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Soap Nails Are The New Ultra-Elevated Clean Girl Mani

Soap Nails Are The New Ultra-Elevated Clean Girl Mani

By Charlie Colville

5 hours ago

Clean girl beauty remains a hot trend at the nail salon (and these soap-inspired manicures prove it).

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The demand for elevated, natural-looking nails continues this season. The latest trend? Pretty, ultra-glossy soap nails. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Are Soap Nails?

‘Soap nails are comprised of a soft, pale pink manicure, with a gentle, delicate nail finish that mirrors the subtle shine of freshly cut soap,’ explains Tinu Bello, manicurist and Senior Mylee Ambassador. The focal feature of the mani is its high-shine finish – the quality that will make nails appear somewhat soapy. ‘Soap nails have a translucent, almost milky quality, making them look soft and light, like something straight out of a bubble bath. A glossy topcoat is typically added to enhance that polished, almost ethereal effect.’

As for the colour – soft, neutral shades of pink, cream and light brown are more closely associated with the trend, but Tinu tells us that other shades are creeping onto the scene. ‘Soap nails also look great in baby blue, lavender, soft yellow and mint green,’ she adds.

 

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A post shared by Michelle Class (@michelleclassnails)

How To Recreate The Look

Ready to take the plunge? Luckily, this sudsy mani can be done pretty easily at home. Below Tinu lays out a step-by-step guide to recreating the look (without salon intervention):

  1. Start by gently pushing back your cuticles using a cuticle pusher to create a neat and tidy base.
  2. Next, file your nails into a desired shape – whether that’s square, oval, or almond work very nicely with soap nails – ensuring that the edges are smooth. Make sure to buff the surface of your nails lightly to remove any ridges and to create a smooth canvas for the polish.
  3. After that, clean your nails with a nail prep wipe to remove oils and debris, ensuring the polish adheres well.
  4. Apply a base coat to protect your nails and create an even surface for colour application, and cure if you are using a gel polish.
  5. Once the base coat is dry, carefully apply thin layers of your chosen soft pastel polish, allowing each layer to dry or cure fully before adding another to prevent streaking.
  6. Finish with a high-shine top coat for that glossy, soapy finish before one final cure.

Soap Nails Inspiration

1. Classic Soap Nails

 

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A post shared by Utopia Bath (@utopiabathltd)

2. Almond Mani

3. High Gloss

 

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A post shared by Bio Sculpture (@biosculpturegelgb)

4. Short Nails

5. Milky Hue

6. Soft Gloss

7. Peachy Hues

8. Lavender Glaze

 

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A post shared by Mateja Novakovic (@matejanova)

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