Yellow French Manicures Are The Classiest Twist On The Butter Nails Trend
Posited as one of the top trending colors of spring 2024, butter yellow is the perfect accompaniment to the warming weather. This subtle pastel hue is appearing everywhere from handbags to dresses, marking a new breed of quiet luxury fashion. One of the most fun ways to incorporate the craze is with summery butter nails, an airy manicure set to take over from other go-to nail designs this year. And if solid color isn't your thing, you can twist it up by blending classic French style with this on-trend shade.
Yellow isn't always synonymous with "classy," but French manicures are the mother of all high-end nail looks. Add to that the barely there muted tone of butter yellow, and you've got yourself a recipe for luxury. Swapping the typical French white tips for yellow already keeps this look from being boring, but you can infuse even more of your personality into the yellow French manicure with chrome finishes, intricate nail art, and even neon variations.
Neon lights, but make it pastel
Pastels and neons aren't mutually exclusive, and balancing an unsaturated shade with a bright finish can be the perfect way to make your yellow French manicure pop. Although stiletto nails are the trendiest shape for spring 2024, opting for a short square silhouette turns down this manicure's intensity, so don't be afraid to deviate from the status quo.
Shunshine florals
If a yellow-tipped French manicure isn't exciting enough for you, turn up the creativity with some nail art. It can appear on a single feature nail for a more refined look, but you could also include your art on every nail for a louder set. You know what they say about florals and spring, but the exact design of your art is up to you!
Layer up your yellow
Butter nails are traditionally single-toned, but what's the fun in a fashion trend if you can't experiment? You can make things interesting by layering some of your nails with a deeper yellow pattern, which might involve a few strategic dots or a spontaneous splash of color. For the tips themselves, try a whipped buttercream shade, which should be so pale that it might even appear like true cream from a distance.
Tennis-ball fever
In the strictest sense, butter nails are pale and muted, but the beauty of yellow French nails is you have full rein over the palette, from warm mango to cool banana. Fans of bold and bright shades need look no further than tennis-ball yellow for their tips. Nearly glow-in-the-dark, this hue should almost give your yellow French manicure the vibe of going radioactive. Double the impact with long pointy nails, there's more space for this blazing tone to shine.
Glazed custard donut
The perfect upgrade to Hailey Bieber's beloved glazed donut manicure, yellow chrome tips take the best of several 2020s trends and mash them into something unbeatable. A warm could-be-vanilla-custard yellow is a good choice here, but let your skin tone be your guide. The only non-negotiable factor is topping your nails with a pearlescent chrome powder or top coat to get that sugary glazed effect.
Barely-there baby French
Like the idea of butter nails but not ready to commit? A safe way to test the waters of the yellow pool is with the subtle baby French manicure. This blink-and-you'll-miss-it style looks particularly chic on almond or rounded tips — though you could pull it off with short nails, too — and is sure to please even the most die-hard minimalist.