A '90s Manicure Trend Is Coming Back In A Major Way & It's Got Tons Of Edge
If you've been in or around the beauty scene for some time, you've probably noticed a consistent theme behind many recent viral trends: nostalgia. From the Y2K-style craze to the resurrection of the shag haircut from the '70s, it appears we can't stop renaming and resuscitating old trends, bringing them back from near obsoletion to mainstream attention once again. And it will not be stopping anytime soon, as yet another nostalgic nail technique is back on the trend table. It's none other than nail piercings.
Worn recently by celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion and Kim Kardashian, nail piercings were popular in the '90s for their rockstar-adjacent look. As the name implies, they are completed by inserting piercing jewelry into holes on the free edges of your nails. To achieve this look, you need a handheld nail drill, a sturdy hand, and some charms or rings to insert through the newly drilled holes (via Nail Designs). You can do this on acrylic nails, press-on nails, and even your natural nails. However, Nail Pro stresses that your nails have to be long enough so you do not pierce too close to your nail bed or plate.
Whether you like a more minimalist look with a single piercing on one nail or prefer dangly charms and multiple hoops, nail piercings are versatile and add character to a set. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate piercings at your nail tech.
Spice up your neutrals
Neutral-themed nails go with almost every outfit, so being stuck in a comfortable yet monotonous cycle of getting only them is common. However, if you want to spice things up, add piercings and dangly charms like this vanilla set with a lock charm on one nail. Nail piercings are a break from the norm, as they help you switch up your nail sets while staying simple and cute.
Pierced and pink
Nail piercings add edge to a neutral-colored set but can also give your brightly colored nails that extra pizzazz. You can add piercings to a brightly colored monochrome set like these pink French tips with fiery designs. You can also decide to go the less intricate route and pierce the free edges of your outlined French tips, like nail artist Julia M shows on Instagram.
Alien superstar
The range of this trend is phenomenal. From vanilla sets to extraterrestrial-looking nails, piercing your nails is the way to add more personality to an already bomb set. This distressed mercury set with silver rings is the perfect inspo for mixing pierced nails with Halloween-adjacent ideas, and we can't wait for you to try it out.
Short and simple
Nail piercings are also short manicure-friendly. For example, try nail artist Charlotte Herberts' candy-colored inverted half-moon manicure, which features multiple colors on the lunulae and a piercing on only one nail. This style will work well if you do a lot of work with your hands and can't manage long nails, as they have all the swag of regular long nail piercings while still being practical. Of course, ensure the piercing is a while away from your nail bed to avoid damaging or cracking your nails. But overall, we love our pierced short nails.
Dreamy dangles
The hoop piercing is the go-to for its simplicity and practicality, but you can also wear dangling charms instead. Charms are a great way to add even more fun to this look, and if you love astrology as much as we do, you can opt for wearing your signs proudly on your nails. Then, take it further by wearing charms matching your jewelry, just like this red drip dangle set. You might get a few snags at your polyester with this look, but they are worth it.
Piercings in chains
If you have a propensity for the extra, then consider linking your nail piercings to make one continuous chain. To achieve this, your nail tech will pierce both sides of your nails, insert rings into each newly-drilled hole and join extra hoops from both sides until hoops from both ends meet. This set takes it further by connecting the chains from the piercings on one nail to the next. While both techniques are impractical for everyday life, we can't deny that this is on our editorial nail mood board. Gorgeous.