French crème nails are everywhere right now—here's why they're proving so popular
Understated but undeniably chic
Here at Marie Claire UK, we're always looking for the next nail trend and nail colour shade to try. And while blueberry milk nails and aura nails are definitely having a moment right now, we've spotted a new nail polish trend on the rise—French crème nails.
Not a far cry from a milky manicure, a French crème manicure is pink hued and has more of a creamy, yellow tone that runs through it. And we've been seeing it all over our feeds. Celebrity manicurists and nail experts are sharing their French crème nail looks left, right and centre, putting it top of our nail-trends-to-try lists. Here's what there is to know.
What are French crème nails?
As mentioned, French crème nails are similar to milky nails, only they have a yellow/cream tone to them. The name (which we'll admit, we've coined only partly ourselves), comes from a particular shade of Biosculpture, French Creme. In the bottle, the shade looks like it might be pink, but on nails it has a creamy finish that sits it apart from other nail colours we've seen so far this year. When layered with an opalescent top coat, the finished result is a high-shine, glazed, neutral-toned cream which looks good enough to eat.
French crème nails inspiration
Manicurist Julia Diogo created a French crème mani with the now iconic Biosculpture shade, French Crème.
This Betina Goldstein manicure really showcases the power of a gourmand cream-toned polish.
This glazed cream look by Iram Shelton is perfect for those who like a longer nail with a punchy finish.
The key to a great French crème manicure, like this one by Alyx Lippiat, is choosing a polish which has a white/cream tone, rather than a pink.
This manicure on Jasmine Tookes highlights just how great a crème manicure can look when it has a warm, creamy undertone running through it.
How to create the look
The key to getting the French crème look right is all in the prep and the polish. First of all, it's important that you start with a smooth, buffed base and that your cuticles are well preened. Then, select a polish that has a milky, cream hue that doesn't look too pink or too yellow when applied to the nail (Always look for photos of the product on before you buy, they rarely look the same on the nail as they do in the bottle.) The good news is, we've done some of the hard work for you and know for a fact that the four polishes below hit the French crème manicure nail on the head.
