The ‘invisible French manicure’ is spring's chicest nail trend (and it's so low-maintenance)

Sometimes even icons have to reinvent themselves to stay relevant – like the French manicure. While we've seen various manifestations, right now it's the ‘Invisible’ French manicure and its jelly-like finish that is having a serious moment.  

These days it's rare to see the type of classic French manicure where a candy pink nail is accented with a heavy white tip. Instead, modern spins on the look are what have us in a chokehold, including skinny pastel stripes on the free edge, Autumn French nails and mirrored manicures. But now a more minimalist approach is taking seed, championed by celebrity nail artists Tom Bachik, who counts J-Lo and Selena Gomez as clients, and Julia Diogo, who was a GLAMOUR Beauty Power List 2022 judge. 

As expected, an Invisible French manicure starts by laying down a neutral pink or nude base. But depending on the technique, instead of a colourful or thin white line at the tip of the nail, the trend is characterised by either a sheer finish to create a subtle arc or an outlined, but not filled in, tip.

“There is a huge moment for the ‘clean girl aesthetic’ right now and minimal nails with nude bases that suit your skin tone seem to fit right into that vibe,” says Julia. “Also once they start to grow out, they don’t tend to bother people as much because nudes are super forgiving.” 

The possibilities for the invisible French are endless. A sheer shimmery tip is another option, and an ombre nail effect, favoured by Julia, is also hugely popular. Meanwhile, Tom favours a tip reminiscent of negative space. 

For Hailee Steinfeld's birthday, for example, he used a shimmering pewter hue for the nail bed before ending with a delicate white line and a clear, pointy extension. Part glitter manicure, part French manicure it was the definition of glamour.

‘Invisible’ is clearly the buzzword for 2023 nails and, for Tom, this extends beyond simply a French manicure. In fact, for this week's Golden Globes, he created what is arguably an invisible nail polish look on Margot Robbie, so sheer was the pink mani on her squared-off nails. 

In an Instagram post, Tom describes the look as “fresh, clean and stunning" before going into detail about how exactly he created the look using a variety of Essie nail polishes. “After meticulously manicuring her nails, I applied a layer of @essie’s #HereToStay Base Coat followed by a luscious coat of #HiMaintenance. I love how with only a single coat this rich girl shade evens out tone while brightening the look of the nails,” Tom says. 

“I let her nails dry for one minute and then applied a thin, even coat of FX Expressie ‘Halo’ #TopCoat. This gave our nails just the right amount of sparkle to mimicking the sequins in the dress,” he continues. “Then for effect I also added a coat of #Essie’s Gel Setter #TopCoat for a deep rich high gloss shine fit for the red carpet! Lastly we finished off this look by massaging in a little Essie #ApricotCuticleOil to rehydrate her cuticles and skin.”

Low-maintenance and glamorous? Sign us up. 

5 ways to wear the Invisible French manicure trend