28 pretty pedicure ideas, plus next season's biggest colour trends
Let's be honest, toes get the short end of the stick when it comes to beauty upkeep. For instance, how often does your algorithm serve you up pedicure ideas? It seems every day there's a new shiny manicure trend going viral for our fingernails (looking at you, glazed donut and lipgloss nails). But when was the last time a celeb's lacquered toenails broke the beauty internet? Mmm.
Looking at the hashtag views on TikTok though, despite the platform being inundated with mani inspo (and picking up 13.4 billion views), the sizeably smaller portion of videos catering to your trotters has raked in an almost-as-whopping 12.7 billion views. Which just goes to show, the interest is there.
Since we're still in sandal season (here's hoping for a September heatwave), searches for pedicure ideas and bookings continue to be on the up. So, basically, it's time we showed our toes a good time and let them kick back for once.
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As with all good things, prep is important. There's no point investing time and money into painted toenails if the rest of your feet still look grotty. So clear some time for pimping your soles and cuticles. Book yourself in for the full works at the salon, or do it yourself with our at-home pedi guide. You need to remove hard skin with your foot file while your feet are still dry, before you run a warm bath and soak them in warm water. Then, slather them in moisturiser for some seriously soft feet.
Next, it's worth considering nail shape. Like your fingernails, you can opt for rounded, squared-off or squoval. The trick is to make sure the shape is uniform across all of your toes. Noughties beauty has made a major comeback so the squared-off shape will be big this season, especially paired with French tips to highlight the shape.
Then, it's a matter of deciding which shade to go for. Lucky for you, we've rounded up all the biggest pedi trends for 2023 and, you probably want be shocked that they take inspo from some of the headlining manis (because we love a matchy-matchy moment). Here's 28 pedicure ideas to take to the salon…
1. Glazed donut
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If it's good enough for our fingernails, right? The glazed donut mani remains popular thanks to its pretty, grown-up glow. It pairs a pale pink or nude base with a chrome topcoat. So it makes sense to apply the same logic to your toes for a glazed donut pedi.
And Hailey Bieber let slip the exact shades she uses 🍩✨
2. Baby blue
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Baby blue nail polish has been signed off as the cool-girl nail shade you need to know. Dua Lipa's doing it, Lizzo's into it, Hailey Bieber's flaunting it, Zendaya's loving it and Sofia Richie has hopped on board, too, making it the unofficial headliner of 2023. We've spotted a spectrum of baby blues, from periwinkle to duck egg, cropping up on the fingernails of some of our favourite celebs, so it was only a matter of time before we applied it to our toe nails, too.
Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Hailey Bieber, Zendaya and Sofia Richie are fans…
3. Frenchies
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Frenchies have been fully revived and reinstated as one of the most popular designs to get. But to give it a modern, delicate twist, we've noticed dainty micro French nails taking off. Or you can lean into the '90s trend with a chunkier rendition. Either way, Frenchie toenails are just as chic as their mani equivalent.
4. Metallics
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With chrome headlining, it follows that metallics are having a major moment. We especially love them in the summer sunlight and silver is getting our vote.
5. Lipgloss
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Lipgloss nails have gone stratospheric this year. For the uninitiated, the trend mimics the plush, sheeny finish of lipgloss applied on lips. It takes your bare nail base and adds a sheer layer of gloss (complete with a hint of pretty pink tint) to create a yummy, fresh finish. We love a matchy lipgloss mani across fingers and toes.
6. Nudes
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One pedi that will never go out of style is nude. The key is finding the shade that best suits your skin tone, but sticking to neutrals like tan, buff, beige and brown are a beautiful tone on tone option. One person we always look to for immaculately-presented feet, is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The woman clearly knows her way around a foot file because those soles look soft. In fact, she rarely puts a foot wrong (see what we did there) and her nude pedi is a perfect example.
We're getting serious mannequin hands vibes.
7. 3D details
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3D nails are gaining popularity, but while you can add maximalism with some next-level bedazzling, we've also spotted dainty gems and crystals adding a little extra interest to nails.
From nail piercings to the Glazed Donut's big sis.
8. Green
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Green nails may seem an offbeat option, but it's been one of the most searched-for nail shades this year. Searches for “green nails” increased by 60% earlier this year and the hashtag has over 370 million views on TikTok. Every shade counts, so whether you want avo, olive, lime, forest or fluro green nails, you'll be bang on trend, and so will your toes.
9. Florals
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Florals don't just have to be for spring, and they don't just have to be for your fingernails either. Depending on how you wear them, they can work all year round. They work across all your toes or as an accent nail, like our adorable inspo above.
10. Pretty pastels
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We love nail shades that match your mood, so if you're bringing fun, bold energy, you can lean into it with joyful, statement nail shades, hence we're very much here for pretty pastels.
And they've never looked so good 💚💛💜🧡
11. Barbie pink
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Barbie fever is going strong thanks to Margot Robbie's Barbie movie, so expect to see a whole bunch of Barbie pink infiltrating nail shades. You can take the shade up and down the scale from softer baby pinks to hot fuchsias. And we've seen Barbie Frenchies, two-tone Barbie nails and a whole bunch of experimentation within the one trend. It's pretty, it's fun, it's cute and we love it.
12. Mix n match
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Can't decide which colour or which design to choose? The answer is to mix n match. We love this left and right pedi with a different shade on each. Or you could choose a different shade for each toe. Rules are, there are no rules and this look follows your mood more than trends.
13. Orange and coral
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Orange, fanta, mango, tangerine, coral, flamingo – all these shades sound like summer, which is why shades of orange will always make for a gorgeous, sunny summer pedi.
14. Rainbow
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For the maximalists who embrace colour, you can't go wrong with a kaleidoscope of rainbow shades.
15. Ombre
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Pretty ombre nails are a subtle way to next-level a classic Frenchie by adding a twist. Instead of a strong white tip, the white and pink merge seamlessly into each other. Or you could always remix it with brighter shades.
16. Black
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Black tends to get categorised as a winter shade, but we love it all year round. It's a classic, it's a neutral, it goes with everything and it looks great across all skin tones. Plus it offers a slightly moodier moment if brights aren't your thing.
17. Holographic
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Like to be a little different? Swap out glazed chrome top coats for a holographic finish.
18. Tonal
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We love a tonal moment. Take one colour (this rich brown is yum), then play around within the same shade spectrum.
19. Reds
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Reds are a classic (while still feeling a little powerful, a little sexy and perfect for summer as well as autumn). We love the whole sliding scale from deep, merlot reds to bright shades of tomato.
20. White
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White is light, bright, airy and beautiful. Like black, it works on all skin tones and goes with everything, however it's the other end of the scale offering something fresh and uplifting. It's a cool choice if you want something fresh without feeling fluro.
21. Mirror
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The mirror nail trend takes high-shine nails to the next level. This ultra pearlescent finish is beautiful and it leans into another big mani trend: mermaid nails.
22. Milky white
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If bright white feels too stark, opt for milk nails instead. Soft, chic and effortlessly cool, this universally flattering shade is set to dominate all year round. Lizzo, Jennifer Aniston, Hailey Bieber and Zoe Kravitz are fans of this shade, too.
23. Neon brights
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Bright colours are having a major moment and we’re obsessed with this neon yellow shade that’s essentially sunshine, bottled. Match with your fingertips or go for clashing brights to really make a statement.
24. Green and blue
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Can't choose between these two trending shades? No stress, just opt for both! Pistachio green and baby blue make for a cool, fresh combo.
25. Expensive nude
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Dial up a nude pedicure with individual rhinestones placed at the base of each nail. Sparkly yet sophisticated, this has wedding toe nails written all over it.
26. Barbiecore glitter
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One to save for the festive period, these chunky glitter pink nails are giving us serious going out Barbie vibes. Layer two coats of glitter before sealing with your best top coat for maximum staying power.
27. Dark navy
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Head over to the dark side as we move into Autumn with a deep navy blue that's seriously sophisticated. According to nail pros, navy is the ‘it’ nail colour next season - you heard it here first!
28. Gold
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Silver nails may have dominated all summer, but you can expect to see gold reign supreme as we move into Autumn/Winter. Luxurious and expensive-looking, this colour is the perfect pick for open toe heels.
For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
