Since the 1980s, Korea has leapfrogged from neutral nail colors to some of the most outrageous nail art ever seen. It wasn’t easy because in the beginning, something as simple as wearing a stunning shade would cast a shadow on your character. But through the decades, creative minds broke down the barriers and turned stigma into a statement. Now K-pop stars and celebrities help challenge the norms by wearing some of the most innovative designs. Let’s check out the Korean nail trends you need to see right now.
Korean Nail Trends
Shell Nails
Not long ago, nail wizard Unistella created a set of seashell nails for Hwasa of the K-pop group Mamamoo. The bold design was a big hit-- everyone loved the stark and beautiful contrast of the iridescent abalone on a black background. Now a New York artist has put a French tip spin on Korean shell nail art.
As you might imagine, this look isn’t hard to imitate if you have holographic foil, tweezers, and patience.
Matte Nails
Recently, at least three big beauty sites posted about Korean nail trends that are taking off at home and abroad. The consensus was that matte nail finishes are big right now. It’s not only plain matte, but also when artists mix matte and glossy textures.
We should also point out right now that it’s uncommon to see Korean nail art on extensions. That’s because extensions are not commonly found in salons there, and they are significantly more expensive.
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A Quick Review of the Korean Nail Industry’s History
The very first nail salons didn’t appear in South Korea until almost 1990. The few that existed in the capital, Seoul, typically saw foreign clients, not Korean nationals.
Around the time when Korea hosted the World Cup in 2002, beauty standards were starting to shift. Korean women started to look for professional nail care instead of seeing to their nails at home. But it was still an uphill battle because moral standards dictated that a showy manicure meant the wearer had a questionable character or occupation. As recently as 2010, it was difficult to find colorful nail polish for sale, let alone on fingertips.
Fortunately, the worldwide popularity of K-pop and Korean celebrities helped push for more innovative nail art. Moreover, salons began to tradition from lacquer to gel manicures to provide longer-lasting manicures and more creative designs. Even so, Korean nail art was overshadowed by Japanese nail trends until fairly recently. However, globalization, social media, and the quick and easy sharing of ideas online has allowed Korean nail artists to lead the way with new trends of their own. Now the rest of the world is keeping an eye on Korea for the latest viral nail art.
Syrup or Glass Nails
The original syrup nails are ombre or gradient designs. The ultra-glossy, translucent effect looks like the pigment settled to one part of the nail. The easiest way to re-create it is to do thin layers of a jelly polish to gradually build up color either at the tip or base. Then complete the look with plenty of glossy top coat.
Then, syrup nails led to glass nails, a similar extra-shiny style where there’s an illusion of extra depth. It’s fairly straightforward to create with cat eye polish.
Many Korean nail artists begin with a syrup nails effect for the base color, then add embellishments on top.
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Nail Treatment
3D Nails
Three-dimensional nail art is extremely popular in South Korea. Scroll any Korean artist’s feed and you’ll see everything from dewdrop-studded (or blob) nails to gemstones, pearls, pierced nails, sculpted food, touchable flowers, and anime characters.
If you follow Korean nail art trends, you may already know about the artist Hypnozy. She is one of the 3D mavens who is constantly pushing boundaries in every way possible. These cute animal nails are her creation.
Tattoo Nails
It’s not only nail colors that were a problem in Korea. Tattoos were also looked down upon as something worn by criminals. Now you can get the best of both worlds by wearing tattoo nails! Start with a mannequin look, a neutral shade that closely matches the skin tone. Then paint or use nail stickers for bold graphic details. View Breathnailz's Instagram for inspiration but be prepared to see even more daring designs there as well.
Negative Space Art
Color-blocked nails and negative space nail art are also on an upswing in Korea. Part of the attraction is that the geometric patterns don’t require a gel manicure – lacquer is still a popular product. Moreover, half-and-half and swirl nails aren’t the only designs you’ll see. Pioneering artists are exploring various materials, textures, and styles like cut-outs even within the same manicure.
Bejeweled Nails
Bling nails are great fun! The aforementioned beauty magazines surveyed some of the well-known artists in Korea and discovered that bejeweled nails are likely the most popular trend at the moment. It’s not at all uncommon to see huge rhinestones and other gems on fingertips. Here’s a set created by Korean artist Sojinails with Swarovski crystals and actual shattered diamonds.
Velvet Nails
Artist Nia Ho calls this design “icy comic nails”. It’s an adventurous look that combines Korean trends into something new and playful. There are elements of velvet and glass nails, mannequin nails, and negative space nail art. More importantly, this showstopping set will definitely get second and third glances. Visit her feed on Instagram to see variations on this theme, plus other Korean-inspired nail trends.
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Conclusion
Our world would be a sad place if we couldn’t share nail inspiration. Instead, we can see brilliant ideas from all over the planet! We are so happy to review Korean nail styles with you today. If you want to stock up on jelly polishes, cat eye gels, or simply see what shades are trending, drop by our store. Browse our clearance and bulk buy sections for discounts that will make you smile, then get free shipping to save even more.
Source:
https://bestofkorea.com/korean-nail-art-trends-guide-salons/
