7 Pics That Prove Matte Nail Polish Is the Trend You Need

published 26 July 2018

You know those beauty trends that look really, really cool, no matter who's wearing them? (Lookin' at you, hair cuffs (opens in new tab), shaggy bangs (opens in new tab), and red lipstick (opens in new tab).) Welp, you can officially add matte nail polish to the list; it's the only thing I'll be using for the next, uh, eternity.

Soft, hazy, and definitively understated, matte polishes turn any basic manicure into a legit beauty lewk. And to get you inspired to try the trend out immediately, I handpicked the prettiest, most screenshot-worthy designs to DIY at home.

Candy Striper Matte

I get it—the last time you wore Barbie-pink polish was probably when you still played with Barbies, but this megawatt color (opens in new tab) looks anything but elementary when paired with some minimalist stripes and a modern matte finish.

Design by @nailsbeauty2010 (opens in new tab)

Neon-Red Matte

Matte polish gets a bad rap for being flat and dull—but I'm guessing those naysayers haven't seen these bright, neon-red designs (opens in new tab). DIY the cut-out look by placing a thin strip of tape down the center of your painted-and-dried nail, layer on a white polish (opens in new tab), and (once fully dried), peel off the tape to reveal the red polish (opens in new tab) beneath it.

Design by @insta.nails.salon (opens in new tab)

Black-and-Gold Matte

Goth meets prep with these inky-black nails that are offset with a strip of gold foil. Paint a few nails with matte black polish (opens in new tab), then mix in a hint of gold by placing metallic nail tape (opens in new tab) across your clean accent nails, finish with a clear matte top coat (opens in new tab).

Design by @nasrinahmadnia (opens in new tab)

Muted Blue Matte

The brilliance of matte polishes is that they manage to turn even the cutesiest of colors, like baby blue, into low-key, "what, this ol' thing?" statements. To get an extra creamy shade, mix a few drops of white polish in with your blue polish (opens in new tab), then seal the manicure with a matte top coat (opens in new tab).

Design by @nailtender (opens in new tab)

Negative-Space Stripes

To get these segmented, three-shade nails, place two pieces of tape over your nail, leaving a thin strip between the two. Paint the empty space with white nail polish, then (after it fully dries), cover half of the stripe with another piece of tape and paint the rest of the stripe red. After that polish dries, move the tape again to section off another part of the nail and paint it black. Finally, mattify the whole look with a matte top coat (opens in new tab).

Design by @tior_nails (opens in new tab)

Matte Peach Designs

DIY this leafy design by dipping a thin nail brush (opens in new tab) into white polish (opens in new tab)and tracing the edges of your ring fingernail to create a border. Then, draw a wavy diagonal line down the nail and a few wavy lines branching out from it to create the leaf pattern. Paint the rest of your nails peach, then cover all 10 nails with a matte top coat.

Design by @bullienka (opens in new tab)

Matte Milk Chocolate

I don't know what looks better—the square of chocolate, or the matching matte-brown nails. (The answer is the chocolate. Always the chocolate.) Sing an ode to dessert—or all of the '90s, if that's more your thing—with a soft-brown matte manicure (opens in new tab) that looks genuinely creamy in real life.

Design by @farmasiiozell (opens in new tab)

Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the editorial content and growth strategy of the hair, makeup, and skin space on digital, while also obsessively writing about the best hair products for every hair type (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare routines that really, truly work (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life). She brings nearly a decade of writing and editing expertise, and her work has appeared in Allure, Health, Fitness, Marie Claire, StyleCaster, and Parents. She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Thanks.