Our definition of nail art is expanding. Gone are the days of bare digits and beige gloss, the creative minds behind those colourful manicures on our feeds are encouraging us to push the envelope and think outside the box. One of the buzziest trends we've witnessed of late involves magnetic manicures, or velvet nails as they're being called.
In 2022, nail art revolves around various textures, whether that's 3D styles or the holographic, layered effect of Hailey Bieber's popular glazed donut formula. With over 19 million views on TikTok and counting, velvet nails are the two-toned natural progression of this trend. So what exactly are magnetic manicures? We're breaking down the style, below.
What are velvet nails?
First off, most salons would know the style under the name "cat eye", that's what my nail artist called it when I opted for a deep green hue earlier in September. However, a traditional cat eye style varies slightly from velvet nails in that it has a single streak from cuticle to tip, to resemble, you guessed it, a literal cats eye. On the other hand, velvet nails have this hazy, glittery, almost multidimensional texture across the whole nail. That being said, you don't need to stick to an all-over velvet effect; we've seen the style translated into French tips, stencil designs, and all kinds of smaller motifs.
How do you create velvet nails?
It's called a magnetic manicure for a reason. The style is created by painting a base coat (the colour will depend on what result you're after) and layering a magnetic nail polish on top. Before the polish dries, you hover a small (yet powerful) magnet across to fuzz up the texture. Ideally, you'd want to get the style at a salon, as they have all the tools including the necessary LED lamps, however it is possible to DIY velvet nails at home if you so wish. There are various cat eye nail kits floating around on the internet, like this one from Mitty. Otherwise, if you're just after the magnetic polishes, Cirque Colors has its own magnetic line, as does gel-based label GellyFit with its Andromeda series.
What salons do velvet nails?
If you're after a place that can recreate your velvet nail inspiration, then take this list of our favourite nail salons in Sydney.
