“Liquid molten” nails are gaining traction on Instagram.
The manicure features 3D nail art that mimics the look of molten lava.
Celebrity manicurist Natalie Minerva breaks down the trend below.
There are plenty of places to get nail ideas. From seeing someone walking down the street to your favorite item of clothing – you can find inspiration everywhere. However, one of the best parts about social media is that you can interact more closely with people that you otherwise never would have a chance to. So what happens when you take the accessibility of a platform like Instagram and combine it with the creativity of your favorite nail artist from the hit TV series “Euphoria”? You get manicure masterpieces that immediately need to go on your mood board.
The artist in question, Natalie Minerva, has been the mastermind behind an emerging trend that you will undoubtedly want to recreate the next time you head to the salon: “liquid molten” nails. “These are a type of 3D nail-art texture that makes the nails look almost like liquid,” Minerva tells POPSUGAR. “It’s really unique and a relatively new technique in the nail space.”
This nail art look features parallel curved lines in a contrasting color from the one used for the base. The lines can either sit at the top of the nail, similar to a deconstructed french tip, or also cover the area closer to the nail bed like an inverted french. While Minerva says that she’s seen different variations of the trend in Japan and Korea, the idea for liquid molten nails as she does them now came from a trip to Iceland. “My first time playing with [these nails], I thought it would be cool to correlate them to the environment,” Minerva says. “Iceland is famous for its underground thermal and volcanic activity.”
Liquid molten nails are extremely edgy and perfect on-trend with the recent “indie sleaze” renaissance. If you want to get ahead of the curve and try them for yourself, Minerva has some tips. “Texture-wise, I would recommend using a thick, non-viscous clear gel first to apply any kind of ‘liquid looking’ 3D pattern on top of color,” Minerva says. Her favorite is the Apres Diamond Gel ($21). “Also, make sure to use only non-wipe top gel for your chrome finish so it’s extra mirror-like. I like using the Presto No Wipe Top Gel ($25).”
The most important part of getting this trend right is to not take it too seriously. “There’s really no one way to do it and that’s what makes the ‘liquid molten’ look natural and flow,” Minerva says. If you want to give the manicure a try for yourself, take a closer look at some of our favorite takes on the trend from Minerva below.