I Can’t Stop Dreaming About The Coffee French Manicure Trend

No nail design had a year quite like the French manicure (although its younger cousin, the American manicure is definitely hot on its tail). A classic white and neutral design is a timeless option without a doubt, but thanks to Instagram’s elite class, colorful French tip nails reigned supreme from winter all the way to the following fall. Celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Beyoncé all adore a brightly colored tip in any color of the rainbow, and it’s easy enough to DIY (depending on how much caffeine you’ve had that day) that you can experiment with different shades and combinations at either the salon or from the comfort of your kitchen table.

As a child of the ‘90s, I have fond memories of a razor sharp, square tip French mani — maybe the peachy base had a slight opalescent finish, but otherwise, my nail tech applied the design with assembly line precision appointment after appointment. Now, the rules have gone out the window as artists play with not only color, but line work, negative space, and color combinations as well.

“Nail art fans aren’t into natural, we’re into supernatural,” says nail artist Miss Pop. “We want style, we want design, we want fabulous, and above all we want something unique that shows off our personality. So, I am not going to do my nails thinking, ‘What did my mom’s nails look like back in the day?’ Don’t get me wrong, I still think there is a strong market for a French, but it’s not pink and whites [that] I learned in beauty school.”

Thin lines and negative space continues to spark joy in French manicures. It is elegant and classy, yet still has an edge to it with the color details. Whether you use stickers or experiment with depth or line width, this one is sure to turn heads as we approach the winter season and new year.

As crazy fast as this year went, the holidays are quickly approaching and what better way to deck the halls than with a sparkly French. An easy DIY style, non-steady hands are more than welcome as perfection is not the goal. Instead, the focus is on glitter, glitter, and more glitter. Pop this one on to shimmer all holiday long.

For those that like to make a huge splash with your manicure, look no further than this winter-inspired French mani. Have fun with the color of the squiggles and work into the tip with a fine dotting pen or nail brush. For a nice clean finish, top off with cuticle oil to make sure things are neat and shiny.

Miss Pop cites ombrés, rainbows, and mix and match skittle nails with a personalized color palette as the latest and greatest evolution of the classic French mani, adding that, “I have been seeing a LOT of coffee nails, as I like to call them, where women will use five shades of neutral browns to go from a pale, extra creamy café latte color all the way to a black Americano across her hand.”

Nail artist Canishiea Robison also enjoys mixing unexpected colors to update the French manicure. “I love neon and neutrals when it comes to a fresh mani with a soft pink base color,” she says. “These colors are so eye-catching.”

Both artists predict that the negative space French manicure will only grow in popularity next year, which is an ideal design for both mani minimalists and nail art fans alike — even better if you play with trending colors like pea green, lemony yellow, or rich ruby red.

So whether you’re a bonafide at-home mani expert or love nothing more than escaping to the salon for a bit of nails R&R, there’s no better time to explore the colorful French tip nails trend — 2022’s reigning manicure of choice.

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