You Can Recreate at Home

Here at The Gloss Gurus, we have a nail trend you’ll definitely want to hear about. Milky Nails is the celeb-approved twist on the timeless nude mani & we’re sharing an easy-to-follow nail tutorial on how to recreate this look at home for much less than what you’d pay for a manicure at your local nail salon.

The not-too-opaque, not-too-sheer white manicure is reminiscent of milk, as its name implies. Much like the super minimalist chrome nails look we saw last year, the milky nails trend features a semi-sheer wash of white or pinky-white polish, minus the glitter powder. This chic mani is like a sort of ‘nail foundation’ that instantly makes your nail beds look bright and healthy. Nail ridges? Discoloration? White spots? We don’t know her.

So are you ready for a “your nails but better” low-maintenance manicure? One that looks great on any skin tone and can be worn for any occasion? We got you, sis.

Here’s the scoop on how to recreate this look at home and you bet we linked everything you need to recreate this look on a budget.

Nail Prep

The milk nail trend looks best with immaculate cuticles and hydrated hands.

1. First, file your nails with a nail file to your desired shape and length.
2. Apply a good quality base coat to create the perfect foundation for your polish. We love OPI’s Natural Nail Base Coat for this.

Nail The Look

What do Nicola Peltz-Beckham, Hailey Bieber, Lizzo, Zoe Kravitz, and Kim Kardashian all have in common? This milky mani. Although the milky finish is often done at the salon with gel or acrylic powder, there are several shades of polish that create the look in a matter of two coats Here’s what you gotta do:

1. Apply two coats of sheer, milky-coloured polish, making sure to let each layer dry completely before applying the next. A couple of our favorites: shades Funny Bunny by OPI, & Essie’s Tuck It In My Tux. If you’re aiming for a more subtle pinkish hue, try OPI’s Bubble Bath or Essie’s Ballet slippers.
2. Once the polish is completely dry, seal in the colour with a topcoat to add shine and help your manicure last.
3. Lastly, the most important part of a salon-quality manicure is applying cuticle oil. Check out our reader favorite, Cuccio Naturale Revitalizing Cuticle Oil, it’s a powerhouse oil loaded with nourishing ingredients that strengthen and hydrate your nailbed.

Read more: The 10 Best Cuticle Oils of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Using Gel

The process for gel is similar to a normal nail lacquer manicure, just add UV light. Amazon favorite, Pink Champagne from Beetles is an exceptional polish and perfect for nailing the milky white mani (pun intended). The second runner up is Milky White Gel Polish from Memeda, or Nude Gel Nail Polish for a pinker hue.

Don’t forget to prep and seal your milky nails with a no-wipe gel top and bottom coat, for this we recommend the Gel Top Coat and Base Coat Set from Beetles.

Press Ons & powder

If you don’t want to bother waiting for your nails to dry, you can opt for acrylic press-ons, like Glamnetic’s Opaque White Short Almond Nails.

Here’s our fave milky mani’s for inspo

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A post shared by Julia Diogo (@paintedbyjools)

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A post shared by 𝙏𝙤𝙢 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙠 Nails (@tombachik)

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A post shared by Lola K Luxury Manicurist & Brow Artist (@beautyby_lola)