17 White Nail Design Ideas That Are Perfect For High Summer

Are white nails still in fashion?

Mais oui! A white manicure is a timeless classic that returns every summer. “White nails never really go away, they just keep reinventing themselves,” Bio Sculpture manicurist Faye Louise Dennis tells British Vogue. “It’s one of the most versatile shades you could pick, as it looks striking against all skin tones and pairs with all summer outfits. White nails also feel inherently fresh and clean – almost like a reset after a long winter.”

How to apply white nail polish without streaks or bubbles

• Light colour offers little room for error as they tend to show every nick, scrape, bubble and streak. Fortunately, Dennis has a few expert tips:
• Start with clean, dry nails and always use a base coat, it fills any ridges or texture and creates a smooth, even surface for the colour to lie on top of. Her top pick is the Bio Sculpture Ethos Seaweed Calcium Base.
• Always work in three strokes – one down the centre and one to each side, using thin coats rather than thick ones.
• Resist the urge to go back over wet polish to fix imperfections. It disturbs the drying polish and usually makes streaks worse.

Why does my white nail polish turn yellow?

The only downside to a white manicure is that, sometimes, the colour can turn yellow around the edges and tips. According to Dennis, there are a few reasons why this can happen. “UV and sun exposure are the biggest culprits of yellowing as light breaks down polish pigments and oxidises the top coat,” she explains. “Skincare products, cleaning agents, sanitisers and even self-tan can all react with the polish, too, causing it to discolour faster than you’d expect.”

To prevent this from happening, Dennis recommends selecting a high-quality base coat and choosing polishes that contain built-in UV filters. After that, it’s about maintenance – things like wearing gloves for washing up or gardening, and avoiding handling spices like turmeric with bare fingers.