{"id":316637,"date":"2026-03-13T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlslife.com\/?p=316637"},"modified":"2026-03-09T16:47:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T21:47:58","slug":"your-diy-guide-to-the-trendiest-manis-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/beauty\/316637\/your-diy-guide-to-the-trendiest-manis-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Your DIY guide to the trendiest manis this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Not all of us have the time or money to frequent the salon, and with so many adorbs (but complicated) nail sets out there, some of the most viral designs look impossible to DIY without your friendly neighborhood nail tech. But don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re ready to break them down into actually doable designs. If you\u2019re ready to amp up your nail skills and get tons of compliments, read on for tutorials on all your fave sets.<\/p>\n

Croc Nails\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Quirky and cute, these nails have been taking the internet by storm lately. You can decorate your whole hand with this design or just use it as a pop nail. And the best part? They can come in literally any color combo you can think of, so get creative! These nails may look tricky at first glance, but with a dotting tool and some good timing, you can recreate this look in no time at all.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two colors of normal gel polish<\/p>\n

Blooming gel<\/p>\n

Dotting tool<\/p>\n

Top coat<\/p>\n

UV light<\/p>\n

How to:<\/strong> Swipe on a coat of your base color (one of the normal gel polishes) and let it cure under the UV light. Next, add a layer of blooming gel. (No curing this time, TYVM!) Use your dotting tool and your second color of normal gel polish to bedazzle your nails with vertical lines of medium-sized dots. Then, sit back and watch the magic happen. As your dots sit on the blooming gel, they\u2019ll start to spread out until they\u2019re almost touching. As soon as your dots hit the perf size, stick \u2018em straight under the UV light to cure. Make sure to act fast once you like the size of the dots\u2013 if you\u2019re not careful, they\u2019ll keep spreading. As usual, finish up with a clear top coat to give your mani a glossy shine.<\/p>\n

Aura Nails\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Aura nails just scream summer fun. But even if it\u2019s not that time of year (sigh), these nails are one of the cutest designs in the book. Our only tip? Make sure the two colors you\u2019re using are at least a little similar\u2013it can get sorta tricky to blend two opposite colors together in the space of one nail. (Personally, we heart pink and orange!)<\/p>\n

What you need<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Normal gel polish (two different shades)<\/p>\n

Makeup sponge<\/p>\n

Top coat<\/p>\n

UV Light<\/p>\n

How to:<\/strong> Paint on your beautiful base color first and let it cure under the UV light. Next, whip out your makeup sponge and dab on some of your \u201caura\u201d color right in the middle of your nail. Once that\u2019s cured, keep on adding more layers of aura with your sponge, adding less and less each time as you move outward (curing in between each layer). Do this until it looks all the way blended. You\u2019ll know when you know, trust! Swipe on a clear top coat as your final layer, and you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n

Tortoiseshell Nails\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Can you name a nail design that gives Rory Gilmore more than this one? We\u2019ll wait. These nails are the perfect combo of studious and fun. Even though this design is usually done in browns, oranges and black, it can really be done in any neutral color combo. Again, it looks hard, but it\u2019s a lot easier than it looks. Plus, the totally chic end result is *def* worth the work.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amber\/brown and black jelly polish<\/p>\n

Blooming gel<\/p>\n

Dotting tool<\/p>\n

Top Coat<\/p>\n

UV light<\/p>\n

How to:<\/strong> Start off with a coat of your fave amber jelly polish (the jelly polish gives your nails that translucent, glossy look), cure it and then add on a layer of blooming gel. Use a large dotting tool to deck out your nails with random splotches of black jelly polish. Let the dots spread until you get that tortoiseshell effect, and then pop those babies right back under your UV light. Give your nails a lasting glow with, ofc, a clear top coat to finish up.<\/p>\n

Glazed Donut Nails<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Who doesn\u2019t heart a good Hailey Bieber-inspired mani? Chic, simplistic and sophisticated, this clean girl look is viral for a reason. This trend may seem impossible to recreate (unless you\u2019re using press-ons!), but you can absolutely DIY this look at home with the right polish.<\/p>\n

What you need:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheer milky polish (we heart the OPI Funny Bunny<\/a> <\/span>polish!)<\/p>\n

No-wipe gel top coat<\/p>\n

Pearly chrome powder<\/p>\n

UV light<\/p>\n

Eyeshadow applicator<\/p>\n

How to:<\/strong> Start with a coat of sheer, milky polish. Let it cure and swipe on your no-wipe gel top coat. Cure the top coat under the UV light until it\u2019s mostly dry, but still a little tacky (about 10 secs). Then, use an old eyeshadow applicator to rub some chrome powder onto your slightly sticky mani. Dust off any extra powder, add another clear top coat, and let your nails cure one last time for 60 secs. Your sugary sweet mani should be good to go!<\/p>\n

Tag us on IG @girlslifemag<\/a> showing off your new mani set!<\/h2>\n

Looking for more nail inspo? Check out our other articles down below!
\n<\/strong>\ud83d\udc85 5 Cozy-Cute Nail Ideas You Need To Try This Fall<\/a>
\n<\/span>\ud83d\udc85 6 Nail Trends To Try This Summer<\/a>
\n<\/span>\ud83d\udc85 7 Nail Looks We\u2019re Obsessed With For The Fourth Of July<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Images: @maddiej_nails,<\/a>\u00a0@peachinails<\/a>, @heluviee<\/a>, @nailsbyzola<\/a>, @bara.hoyle<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not all of us have the time or money to frequent the salon, and with so many adorbs (but complicated) nail sets out there, some of the most viral designs look impossible to DIY without your friendly neighborhood nail tech. But don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re ready to break them down into actually doable designs. If you\u2019re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3512,"featured_media":316644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[243],"tags":[80,62441,509,56354,884,2308,867,62442,62443],"class_list":["post-316637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beauty","tag-beauty","tag-croc-nails","tag-diy","tag-glazed-donut-nails","tag-nail-art","tag-nail-polish","tag-nails","tag-tortoiseshell","tag-tortoiseshell-nails"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3512"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlslife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}