We’re currently in the depths of winter, a time when manicures typically take on a moodier feel. Oxblood, black, midnight blue and chocolate brown, when the pros recently shared their go-to winter nail colours with Vogue, there wasn’t so much as a hint of a pastel shade.
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But who cares about being traditional? Not Selena Gomez. The star recently attended an event in Los Angeles showing off an array of pastel brights on her fingertips — each nail was painted a different colour. This technique is called a “skittle” manicure (after the colourful sweets), a fun trend that is popular in summer, but rarely gets much airtime in the colder months.
If there’s one thing we know about Tom Bachik, the super-manicurist behind Gomez’s look, it’s that he likes to shock and subvert, injecting pops of colour where you least expect it. The perfect partner to her elegant black dress, the five different Gelux polishes (including Maya Blue, Peppermint, Peace & Love and Bleu de France) on Gomez’s fingertips lent a playful touch to what was otherwise a rather grown-up look.
Harry Styles is famously another big fan of the skittle manicure. He regularly sports a number of different colours on his own nails. A great way to catch someone’s eye, the world of nail polish is your oyster — you can try the trend by alternating two different colours, or make like Bachik and Gomez and apply a different colour on every nail.
Hannah Coates is a beauty and wellness editor at British Vogue. She has been with the publication since 2019, and previously served as the digital beauty editor.
Prior to working at Vogue, she held editorial roles at Grazia and Porter magazines.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Birmingham where she studied english language and literature.