think maybe with all the craziness happening in the world right now, minimalism in beauty feels like a nice balance. We still want to feel beautiful, but not in a ‘look at me’ sort of way.”
No matter your preference, the toasted nail trend is the perfect way to bring some elegant simplicity to your next manicure. Bring Tom’s exact playbook to the salon, or tailor his method to create your own cosy vibe.
This article was originally published on GLAMOUR US.
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