‘Black sheer pantyhose’ nails are the sexy alternative for Valentine’s Day

Alert the Internet: there’s a new spin on Valentine’s Day nail art that doesn’t involve candy pink or a swoon of heart motifs. ‘Black sheer pantyhose’ nails are emerging as a more grown-up, sexier French-girl alternative that also kicks up the cool factor a notch.

New nail trends have been coming through thick and fast since the beginning of 2023, leaving us ricocheting between Vanilla French nails, Barbie glazed nails and lipgloss nails. So what exactly are ‘black sheer pantyhose’ nails?

The term and technique were coined by Betina Goldstein, the same talented nail artist who brought us the viral eyeball manicure with 3D eyelashes. This look couldn’t be more different. 

In an Instagram post, Betina details how she “applied one coat of @welovecoco ballerina to all nails and let it fully dry.” One of Chanel’s best-selling nail colour shades, Ballerina is renowned for making the nail look almost naked save for a next-level healthy sheen.

She then mixed a couple of drops of @cndworld Black Pool nail polish into a base coat. While it sounds scary, the black polish actually pulls off a brilliant vanishing act when diluted and applied in two even coats over the top. 

As its moniker implies, the finish is sheer and barely-there, like 5 denier tights over bare legs (see what we mean by sexy?).

For the finishing touch, Betina says she used the “@doublemoss_arte Arte 3 brush and @cndworld black pool to trace the free-edge of my nails. Allow to completely dry and apply #cnd Gel-Like Effect Top Coat.”

First impression: black sheer pantyhose nails are refined, elegant and an innovative twist on a nude nail. Followed by: could this also be an elevated manifestation of Gothic black French nails? 

That, in a nutshell, is the beauty of this nail look – it sits somewhere in between. By using a Vanilla Girl shade of nail polish it’s delicate enough to pair with a little black dress but also looks a teeny bit subversive.

So you can jump on to the Valentine’s Day nail trend without giving yourself the, “Oh God, how cheesy” ick. 

For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR’s Acting Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.