Oyster Nails: The Beauty Trend You'll Want For Your Next Beach Trip

Elaborate nail designs are a great way to show off your personality, albeit in a more subtle way than using clothes and makeup. However, if you're more of a basic manicure kind of person, you might sometimes get overwhelmed with how complex some nail trends are, which ultimately may lead to you not trying them out at all.

If you're on the lookout for a manicure that can be both intricate and minimalistic, oyster nails are the perfect new beauty trend to explore. The look of this marine manicure can be easily achieved by simply painting the nails in trend-appropriate colors and adding some iridescent finish to round it off. You can add an alluring touch by playing with more minimalistic styles like French tips and abstract shapes.

On the other hand, the oyster mani can also be done super elaborately by combining various application techniques and other nail trends. Whatever your aesthetic, you'll want to rock the oyster nails on your next beach trip.

If you're more of a minimal manicure type of person, you can still enjoy the enchanting effect of oyster nails. Make them clear and iridescent — the ultimate sea breeze combo you'll want for your next beach trip. To elevate the oyster effect, incorporate the 3D nail technique into your manicure by adding swirls and pearls reminiscent of real oysters. A neutral manicure doesn't have to be boring, and the oyster nail trend is perfect for making your clear nails really stand out.

With nail fads coming and going at all times, French tips are a timeless look you can always incorporate. To make it work with the oyster nail trend, simply focus all the oyster-inspired colors on the tips of your nails. You can paint them all in the same shade or each one differently; whatever suits your tips. To get the most out of this subtle oyster mani, keep your base neutral or even clear. A gold or silver line separating the base from the colored tips would add to the oyster effect and round it off.

Glazed nails are all the rage now in the beauty world, and they would work perfectly with the oyster trend, so why not do both? If you want to keep it simple and elegant, choose any oyster or pearl-like color and stick to it throughout. Finish with an iridescent sheen to round off the shimmery summer vibe. What's great about this particular interpretation of the oyster nail trend is that if you have the correct supplies, you can most likely do it yourself.

For the ultimate artistic approach, ask your nail technician to hand paint oyster-mimicking details in an abstract manner. To make those colors pop, start with a neutral base; oyster grays would be the trend-appropriate choice, as would any neutrals from the seafoam color palette. Focus the abstract in the center of the nail to evoke the pearl-in-an-oyster look. Play with the marine colors as much as you want, and feel free to add silver and gold hues to elevate the magic of this beauty trend.

If you don't want your nail design to be too literal when trying out the oyster manicure trend, focus on the details and make it conceptual. Take the abstract painting approach here, but play with the different shades one would usually find on an oyster shell. Mix the neutral grays, marine blues, and iridescent shimmers to turn your nails into oyster shells without being too on the nose. Any nail shape would work here, but for the final romantic touch, choose the almond nail shape.

Hopping on a rather simplistic nail trend doesn't mean you can't tweak it to your liking. Oyster nails work great as a neutral manicure with a twist, but feel free to go all out and do your usual length and shape, whatever that may be. Long, square nails will work beautifully with the oyster effect, plus they're the perfect base for nail art. Include any technique you want in your nail design as well, as this is an excellent opportunity to bring the cluttercore trend to your nails.

Oysters are enchanting organisms that produce pearls as a defense mechanism. To liven up your oyster manicure, make it pearl-centric and incorporate pearl charms into the nail design. Make your base oyster-colored so as not to steer away from the trend too much, and add other marine-inspired charms and hues as desired. This interpretation of the oyster trend would benefit most from gold and silver tones as they complement the pearl luster beautifully. Don't forget to add the oyster-mandatory iridescent finish.

Chrome accents provide an edgier twist while keeping your oyster manicure minimal. Oyster shells typically have silver-and-gold tones to some extent, so centering your oyster mani around them would be an interesting twist. To truly make it chrome-centric, keep your base somewhat neutral, but don't skip the pearlescent shine. Add your chosen chrome touches on top; they can be abstract or in a specific shape. Depending on your design preferences, they can be made with the 3D nail technique or blended into the base color.

The beauty of nail trends is that everyone gets to define them for themselves. The oyster manicure can work for color aficionados too; all you have to do is pick a hue you'd like to show off the most. Turquoise blue, for example, is a terrific shade to work into this trend as it would complement the oyster details and round off the marine vibes. You can paint all or some of your nails; they don't all need to match. To elevate the mani and emulate the flow of the waves, add some shine and shimmer.

You're obviously not going to put real, live oysters on your nails — we hope — but they can be mimicked. To take this manicure trend to the next level and make it literal, have your nail technician paint oysters on your nails to the best of their ability. For a super-realistic effect, do a neutral-colored base and go for either squared or almond-shaped nails. As this approach will most likely include multiple application techniques and various products, don't forget to tip a little extra at the nail salon.