Nail trends in South Korea are something akin to marvel. Korean nail art is cute and simple rather than being just flashy!
People usually choose nail colors to match the season and like to decorate their nails with crystals. Nail extensions go beyond the simple round and square. You’ll see people with nail shapes that are beyond the usual.
Read 6 Nail art trend predictions for 2020 according to top Korean nail artists.
We have compiled the top nail trends in South Korea according to the best nail artists in Seoul. The three Seoul-based nail artists are Sunny (owner of Sunkuku Nail Art Studio in Hapjeog), Sumi Lee (owner SSum Art Studio, Gangnam), and of course, Unistella.
Most of the top nail trends in South Korea are inspired by the everyday and familiar things like an emoji, a song, a shoe, a natural phenomenon, or even a beauty product.
Check out what is Korean nail art that is taking over the world.
We are sure that some of these exciting nail art ideas will inspire your next at-home manicure session!
Aurora Nails
As predicted earlier in the year, Aurora effect nails are becoming quite popular in Korea and all over the world. The nail art looks like the mesmerizing Northern Lights. You can check out the hashtag #오로라네일 or #AuroraNails on Instagram to see the gorgeous looking Aurora nails. The tag is nothing but Aurora nails written in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet.
In Korea, you will find that all the nail salons have this as a nail art option now.
Achieving the Aurora effect is quite simple with the right set of tools. You need a polish flecked with magnetic particles and a magnet wand. Once the nail polish is applied, you just wave the magnet around to achieve the Aurora borealis-like effect.
If you have short nails, then Aurora nail art is going to be perfect! You can also mix-and-match colors. There are at-home versions of this trend thanks to beauty brands like Live Love Polish and KBShimmer.
Read more: Easy ways to try Korean stone nail art trend.
Sparkle Emoji
Park Eunkyung (Unistella) has a wide variety of color options available, including glitter available in sparkle emoji.
Even Irene Kim likes Unistella’s sparkle emoji nail art with clear nail color.
You can easily try this trend at home by buying a four-pointed star glitter and pressing them on to your manicure. Or, you can even carefully paint the emoji shape!
Smiley Faces or Any Nails
Zico’s hit single, “Any song,” inspired this nail art popularly referred to as Any Nails. It incorporates a smiley drawn with a marker on your nails.
Find out about 10 of the coolest and fashionable BTS-inspired nail art designs.
To try this at home, you can use any paint markers to recreate this Korean nail art trend at home. If you don’t have markers, you can get your hands-on Uni-Posca Pens.
Continue reading about Picknail app by Korean startup Saltus Corp. revolutionizing nail art sticker shopping.
Lipstick Nails
It is the top requested nail art design in South Korea’s nail salons. The nail trend is about having the most unexpected nail shape that mirrors a beauty product.
Unistella says, “With a little change in the shape of your nails, you can easily achieve a change in your entire look.” Changing shape in such a way can make your hands look longer.
You can have nails in the shape of a stiletto, ballerina, lipstick, square, arrowhead, and many more.
Ballet Nails
According to Sumi Lee, Ballet is another popular nail shape in Korea. The trend is more commonly known as the coffin in America.
In ballet nails, artificial nail extensions are fashioned to be flat on the top and rounded on the sides like a pointed shoe or a coffin.
You can paint them in any nail color imaginable.
Read about the 7 Korean Nail Colors to Enjoy in Summer 2020.
Watercolor
Watercolor creates a dreamy style that goes beyond paper. You can get tattoos inspired by watercolor as a medium, get an eye shadow inspiration, or indulge in watercolor nail art.
To create watercolor nail art, you need a unique nail polish that is specifically made for translucent and ink-blot-like designs. You can also layer sheer polishes to create a similar effect.
Chunky Glitter
Just like the fall fashion trends for shoes and bags, the chunkier, the better! The same line of thought applies here for glitter.
People want more glitter than going for big gems, according to Park. Glitter can last longer as it lays flat on the nail while gems get stuck into things.
You can create your own chunky glitter polishes by mixing together a variety of glitters with a clear gel.
Which of these trends did you like the most? Let us know in the comments!
