We have had crackle polish. We have had matte. We have had every different shape and size of glitter. Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know the current trend du jour is texture. The beauty of the nail polish texture trend is that there are myriad options when it comes to adding a little somethin’ somethin’ to your manicure. Be warned: if you’re obsessed with the smooth, slick feel of shiny nails, then texture isn’t for you! This is lumps, bumps, and bits sticking up all over the place.
CAVIAR
Possibly the most well known of the texture trend, Ciate were the first to package and market the caviar trend with their kit, but bloggers (and nail artist Pattie Yankee) were doing this long before it had a trademark. Microbeads are stuck onto the polish to create the look of fish eggs, or hundreds and thousands biscuits (you Aussie and UK readers know what we’re talking about – yum!)
TRUE GRIT
Probably the most ubiquitous of the texture trend is sand/grit/concrete. This essentially feels like your nails have been sandblasted, and you now have ten tiny emery boards at the ends of your fingers. The result varies between brands, with some being very lumpy and coarse, while others are a softer fine grit. OPI have the biggest range of colors with their Liquid Sand polish, while Zoya Pixie Dust are beautiful gritty glitters that are true to their name.
DENIM
No one has done denim quite like Nails Inc – they have a denim kit that includes little metallic studs so you can really create a ‘wearing your jeans on your nails’ effect. The polish dries so it looks and feels like a classic denim – a little rough and textured, but not quite as gritty as a liquid sand. A few other brands have tried to replicate this, and while they get the color right, they don’t quite nail (zing!) the texture.
FLOCKING/VELVET
If you don’t like the feeling of rough nails, then this one might be for you. Flocking is stuck to polish as it dries to create a soft velvet effect. Ciate do their own kit, or you can buy little tubs of flocking powder at craft supply stores.
FUZZY/FEATHERS
Similar to the flocking/velvet manicures but not a soft and fluffy, fuzzy coat and feather effect polishes create texture with little pieces of 3D woven fibre. These polishes can be tricky to work with, like glitter, and you need to paint slowly and carefully to get any sort of coverage. The result looks kind of like a muppet but less cuddly, and you can layer these polishes over different colors for different looks, so they are versatile.
Are you into texture on your nails? Or do you prefer a smooth finish?
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