A ‘clean-girl’ starter pack constitutes only a few things: glowing skin, no-makeup-makeup, neatly slicked-back hair, glossy lips and an understated manicure. In fact, this aesthetic proved the birthplace of many viral nail trends, such as Hailey Bieber’s ‘Glazed Donut Nails’ or barely-there gel manicures. But the tide is turning: beauty right now is louder, more expressive and a whole lot more fun. Blue eyeshadow is having a revival, brows are bushier and maximalist acrylic nails are the new gels.
The person leading this charge? None other than Ariana Grande. In a recent Instagram post, the singer-come-actress dropped an eight-part carousel including cute polaroid shots with fellow actor-friend Bowen Yang and poses in a hazy room, dressed in an ethereal pink dress. But look closer and you’ll see that Grande rests five XXL acrylic tips on her cheek, confirming that loud nails are officially back on the manicure agenda.
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Of course, being Ariana Grande (this generation’s poster-girl for the preppy, tweedy aesthetic) she keeps the uber-long talons cute with a neat French manicure. This seems to be Grande’s go-to nail look, whether she’s walking the red carpet, tapping into her Wicked role as Glinda, or even brainstorming the latest r.e.m beauty collaboration…(but more on this later).
The French manicure itself is ‘minimal and simplistic in terms of nail art,’ says session manicurist Ami Streets. ‘There’s an opportunity to be creative and unleash your artistic license,’ she adds.
‘French tips have been trending again for the last few years in various forms and styles, from the skinny French to chrome tips and, more recently, 3D sculpted design,’ notes Streets.
This wasn’t the only exciting news to land on Grande’s Instagram this week. The singer unveiled a limited-edition r.e.m. beauty x Wicked collaboration, celebrating the film’s upcoming November release and her role as Glinda. The collection, launching 1 October, includes a 12-shade storybook palette and sets inspired by Glinda and Elphaba. You can bet we’ll be lining up at cinemas on November 22nd—eyes gleaming in emerald shimmer.
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Chloe Woodland is the Group Beauty Assistant at , , and , working across print and digital features. She’s worked in the industry for two years, beginning her career writing for trade publications and Professional Beauty. When she’s not demystifying the science behind growing your hair, gathering the best make-up products of all time or investigating buzzy skincare ingredients, you’ll most likely find her rewatching Modern Family for the thousandth time or trying to tame her two working cockers (who’ve never worked a day in their lives).
