"Kintsugi" Nails: What to Know About the Nail-Art Trend
"Kintsugi" Nails Are on the Rise
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If you're looking for fresh nail art ideas to kick off the spring season that go beyond the traditional pastel colours, floral patterns, and bright designs that come around each year, why not look to other art forms for inspiration? Specifically, "Kintsugi" nails.
You might have noticed this manicure style in Joey King's engagement announcement, but Kintsugi nail art is actually a nod to the famed Japanese pottery style. "Kintsugi is a Japanese art that is centuries old," says celebrity manicurist Mar y Sol Inzerillo. "When you have broken pottery you don't throw it away, instead you mend it by dusting on gold or silver leaf."
As for why this art form makes for a solid manicure, she adds: "Kintsugi and nail art coincide because it is very easy to have an imperfection, a grown out manicure, or a chipped nail, and they can all be easily mended with gold or silver leaf to give your manicure a whole new life. Inzerillo says that people are also embracing imperfections as we continue fighting against a global pandemic. "We are all healing from the impact of the pandemic and this is a beautiful reminder that whether it's on pottery or on your nails, you should embrace your imperfections and make something beautiful of it."
Not only is the shattered effect perfect for nail art, but they also make a great conversation-starters — a win-win in our book. If you're curious about the look and want to try your hand at recreating it yourself, we asked Inzerillo to break down everything you need to know about Kintsugi nails (including the products you might need to DIY).
What Are Kintsugi Nails?
As versatile as the pottery technique itself, there are actually different types of Kintsugi nails that people can get. "You can look at Kintsugi nail art from two perspectives," says Inzerillo. "One is a nail art design with gold leaf purposely put in to mimic cracks over a marble or tile design over a solid nail, and the other is to touch up your [chipped] nails using gold leaf or a gold or silver nail polish colour."
How Get Kintsugi Nails At Home
To get the manicure at a salon, you can ask for "marble nails with chrome lines and ask the artist to fuse the two designs together," says Simone Francese, nail educator at Vanity Projects in New York City. Both Kinstugi and cracked marble have similar effects, making the look comparable. However, if you would like to get the look at home, Inzerillo has some tips.
One of first components to achieving Kinstugi nails is to start with a solid base colour (you can recreate the matte clay-like effect with a matte top coat afterward). Inzerillo recommends shades like greens and whites, as well as a classic black like Lights Lacquer in Jefa (£7), OPI Nail Lacquer in Alpine Snow (£11), and UN/DN Lacquer in Depressionist (£14).
While you can play around with your base colour, Inzerillo says non-egotiables for this nail art style are: a base coat, top coat, nail art brush, and gold or silver chrome flakes; we would try The Unicorn's Den (£3.50).
After adding your base coat, use the flakes with your nail art brush to make lines that "resemble your favourite tile, pottery, or marbleized look," says Inzerillo. Or, for a more "intentionally carefree" look, aim for a design that resembles uneven cracks. Top it off with a top coat, which can be shiny or matte depending on the look you're going for.
