The Sea Glass Nail Trend Brings Beachy Vibes To Your Fingertips

To get a set of nails that look exactly like sea glass, TikToker @borablueprint paints on two coats of milky blue gel polish and a matte top coat to create that frosted effect. For an even more realistic finish, she then adds a 3D border around the nail using clear glue, along with tiny dots of glue to simulate droplets of water.

Grab all the blues, greens, and teals in your polish collection and paint every nail a different hue. Ten minutes later and your tips will look like a collection of sea glass. Extra mermaid points for getting a jelly mani in these hues.

Jelly gradient nails are so summery, they pretty much demand a trip to the beach. Pick out a few different shades of green and blue and overlap the colors as you apply them to your nails. Experiment with a base layer like light green then a dark blue on top, then seal it off with a semi-matte top coat.

The brand @cirquecolors shared an idea for sea glass nails using jelly polish in a bright, Caribbean sea blue-green. To get the look, paint on a lime green shade then blend it with a bright aqua color while the polishes are still wet. Slick on a matte top coat for that milky sea glass effect and embrace your inner Ariel.

To lean into mermaidcore, add tiny gold shell details and flecks of teal glitter for a touch of bling. It’ll bring to mind sparkly sea spray or pool water.

If your entire vacay centers around collecting seashells, then you’ll be into this shiny, pearlescent mani. It’s the perfect combo of the mermaidcore and sea glass nails, and it’ll look just as good on vacation as it does at home. Ask your nail artist for iridescent polish and 3D acrylic details.

Creator @thepaintbrushnails showed off a gorgeous pastel take on the sea glass look. The base color is a strawberry milk pink polish with sheer colors applied vertically, one right next to the other, to create an ombré effect. Go for pinks, reds, and oranges on one nail and blues, greens, and purples on the next.

Painting each nail a solid pastel hue is also an option — no ombré skills required. Go for a lilac purple, a seashell pink, a seafoam green, and a sky blue to mimic your collection of sea glass. Use matte polishes or apply a matte top coat.

To get a glossier glass effect, creator @gwmnailempire swipes teal nail polish on the underside of a clear acrylic nail, instead of on top. Once applied, the color shines through in the coolest way.

This manicure is a perfectly subtle tribute to the beach, which is ideal if you don’t want to be too mermaid-y. The translucent blue brings to mind misty mornings in coastal towns.

To really play up the water effect, dot on some 3D bubbles using clear nail glue for a funky design that makes it look like you just stepped out of the ocean.

Make your nails look like they’re actually under the sea with a wavy design like this that features the three staple sea glass hues.