From jacquet masu to jelly cats, perfumes and prebiotic sodas, fruits are trending in all areas of culture. It’s no surprise that fruit-themed nails continue to appear throughout our social forage. But it’s not just fruit nails that we’ve been scrolling to in the past (and we’re obsessed with our favorites). It’s a ridiculous design that captures our hearts and nail artists go to bananas. “Microfruit nails are a great way to celebrate the summer season while looking chic and modest,” says nail artist Sang Sung Kim. “The small fruit designs are very attractive as they are cute and often have beautiful details.
Like many of today’s most talked about, food-inspired beauty trends, we can trace the origins of fruit nails with a fair degree of confidence in Hailey Bieber. Last summer, manicureist Zola Ganzoliguto gave her a “farmer’s market-inspired manicure.” The consistent virality of beavers, coupled with the beauty industry’s ongoing obsession with cherry and strawberries, created a ripe environment for microfruit nail trends to thrive and continued to thrive. Compared to last year, searches for “fruit nails” increased by 58% on Google and 222.3% on Tiktok, with around 2 million views per week on the app.
Fruit nails don’t have to be just spring or summer pop-ups. Nail artists enjoy experimenting with designs throughout the year. “I love fruit nail art because I’m particularly universal,” says Megan Knight, a manuscript specializing in miniature designs of all kinds. “It works every season.”
The small beaver fruits layered on top of a thin nude polish are a common pairing found in manualists who specialize in micronail art such as Knight and Betina Goldstein. But that’s not the only way to wear trends. You can add small fruits over pastel cream or cat eye polish or combine them with colorful French chips. No matter what background you choose, the advantage is to keep the shade soft, while the additional patterns are simple, as if to simply keep the fruit “like it really stands out.” “We need contrast to keep the fruit from getting lost.”
Provided by @betina_goldstein
Courtesy of @alyxlippiatt
There are easy ways to do microfruit designs, such as using dot tools and round rhinestones to create cherries, grapes and blueberries. And there are ways to add more patience, stable hands, and perhaps depth and complexity that requires magnifying glass. “The most challenging part is getting details there when they’re very young,” says nail artist Alix Lippiatt. “That requires a lot of precision. So instead of painting all 10 fingers, you only paint one or two designs per set.”
