Despite what the grey skies might say, summer is right around the corner – and, with 176 MILLION views on TikTok, 2023 is definitely the year of #MermaidCore.
Such is the excitement about the release of Disney’s live action remake of The Little Mermaid, it seems that almost everything is being given an Ariel-approved glow up – including nails.
To give you a taste of what a typical mermaid manicure looks like, think aqua shades, metallic silvers and nail art that looks like scales, shimmering with rhinestones, glitter and even shell-shaped press-ons. This aesthetic really leaves little to the imagination and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Inspired by the mermaid movement, I decided to give this latest trend a go and was surprised by just how much I liked it. As someone who modestly paints their nails in pale colours (or not at all), I thought that this trend would not be for me. But I was proven wrong when I got a manicure from Nails By Mets, who showed me that this trend can be as flamboyant or understated as you like.
Halle Bailey at the London premiere of The Little Mermaid
She was at the launch of Italian beauty brand KIKO’s new Little Mermaid inspired beauty range, which has everything you need for a watery, mystical glow-up, from shell inspired bronzers to SPF and bright coral-hued eye-shadows and lipsticks.
We love to sea it
I chose to go for a metallic crushed shell mani with pearl rhinestone details and mermaid scale accents on both of my ring fingers to achieve my desired underwater effect. Although you are probably thinking this does not sound understated at all, the finished result showcased both on-trend nails whilst conforming to my preferred colour palette, and I instantly could not take my eyes off of them.
After painting my nails with a neutral base coat, Metta achieved the look by brushing metallic nail pigment onto them before glueing small pearl-shaped rhinestones just above my cuticles. She finished the look with hand-drawn white scales on both of my ring fingers. This might sound a bit technical, but don’t let that put you off, Metta assured me that mermaid manicures are very easy to do and can be recreated at home.
Here are our favourite mermaid-inspired manicures that will certainly steal the show, and all the products that you’ll need to try these from the comfort of your home.
Mermaid scale nails
These scale nails will definitely get people talking, choose between painting all your nails with this scale print over the top of a colour polish or simply picking one finger on each hand to showcase this design. Use an ultra-fine detail brush to achieve the look.
Mermaid chrome
Achieve a chrome mermaid twist with these chrome nails, when you look at these nails in a certain light they even change colour. Get the look using chrome nail powder.
Splash nails
These nails really bring the ocean vibes by mimicking droplets of water. Droplets look great over a coloured polish or simply on top of a base coat. Use nail jewels on top of the nails.
Pearlescent tips
These pearly tips add subtle drama without going overboard giving a delicate mermaid look. Use a nail tip stencil and glittery polish for this one.
Shimmery
These nails add just the right amount of sparkle, use the glitter all over a top coat or save the sparkle for just the tips.
Pearl topped
These nails are great to get the mother-of-pearl look, use a combination of pearl top coat and add some pearly jewels on top to get an underwater translucent look.
