From glass skin to 10-step skincare routines, many of the most talked-about recent beauty trends were born in South Korea. Fitting then, that jelly nails—one of this spring’s most adorable nail trends—would also hail from the same place.
But Korean jelly nails are not just cute—they’re juicy, too. Thanks to mouth-watering, translucent hues, they call to mind hard candies, Jell-o, and jam. They are thick, often with a rounded, 3-D surface thanks to the use of heavyweight gels or bulked-up sheer polishes that create the appearance of layered depth on the nail bed.
Similar to soap nails and lip-gloss nails, jelly nails are super shiny and jewel-like. But unlike those, jelly nails are highly saturated and look almost as if they were dipped in some kind of magical, syrup potion.
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The nostalgic origins Korean jelly nails
The allure of shiny, glittery, watery nails for spring and summer is easy to understand—on TikTok alone, #jellynails already boasts more than 20,000 entries and counting.
But the trend isn’t exactly new. In fact, it likely stems from the recent reemergence of jelly shoes and PVC crab sandals—you know, the ones that were last popular in the ‘90s and during Y2K. A sweet and nostalgic reminder of a time now long gone by, perhaps? A nod to the free-spirited summer days of youth?
How to get Korean jelly nails
Korean jelly nails are similar to traditional soft gels, and like all manicures, a Korean jelly mani starts with preparation. The old color is removed; the cuticles are cleaned; the nails are shaped; and a base coat is applied before adding layers of color and a final top coat. Details, decals, and glitter are optional, of course.
