How To Get “Glazed Donut Nails” At Home

Sometimes the best ideas come when you least expect them. That’s exactly how the number one manicure trend of 2022 — glazed donut nails — came to be.

“It was really unexpected and unplanned,” celebrity nail artist Zola Ganzorigt tells Bustle over email. “[Hailey Bieber and I] decided on the nail look last minute before the 2022 Met Gala.”

Ganzorigt, who is responsible for the viral manicure, goes on to say that the original look she planned for Bieber that night was actually supposed to be a soft, minimal sheer white shade. After she saw Bieber’s creamy white Saint Laurent gown, they opted for something that would better match it. “It’s always teamwork when I work with Hailey and I really enjoy that,” Ganzorigt says. “She will share her inspiration with me [and] I’ll input my ideas. From there we decide on a final look.”

In Bieber’s viral TikTok video on how they created glazed donut nails, a clear polish is mixed with a beige-pink nail polish (The OPI Gel Color in Pale To The Reef) to thin out the color and make it more sheer before painting it on Bieber’s nails. Then, a pearly chrome powder (The OPI Chrome Effects In Tin Man Can) is scrubbed on top of the painted nail to get the glazed finish.

Neither Bieber nor Ganzorigt coined the mani look as “glazed donut nails;” Ganzorigt credits the fans for being inspired by Bieber’s famously dewy skin and applying the term to her mani, and says its simplicity is what attracts so many people to copy the look on their own. “The look is really minimalistic, chic, and eye-catching; it adds a little twist to [a] regular minimalist nail look,” she says. “I also love that it is really easy to recreate.”

Ganzorigt says you’ll first put a base coat on your nails to ensure that the polish adheres to your nail. Next, you’ll put on a sheer pink or white polish as your base shade followed by chrome powder to get that iridescent glaze. Finish with a top coat to add shine and prevent chipping and you’ve got yourself some glazed donut nails.

If you want to put your own spin on it, that’s also super easy to do. By now, you’ve probably seen the many iterations of glazed donut nails all over your social feeds. From ombré strawberry to a chocolate glaze (which she says is currently her favorite versions of the OG mani), you can pretty much try any base color you like and add a pearly chrome finish to get that shine.

You can also opt for pre-made glazed donut polish shades, press-ons, and nail stickers. Ganzorigt recommends the Dashing Diva Glazed Donut Collection, which includes semi-cured gel nail strips already in that “Glazed Donut” sheen and comes in various different colors and designs.

“[The collection] is basically a sticker that's made from real gel; it hardens when you cure it under an LED light, leaving you with a gel manicure that lasts up to two weeks,” she says. “It’s the easiest and most affordable way to get the glazed donut nail at home, turning the complicated, multi-step process into a one-layer easy-to-apply strip.”

With the holidays coming up and the new year on the horizon, there’s no better time to give the nail trend a whirl.