Mirrored Nails Are The Metallic Manicure Here To Replace Chrome Nails

If you are interested in a manicure with a glamorous sheen, a trend you should definitely consider is mirrored nails. Unlike the pearlescent shine of vanilla chrome nails or other, similar trends, these nails are so shiny they are practically (and sometimes literally) reflective, hence the mirrored aspect.

To follow this trend on your own at home, start by painting on a base coat — black or white is standard. Then, you will cover your nails with chrome powder to get that metallic look. Simply continue adding the chrome powder until the nails have the exact level of reflection and shine that you are looking for.

This trend lends itself perfectly to new iterations and styles. For example, you can choose a colored chrome powder if you want to branch out from the standard silver. Or, you can pick a unique design or even add coordinating accessories to match your manicure. The following shows just how many different ways you can modify a mirrored manicure.

Coffin-shaped, or ballerina, nails refer to when the nails are longer and squared off at the ends. In the above TikTok, from user @nail.jiang, the hand model's long coffins have been painted in the mirrored style, creating a really striking look due to both the dynamic shape and reflective nature. Likewise, a collection of simple silver rings corresponds well with the nails. If you'd prefer not to keep your nails that long, don't panic, since you can still get the mirrored look on the nail shape of your choice.

The TikTok account for nail polish brand The GelBottle posted a video of a French manicure with a twist — shiny, mirrored silver tips instead of the standard white ones. The clip also shows a different way to achieve the mirrored look. The manicurist uses the company's Mirror Chrome Studio Gel instead of a black base and chrome powder. Although the silver created by the gel polish is not as reflective as some examples that use powder, it still creates a similar glistening, glamorous effect.

If you want to do a mirrored French manicure with an added something extra, consider including some 3D nail embellishments. In this example, the manicurist painted the tips of the nails silver and then added miniature pearls on top. The result is a fun, feminine manicure. However, if pearls are not your thing, you could replace them with tiny rhinestones instead. Or, you could really put your artistic skills to the test and paint tiny flowers on top of the French manicure.

You can also add some dimension to your mirrored manicure. First, add your base coat. In this TikTok from Born Pretty, they used a pale pink base instead of black. Then, add your chrome powder. Using rhinestone glue gel polish, paint shapes or swirls on your nail. Then, wipe away the chrome powder (the powder you added will still be visible under the gel polish). Finally, cover with a top coat. The final result is a unique design with a fun, 3D pop of color.

The chrome manicure trend has been upgraded to work in many colors, including bright lemonade yellow, and the mirrored nail trend is no different. You can change the color of your mirrored manicure by choosing different colored materials. TikToker @cocojas_ created pink mirrored nails by using a hot pink base and pink chrome powder on top. They used the Magical Chrome Powder Kit from the brand Beetles if you want to recreate the look exactly for brighter pink nails. For a more muted pink, keep a black base (as seen in this video from the same user).

Another tool you can use to create mirrored nails is liquid chrome powder. Similar to regular chrome powder, you will first paint a base coat on your nails and then add the liquid chrome powder on top. Make sure you rub it in enough so the nails have the mirrored effect, instead of a standard chrome or glazed look. TikToker @levana586 posted a tutorial using the HNDO Liquid Chrome Powder, which includes multiple different shades and color combinations. A similar product is Liquid Chrome Powder from Varnail.

This example from TikToker @connie.wi features mirrored stars and 3D nail gems. To achieve the look, first, do a standard French manicure and add a top coat. After buffing the nails, paint four-pointed stars on them with black polish and cover them with silver chrome. Apply a final top coat and then finish off the look with rhinestones. You can recreate this look exactly or you can make it your own — maybe you forgo the French manicure and choose a different base polish, or you could pick a different colored chrome powder for the stars.

In this example, the long, coffin-shaped nails are painted with two colors and blended to create a gradient effect. The base is a peachy nude and the top half is a silver polish. You could keep adding chrome powder to the top of the nails to get an even more reflective mirrored nail than what's shown in the photo. Or you could choose a contrasting color for the base. A classic black would be a striking option, for instance. 

For a twist on the mirrored nails trend, you can instead paint your nails with a glazed donut base. The glazed donut nail trend was popularized by Hailey Bieber. To get the look, use chrome powder over your base polish — but not so much that the nails become reflective, just enough for them to shimmer. Then, use a mirrored nail polish or gel to paint shiny silver designs on your nails. In this example, the manicurist added visual interest by painting snake-like curved lines down each nail.

Feel free to mix your mirrored nails with accent nails for a more unique, eye-catching manicure. In this example, the wearer has indigo-colored mirrored nails on their thumb, pointer finger, and pinky finger. On their middle finger, they have the indigo color in matte and a 3D sparkly stripe of rhinestones across the nail horizontally. On their ring finger, they have an indigo and white marbled design. You can recreate this look exactly, or you can do the inverse and have the mirrored nails be the accent nails, in your color of choice.