Beyoncé’s holographic Super Bowl manicure was a game-changer four years ago, but that was just the beginning of a trend we’ve seen a lot of lately. Gigi Hadid showed up at the Met Gala last year sporting chrome nails with a mirror effect. The cost? A cool two grand. Now you can offer a similar look for a fraction of the cost. “Chrome nails create a stunning visual effect that can be achieved in a short period of time, and the markup is high,” says Carolann Sanchez Shapiro, owner of Can Can Parleur Organic Hand and Foot Spa in Los Angeles. “Results last two weeks, there are an infinite number of color options, and you can add studs or gems to create a very different look.” To create chrome nails, Shapiro applies a gel base coat and then evenly buffs the nail plates. Afterwards, she uses a silicone tip applicator and a foam eye shadow applicator to apply the chrome powder, finishing with a top coat.
At La Par Nail Bar in Los Angeles, owner Lisa Tran is known for her hologram and glitter bomb nails. Similar to chrome, hologram nails are created by rubbing the powder base over a non-stick top coat. To create the glitter bomb effect, a base coat is applied and dries for 30 seconds under an LED lamp. After another gel base coat, Tran pours small, thin-grained glitter onto the nail and dries for another 30 seconds. After brushing off excess glitter, she applies La Par Gel Builder, dries nails for 30 seconds, and applies two top coats. “These are great trends that nail techs need to learn because it gives clients a lot of options that are futuristic and with the times,” says Tran. “Clients like variety, and as salon owners we need to give them what they want.