The Guardian reported on August 9, 2026 that short, unvarnished nails had turned up on the Copenhagen Fashion Week catwalks, and that Google searches for naked nails were up 85 percent since May. Milky nails were up 22 percent. Manicurist Saffron Goddard told the paper the aim is healthy-looking, well-groomed nails rather than a noticeable manicure. The BBC ran its own piece on September 25, with bare-looking nails on social media, runways and red carpets, and a debate about who gets credit for nail art in the first place.

Clear nails are not new, exactly. The 2023 clean girl wave already pushed glossy, sheer, neutral nails, and Net-a-Porter quoted Zola Ganzorigt on cuticle care and matching a sheer shade to your skin tone. Before that, Jeff Pink's 1970s Natural Nail Look became the French manicure.

The collage below shows five ways to do it: bare and glossy, sheer pink, a soft blush, a thin white French tip and a pale lilac wash. The first grid is the clear coats and sheer polishes you paint on. The second is sheer press-ons.

Here is a test I like: paint a top coat on one hand only and leave the other bare. Look at both in daylight. If you can barely see the difference except for the shine, you have got the look, and everything else is upkeep.

The most honest clear manicure is a good top coat over healthy nails, so start there. Hermès Les Mains Top Coat has a transparent gel lacquer texture for a long-lasting high-gloss finish. The brand says you can apply it straight over the nail for a natural look, and it takes about fifteen minutes to dry. Kure Bazaar's Dry Finish is quick-drying with a slightly gel-like effect, and the brand says it also strengthens the nail with a slight bend effect.

Olive & June and Dashing Diva are the gel routes. Olive & June's Gel Top Coat is a plump, glossy finishing step meant to seal and shield gel polish for up to 21 days, and its Gel Base Coat is the prep step for that staying power. The Clear Builder Gel is a totally translucent builder for strong nails. Dashing Diva's Top Coat is made to go over any One Gel color and is compatible with most gel nail products.

For a bit of tint, Londontown's Perfecting Nail Veil is an ultra-sheer shade that turns down the pigment and turns up the care, with AHAs, biotin and a blend of plant oils and extracts. Dior's Nail Glow is a sheer pink glow treatment made for an instant French manicure effect.

Saffron Goddard has a warning worth passing on. If you are faking the naked look, she advises a reputable salon for application and removal, since improper gel removal damages nails.

What I would skip: the gel steps if you do not have a lamp or a plan for taking them off. A simple top coat like Hermès or Kure Bazaar is enough for this look.

For the days when you would rather not paint at all, press-ons with sheer bases do the job. ohora runs the group, and most of it is one-color sets. N Bare Crystal and N Bare Pink are both winter sets with what the brand calls a bluish color and a clean impression. N Bare Milk Tea is a neutral nude with a soft ombré smudge and a dewy, sheer glow. N Cream Light is a blush pink gel from the brand's half-syrup gel.

If you want a hint of decoration, N Sheer Blush layers two marble patterns over a sheer pink base, with platinum glitter and pink foil accents. NP Blush French is a blush that diffuses from the center of the nail with a sheer mermaid accent. Both are for the person who wants the quiet look with a small detail.

For the vanilla French tip, look at Olive & June's Subtle Blush French, a soft blush pink with a barely-there tip in a medium almond shape. Dashing Diva's Barely Bougie is a nude medium almond with a glossy finish and a soft ombré French tip.

Here is a pairing I like: a sheer set with the shortest length you can stand, and a cuticle oil that night. Ganzorigt's advice on cuticle care applies just as much to press-ons, because tidy skin is what makes it look intentional.

What I would skip: the decorated sets if you want the true naked version. Pick a plain one-color set and let the shape do the work.

I think clear nails are the hardest manicure to get right, because there is nothing to hide behind. The finish has to be glossy, the shape has to be tidy, and the cuticles have to look cared for. Once those three are done, the color hardly matters.

My rule: choose your sheer shade by your skin tone, keep the nails short, and finish with a real top coat. Touch it up once a week and leave it at that. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Press-On Manicure Notes and Clear Nail Polish Is the Most Grown-Up Manicure.