Summer 2026 brings back natural nails - not the "naturally-looking" kind with a generic beige polish, but literally natural: short shape, a shade close to the skin, finishing instead of chemistry. Manicurist Berenice Espejo says the stiletto shape works particularly well on women with small hands and fuller fingers - a detail you won't read in the standard beauty magazines.

Picks for this season: Peach-nude (Margot Robbie) - a warm peach shade that flatters tanned skin and hides small imperfections. Baby boomer (Adriana Lima) - "a pale pink base that gently fades into white", with an almond shape that pairs with any style. Pearl white (Eva Longoria) - a luminescent semi-transparent white with a pearly finish that goes beautifully with a tan and visually lengthens the hands.

For those after quiet - milky pink (Frida Aasen) in an almond shape works for everyday and for the red carpet. Dark taupe (Bella Hadid) embodies the "quiet luxury" aesthetic - a deep brown shade especially flattering on tanned skin. And finally, perhaps the most advanced - Japanese manicure (Nieves Alvarez), an approach focused on a natural appearance through buffing and finishing rather than intense colour. The result: "perfect nails without polish".

All of these approaches share a common trait: they don't demand more than 15 minutes of upkeep per week, they don't demand emergency sessions when a nail breaks, and they don't rely on "permanent" solutions that actually destroy the natural nail. Quiet luxury in manicure isn't a trend for the fashion industry - it's a trend for people with time and no need to prove anything.