Cool-girl chromes and flashes of glitter are doing the mani rounds as we head towards party season, but which nail look is reigning supreme in the area of understated elegance?
Rich, silky-smooth cocoa tones are the moment – and I, for one, can't get enough. The 'Chocolate Nails' trend is infiltrating feeds and fingers alike with milky, mesmerising browns, richly reminiscent of a glossy assortment box.
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© Orin CarlinGranted, brown feels like the less obvious choice – especially when competing against a shade library of robust jewel tones, flashy metallics, pearly pinks and the like.
But for mani minimalists, it is truly the neutral du jour, and #chocolatenails has racked up a whopping 17.6m views on TikTok – testament to its moreish quality.
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Try The Trend: Chocolate Nails
Living vicariously through the TikTok nail girlies wasn't enough to satisfy my curiosity on this particular trend, prompting me to grab a piece and savour it all by myself.
© Orin CarlinI headed down to DryBy on London's Mortimer Street to satisfy my chocolate fix, and I was not disappointed.
Luxury manicurist Danae Gooch is a master of her craft. She deftly got my nails up to scratch, trimming, clipping and gently filing them into my current shape obsession: a uniform squoval set.
© Orin CarlinNext, we deliberated over shades, actually bypassing Bio Sculpture's aptly named 'Hot Chocolate' with its glittery sheen in favour of 'Sunset Boulevard', a gorgeous, flat milky brown which looked good enough to eat.
The Verdict
© Orin CarlinConcerning my own nail approach, I am both fastidious and a creature of habit – more so than one would expect from a beauty journalist. I am devoted to moody jewel tones – navy (a proper midnight hue, not French navy, I find it too soft), deep green and crimson tend to dominate all year round. In a moment of madness this summer, I tried lilac and I've still not recovered.
Chocolate brown is obviously not a jewel tone, but happily, it still falls within my region of darkness. My complexion is olive, and I feel that this season's hero shade can totally be tweaked in line with your skin tone. In fact, I recently spotted the loveliest pairing – a warm brown somewhere between milk chocolate and the outside of an almond against dark skin.
After a slick of Bio Sculpture's glossy top coat, I was seriously transfixed. The finish bestowed a degree of shine on my nails that can only be described as a 'chocolate bomb-level glisten'. Nearly a week after my mani, and that still stands.
Not only that, but the shade works seamlessly alongside warm-toned metals. I found myself admiring the combination of my nails with yellow-gold rings for far longer than necessary.
Luxurious and elegant, chocolate brown can be relied upon to exude an air of 'Quiet Luxury' but with a slightly cosy, silky appeal.
Will I go for 'Chocolate Nails' again? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted…
