What are aura nails? See the trippy manicure trend taking over social media
Just like your outfit can reflect your mood, so can your nails, and that's certainly the case when it comes to aura nails.
Aura-inspired manicures are vibrant, colorful, gradient-filled nails that are popping up all over social media.
For the last few months, the trend has gained more than 12.5 million views on TikTok and has been tagged more than 11,000 times on Instagram.
What does "aura" mean?
Aura is a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source or a subtle sensory stimulus such as an aroma, as defined by Merriam-Webster.
To channel those vibes, many people have been drawing upon energy fields they are inspired by and capturing those colors on their nails.
How to do aura nails
While many people have their own twist on the trend, TikTok creator Lights Lacquer demonstrated how to get a version of it in a post shared in September.
The demo clip starts with a layer of pink nail polish painted on the skin as an outer layer to the nail. Then, the same nail polish is thinly applied to the nail. Next, a circle of blue polish is applied to the bottom, flat portion of a makeup sponge. That circle is filled in with pink and is then gently stamped on the nail.
The look is completed with a clear top coat and applied the same way to the rest of the nails.
In case you aren't quite sure what your aura or desired aura is just yet, not to worry! You can still get in on this nail trend by checking out some major inspiration just below.
Aura nail inspiration
Nailartbyqueenie
Sugamama_nailz
Nailedbyyans
Antajahdidthem
__Formechloe
1.800.nailme
Mydumbnails
