I’ve spent the better part of a decade on the hunt for the ultimate milky nail polish. Each manicure appointment finds me agonising—for longer than is reasonable—over the shade chart, often asking my manicurist to swatch multiple options. I’m searching for that elusive balance: a whisper of pink for warmth, but not so much that it feels girlish; a touch of white for depth, but never chalky or opaque.
Over the years, I’ve saved around 500 Instagram posts in pursuit of the perfect shade. At least 60% of them are the work of Harriet Westmoreland—the manicurist widely credited with sparking the milky nail trend thanks to her signature “clean girl” manicures, which come complete with meticulous cuticle care and indulgent hand treatments.
Today, Westmoreland launches her own brand, Westmoreland Cosmetics, along with her co-founder Olivia Cornish. It’s a refined, high-performance nail care line debuting with Vanilla Gloss—a collection designed to capture that same understated elegance. The carefully curated range complements natural undertones, delivering sheen without opacity. In other words, it’s the clean-girl manicure, bottled.
“I needed a formula that was lightweight, glass-like, sheer and in the right colour palette and I just couldn’t find it,” Westmoreland tells Marie Claire UK. Unlike other brands chasing the minimalist manicure trend, Westmoreland Cosmetics omits white pigment altogether, avoiding chalkiness and flatness. “The product formulation is weightless; it’s glass-like. It never feels heavy or rubbery on the nail.”
For those seeking longevity, the line includes Glass Gels: new-to-market formulas offering subtle structure and a high-shine finish, designed to be cured under a nail lamp. For at-home ease, there are Glass Polishes, which apply and dry like traditional polish but still deliver that coveted glassy gloss. “I wanted to create the gels for the professional community, and the polishes for everyone at home,” she says. “But anyone can also buy the gels and take them to their salon appointments.”
Both formats are available in five translucent shades designed as a “palette of nudes” to mix, match and layer according to skin tone. “You can wear them year-round and layer them to create new tones,” Westmoreland explains.
For her, this “your nails but better” aesthetic is no fleeting fad. “It’s here to stay,” she insists. “It’s a style now. It’s all I do for my clients day in, day out. I think the next evolution will be sheer solid colours replacing block shades. It’s such an easy, chic look—clients will find themselves choosing the same shade every appointment.”
Underlying it all is a focus on nail health. “We should treat our hands with the same care we give the skin on our faces and bodies,” she says. “That means morning and evening routines for hands and nails, too.”
So, what’s her top tip for achieving the ultimate clean-girl nail look? “Brushing. Just getting a nail brush around the nails and cuticles really supports nail growth and a healthy nail bed.”
Noted.
