Makeup

This is one of the easiest yet chicest nail trends ever—here’s how to do it at home

September 23, 2024

As a beauty editor and nail tech in my spare time, I’m always on the hunt for the best nail art ideas out there. We’ve been treated to some gems when it comes to 2024 nail trends, including blooming gel nails, naked nails and tuxedo french nails. One of the nail art trends that I’ve seen all over my explore page recently, however, is halo nails.

Halo nails is one of the easiest and most effective nail art designs out there, here’s everything you need to know about it. Plus, plenty of inspiration to help you choose your next design.

What are halo nails?

Halo nails are essentially a block colour filling the entire nail plate with a different colour outlining the edge of each nail. The great thing about halo nails is that you can tailor them depending on the colours and finishes you like. You can use a chrome effect or a cat eye polishes to give extra dimension. You can use whatever colour combinations you like, too. I particularly like a pale-pink base with neon outlines around the edge.

Unlike a lot of other trends out there, it’s also a manicure you can try at home using regular nail polish. You just need some of your favourite shades and a fine liner nail art brush—plus a bit of patience to get those lines perfectly curved.

How to do halo nails

The first step is gathering all the tools you need. You’ll need a base and a top coat and then a block colour, I recommend going lighter with this shade to give the contrast between this and the halo shades. Then, you’ll need to select your halo nail shades. For the best contrast go with a much deeper shade or something vivid like neon pink or orange. You can choose a different halo colour for each nail for a skittles effect, or two shades for each nail to give contrast. It’s totally up to you what shades you go for.

Then, you need a fine nail art brush so that you can precisely add the strokes of your halo shades. You might need to give yourself a bit of practice for this one, it can take a few attempts to get that smooth curve.