“Foundation Nails” Are The No-Makeup Makeup For Your Mani

Finding the right foundation shade is rarely as easy as grabbing the color that looks closest to your skin tone in the bottle. There are undertones to think about, summer tans to account for, and, sometimes, a little mixing required to get it just right. And as it turns out, the same goes for finding your perfect neutral nail polish.

Meet “foundation nails,” the trend that’s bringing shade-matching to your next nude manicure. Coined by celebrity nail artist Natalie Minerva, who recently created the look for Demi Lovato’s Camp Rock 3 premiere, it’s basically no-makeup makeup for your nails: semi-sheer, glossy, and close enough to your skin tone to almost blend in.

But, of course, just like foundation, there’s an art to getting it right. Ahead, Minerva breaks down how to find your perfect match.

What Are “Foundation Nails”?

ICYMI, barely-there manicures are having a bit of a moment this year. Sheer pinks, milky nudes, and even totally “naked” nails have been making the rounds on TikTok — so much so that they’ve been dubbed the latest “status symbol.” (Cue the recession indicator discourse.) Foundation nails fall into the same neutral manicure camp, just with a more personalized approach, using skin-matched shades to keep everything looking subtle but polished.

That said, there’s some flexibility in how close to your skin tone you go — and it really depends on the effect you’re after. “If you use a shade that’s a complete match to your skin, it creates an illusion of longer fingers,” Minerva says. “The nails almost become an extension of your hands and that can be very flattering.”

Going a couple of shades lighter, though, creates contrast and makes the manicure stand out a bit more, as seen in Lovato’s recent look. The only thing Minerva tends to avoid is picking a polish that’s darker than your skin tone, which she says can make the nails look stained instead of seamless.

Another key part of the look? The finish. Rather than an opaque wash of color, foundation nails use semi-sheer or jelly polishes that let some of your natural nail peek through. With a high-shine top coat, the result is glossy and healthy-looking — basically your nails, but better.

How To Try The Look

When it comes to finding your shade, Minerva says your undertones are the first thing to consider. If your skin is very fair and cool-toned, for example, she likes OPI Bubble Bath, a soft pink nude with plenty of blue in it. For tan or olive complexions, she recommends OPI Put it in Airplane Mode, a warm beige. And on deeper complexions, she likes OPI Chocolate Moose for a warm mocha. Not quite sure where you fall? Minerva says OPI Bare My Soul, a pinky taupe, works across a wide range of complexions.

You don’t have to find the perfect shade straight out of the bottle, either. Whether you want to get closer to your skin tone or simply add extra dimension, layering different sheer polishes helps fine-tune the final color. “I like to think of it in terms of how a makeup artist applies concealer over foundation,” Minerva says. “I will use a warmer tone first as my base, then soften that with the lighter shade.”

That’s exactly the technique she used on Lovato, who Minerva says is “super bronzed” right now. “When the skin warms up, so does the color.” Instead of reaching for the singer’s usual Bare My Soul, she started with a heavier coat of Put it in Airplane Mode, letting those bronze tones come through, then layered a lighter coat of Throw Me a Wink on top to balance out some of that warmth. To finish, she added OPI Super Gloss Top Coat.

“Combinations make customization easy and possible,” Minerva says. Shade-matching is always going to involve a little trial and error, but sheer polishes give you plenty of room to play around until you land on a color that feels custom-made for you.