Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Beauty

    This is one of the easiest yet chicest nail trends ever—here's how to do it at home

    Plus, all the inspiration you need

    By Tori Crowther
    Published 23 September 2024 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Woman using Rhode phone case with chrome nails
    (Image credit: Getty Images / Jeremy Moeller )
    Jump to category:
    • Halo nail art inspiration
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    As a beauty editor and nail tech in my spare time, I'm always on the hunt for the best nail art ideas out there. We've been treated to some gems when it comes to 2024 nail trends, including blooming gel nails, naked nails and tuxedo french nails. One of the nail art trends that I've seen all over my explore page recently, however, is halo nails.

    Halo nails is one of the easiest and most effective nail art designs out there, here's everything you need to know about it. Plus, plenty of inspiration to help you choose your next design.

    What are halo nails?

    Halo nails are essentially a block colour filling the entire nail plate with a different colour outlining the edge of each nail. The great thing about halo nails is that you can tailor them depending on the colours and finishes you like. You can use a chrome effect or a cat eye polishes to give extra dimension. You can use whatever colour combinations you like, too. I particularly like a pale-pink base with neon outlines around the edge.

    Unlike a lot of other trends out there, it's also a manicure you can try at home using regular nail polish. You just need some of your favourite shades and a fine liner nail art brush—plus a bit of patience to get those lines perfectly curved.

    How to do halo nails

    The first step is gathering all the tools you need. You'll need a base and a top coat and then a block colour, I recommend going lighter with this shade to give the contrast between this and the halo shades. Then, you'll need to select your halo nail shades. For the best contrast go with a much deeper shade or something vivid like neon pink or orange. You can choose a different halo colour for each nail for a skittles effect, or two shades for each nail to give contrast. It's totally up to you what shades you go for.

    You may like
    • Autumn Nail Trends 2026 From Fawn Print to Milky Matcha—These Are Autumn 2026’s Defining Nail Trends
    • Best nail strengtheners The Autumn Nail Reset: Strengtheners That Repair Brittle, Weather-Worn Nails
    • How to keep long nails clean My Long, Natural Nails Never Look Clean—Here’s How 3 Nail Experts Recommend Keeping Them Salon-Fresh

    Then, you need a fine nail art brush so that you can precisely add the strokes of your halo shades. You might need to give yourself a bit of practice for this one, it can take a few attempts to get that smooth curve.

    Boots Nail Art Tools 5 Pack

    Boots Nail Art Tools 5 Pack
    £5 AT BOOTS

    Chanel Nail Polish in Ballerina

    Chanel Nail Polish in Ballerina
    £29 AT SEPHORA

    Nails Inc. Nail Polish in Brighton Grove

    Nails Inc. Nail Polish in Brighton Grove
    £11 AT LOOKFANTASTIC

    Halo nail art inspiration

    A post shared by Amy Tran (@amyytran)

    A post shared by @alyshanailartist

    A post shared by Alice (@onenailtorulethemall)

    A post shared by NAILS, BEAUTY & EDUCATION | NOTTINGHAM (@amberandstonebeauty)

    A post shared by PolyShop Press on Nails (@chelrod15)

    A post shared by Katy/Houston Nail Tech (@theenailgoddess)

    A post shared by Michelle Lee (@heymichellelee)

    A post shared by PAIGE | NAIL ARTIST (@sculpted.nail)

    A post shared by nails • art (@mariavinails)

    A post shared by Nails By Kristen (@nailsbykristen_x)

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Manicure
    Tori Crowther
    Social Links Navigation
    Beauty Contributor

    Tori is a freelance beauty journalist and contributor for Marie Claire. She has written for various titles, including Allure, Glamour, Elle, Refinery29, Brides, and more. Currently training to be a nail tech, Tori is a total nail enthusiast and always has time to talk all things nail art. When she’s not writing about beauty and testing products, Tori can be found walking her rescue dog Pip, drinking great coffee, and eating as many croissants as humanly possible.

    Read more
    Autumn Nail Trends 2026
    Nails From Fawn Print to Milky Matcha—These Are Autumn 2026’s Defining Nail Trends
    Best nail strengtheners
    Beauty The Autumn Nail Reset: Strengtheners That Repair Brittle, Weather-Worn Nails
     
     
    How to keep long nails clean
    Beauty My Long, Natural Nails Never Look Clean—Here’s How 3 Nail Experts Recommend Keeping Them Salon-Fresh
    Gel nail polish ban Bella Emar wears white Polo Club Top, white high waisted Sézane Skirt, white bag, Rolex Datejust watch on August 03, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.
    Beauty Is Gel Polish Inherently Problematic? Inside Gel Polish’s Never-Ending Safety Scandals
     
     
    Latest in Beauty
    Liberty London Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
    Beauty I Had My Pick Of 27 Advent Calendars This Year, Here’s Why Liberty’s Came Home With Me—And It’s Not Why You Think
    Are electric toothbrushes worth it?
    Beauty Is a £300 Electric Toothbrush Really Better Than a £30 One? We Asked Leading Dentists to Weigh In
     
     
    Merit New Wave Review
    Fragrance I Smell Hundreds of Perfumes a Year—Merit’s New Fragrance Made Me Stop and Pay Attention
    Ageing & looking young
    Skincare In The Endless Pursuit of Youth, Are We Losing More Than Just Our Wrinkles?
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Liberty London Beauty Advent Calendar 2026
    Beauty I Had My Pick Of 27 Advent Calendars This Year, Here’s Why Liberty’s Came Home With Me—And It’s Not Why You Think
    Flowers, a woman's torso and a hand against a wall
    Female health I'm an Oncologist: 5 Breast Cancer Symptoms That Are Consistently Overlooked
     
     
    Are electric toothbrushes worth it?
    Beauty Is a £300 Electric Toothbrush Really Better Than a £30 One? We Asked Leading Dentists to Weigh In
    Actress Emilia Clarke
    Culture The Anti-Maxxing Issue: Featuring Emilia Clarke, Signature Scents, Practical Styling Tips and So Much More
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.