Velvet nails are the perfect manicure for autumn

Nails are having a big of a moment across TikTok at the moment with the glazed donut trend and now, velvet nails, which have been going viral over the past few days. To say we’re a little bit obsessed is a gross understatement and we’re pretty sure they may be our favourite grown-up autumn nail trend so far. 

Velvet nails take your standard mani to the next level, giving the luxe, silky, velour-like feel of velvet material but with a smooth, non-fuzzy finish. Almost a mix of glitter and metallic polish effects, a velvet manicure is all about creating the illusion of texture with how it bounces off the light, which is why they are best shown IRL or via video (see below).

We first noticed velvet nails on Los Angeles-based nail artist Amy Le, whose ‘green velvet’ look has proved so popular that she’s sharing a full how-to guide (including product details) on her Patreon platform, where she drops monthly nail tutorials.

Not a Patreon subscriber or don’t fancy heading to your local nail salon to get the velvet nails look? Some fans in the comments under Le’s post recommend using cat eye gel or magnetic gel polish, while others swear by using nail powder (or ‘flocking powder’) as well as your desired base colour – we love festive green and shimmery gold hues for this look, but darker wintery shades such as chrome grey and deep purple work well with velvet nails, too.

Simply apply your base colour then buff the powder over each nail until you achieve the desired effect. If you’ve been taking your mani game in-house this year, you might want to use your LED lamp to seal the polish.