Butter Nails Are Definitely The Hottest Manicure Trend Of The Moment

Winter is finally over and spring is officially here! How do we know that? Because Selena Gomez has declared it so with her butter yellow manicure. While 2023 saw plenty of bright yellow nails, 2024 is all about toning things down to a perfectly buttery color that's not just ideal for the spring and summer, but for the fall and winter months too.

'Butter' isn't just another pastel hue, but a shade of yellow that brings a positive vibrational energy to the equation. "When you think about yellow in the spiritual sense, yellow's grounded in the spiritual world and less about whimsy," aura reader and stylist Susanna Merrick tells Mind Body Green. "It's all about self-confidence, communication, and how you see yourself."

Because butter nails are all the rage at the moment, it's your best bet to give them a try. From a traditional mani to a buttery pastel nail tip, to magical manifestation manicures, there's more than one way to rock butter nails this year.

If you love the look of butter nails and really want to commit to it, then playing with the shade and opting for 3D imagery is the way to go. Just keep in mind that taking your manicure to such a level might induce cravings for all things buttery 24/7: croissants, popcorn, biscuits, pancakes, and so on down the list of foods that just naturally come to mind when one hears the word "butter."

For those traditionalists out there, butter nails means keeping the manicure short, clean, simple, and a whole boatload of sophisticated. As much as trends like 3D charm nails work for some people, for others, it's just best to stick to the basics. You can never go wrong when you lean into the original. 

Although we usually see the dripping polish effect around Halloween in red to represent a bloody ghoulish time, doing it in butter is just as intriguing but in its own way. It takes the gruesome look of mid-autumn and lightens it up just enough to maintain your edginess, but in a sophisticated and stylish way.

The French manicure has come a long way and, frankly, we're here for it. "[The French manicure] will never go out of style and it goes with everything," nail artist Betina R. Goldstein tells Allure. "There are also a lot of ways to make it feel more young, fresh, and updated. And how you pair it (like a blazer), depending on color choices, shape, width, and pattern, can make it really feel new and different." Taking the classic French manicure in butter yellow and combing it with an accent nail, is truly statement-making and says everything you want people to know about you: You don't just follow trends, but start them. 

If you love the look of 3D manicures, but know that you ultimately couldn't handle them — they are, after all, a lot of nail — then a fantastic alternative for you are butter nails with designs on them. Not every nail needs a design, nor do all the designs have to be the same, but even just a few of them will add depth and a bit of complexity to your manicure.