Jelly nails is the must-have “cool girl” manicure this winter, and to no surprise, Megan Fox is the one leading the holiday trend.
Stepping out for the first time since announcing her pregnancy, Fox was seen at GQ’s Man of the Year celebration rocking a totally vampy-red jelly mani. Created by celebrity manicurist Brittney Boyce, this cool, edgy, and unexpected twist on the classic red nail makes this a modern must-have holiday manicure. Not to mention, it’s the perfect accessory to the black, lacy outfit Fox wore to show off her adorable baby bump.
Jelly nails, just as its name may imply, gets its name from the nearly translucent color with ultimate shine. “Jelly polishes are sheer but still have that bold pigment, making them look like hard candy or in Megan’s case, a glass of red wine,” says Olivia Van Iderstine, VP of content at Olive and June. “That translucency is what makes the look so cool and sets it apart from a classic dark red that’s so popular during the holiday season.”
The sheer factor is key with this look, giving it a playful and almost nostalgic flair. And the best part? It’s not as hard to achieve as you’d think. Read on below to see how she achieved this bold nail look.
How to Get the Look
“We wanted to do something vampy and CND’s Bordeaux Babe is the perfect shade to bring that to life,” says Boyce. “I mixed this with the clear No-Wipe+ Top Coat to create a jelly, see-through bloody nail look on a long almond shaped design.”
If you’re not a gel polish girly, don’t worry—though Boyce used CND’s Shellac polish to create this stunning look, which requires using an LED lamp to cure, you can still achieve the jelly mani style with traditional polishes, like CND’s Vinylux or Olive & June’s Garnet Glass. Though before you polish, you’ll want to prep your nail really well, pushing back your cuticles and giving the dry skin and your nail plate a gentle buff, says Iderstine.
Last but not least, be sure to keep the nail bed moisturized and hydrated with your favorite cuticle oil, like CND’s SolarOil. This is the ultimate secret for making your DIY nails look like a salon-level mani.
