The boring milky mani just got a serious upgrade—it's time to make way for lavender milk nails now

Considering I only get my nails done once a month, I have an unsightly amount of nail trend inspiration pics saved on my phone. From bold holiday nails to more minimalist mani shades, you’ll find them all in the cleverly named ‘Nail looks to try’ folder, ready and waiting to be plucked from obscurity and presented proudly to my nail tech at my next appointment.

One thing I love about storing nail inspo in this way, however, is that if you scroll back through the folder, you can clearly see the trends I’m obsessed with at any given time. At the end of summer there’s a section of evil-eye inspired nail looks for what was my upcoming trip to Santorini. Then there’s a wave of plum nails and animal-print designs signalling that autumn had taken hold. Most recently, however, as if in opposition to all the nail art and bold hues of the previous months, it’s been clean nail looks that are piquing my interest and with it, one trend in particular: lavender milk nails.

If you’re wondering what lavender milk nails are, let me break them down for you. Sitting between a creamy white and barely-there lilac tone, lavender milk nails offer a fun twist on the traditional milky nail trend (which features a pinky white, sheer polish for a more natural finish). This change in tone makes lavender milk nails, in my opinion, so chic and sophisticated as they’re unexpected yet ultra subtle at the same time.

Plus, there are a few variations of lavender milk nails you can try. My favourite are the slightly sheer lavender milk polishes that still allow your natural nails to show through, however I’ve also spotted a few of my favourite nail influencers opting for more opaque purple-white shades too proving you can customise this trend to suit your taste.

While I’ll be taking my lavender nail pic to my next nail appointment, this is a look you can totally try for yourself at home, too. To help, I’ve rounded up an edit of the best lavender milk nail polishes available to shop now. From Gelcare’s best selling lavender BB cream, ideal for achieving that sheer look I mentioned earlier, to Nails Inc’s With Sugar On Top, the perfect milky lavender opaque polish, there are so many options available. Now let’s just hope I don’t fall in love with another nail look before my gel change in two weeks...

Shop lavender milk nail polishes