Impeccably pushed back cuticles is a step not to be missed, notes Julia. “It gives the nails that extra wow factor,” she says, adding that if you’re doing DIY princess nails, it’s best to use an orange stick to gently push back the overgrown skin around the nail.
“Buffing away any dry, dead skin on the nail’s surface gets you that perfect canvas, too,” she adds.
Then it’s time to apply a base coat and one or two coats of nude or soft pink polish to create an elevated ‘faux naturel’ finish.
In terms of nail shades, Julia loves Essie Nail Polish in 13 Mademoiselle and Dior’s Diorlisse Abricot Smoothing Perfecting Nail Polish in Snow Pink, while other popular options include OPI’s Nail Polish in Bubble Bath and Chanel’s Nail Colour in 111 Ballerina.
Your princess nails kit:
Why you should try princess nails
While princess nails scream quiet luxury, TikTokers have started referring to them as budget-friendly ‘recession indicator nails’. One content creator on the platform, Susan Dao, describes princess nails as “short natural non noticable grow-out low maintenance nails for the ✨recession”.
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In other words, princess nails are a great, low-maintenance manicure for those who want expensive-looking nails without having to fork out for multiple salon visits.
For starters, princess nails can extend the time between salon appointments as they grow out almost invisibly. They are also an easy DIY nail style if you’re having a break from gels.
That said, if you do want to recreate the look with a gel manicure, Julia recommends asking your nail tech for Bio Sculpture’s gel polish in No.168 Anthea, a translucent pale pink. Content creator Aaliyah Jay, whose video on princess nails has had over half a million views, caveats this by saying it should only involve “one layer of builder gel”.