Korean Jelly Nails Are The Epitome Of Summer - Here Are 9 Of The Best Designs

Elle

13-06-2025

Whether it's glazed skin or dewy blush, beauty's fascination with glowy finishes knows no bounds. The latest nail trend, Korean Jelly Nails, is yet further proof of this. Defined by a jewel-like, light-reflecting aesthetic and soon to supersede their glossy counterparts (think soap nails and the infamous donut-adjacent sheen), Korean Jelly Nails are the shiniest of manicures taking over right now.
It's pretty easy to see their appeal for the summer months. Not only does the luminescent finish catch the light, but they offer a softer middle ground between bold 3-D nail art and minimalist soap nails. 'Korean Jelly Nails have become a major trend, encapsulating a juicy, extra-shiny aesthetic that's both playful and sophisticated,' agrees Giorgia Cappella, head of education and spa at The GelBottle.
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First popularised in the land of K-beauty, the term 'Korean Jelly Nails' has since become all-encompassing. 'The term encompasses various Korean-inspired nail techniques and trends, such as glass nails, cat-eye nails, lip gloss nails, and syrup nails. These looks are achieved through intricate layering, sheer hues, and textures that create depth and dimension,' shares Cappella.
'Jelly Nails are a trend that feel really referential of the sheer syrup aesthetics that are so popular in Korea and Japan at the moment,' agrees Alex (known as @alexdidyournails on Instagram), a Japanese and Korean Gel Nail Artist. 'They're incredibly versatile in how they can be adapted to each client, but they're typically characterised by using semi-transparent colours that give the nails a dewy tint.'
It's a manicure that works for both minimalists and maximalists. 'You can dial the sheerness up or down depending on what clients are comfortable with, but often the nail's natural features will be slightly visible, hence the glassy 'jelly' reference,' adds Alex.
As to why they are becoming popular, they play on the beauty world's fascination with dewy textures, and have been gaining traction thanks to the likes of Hailey Bieber and Rihanna.
'We're seeing a lot of jelly French tips right now. This can be created using a sheer nude or pink base like The GelBottle's Kiss BIAB or Cloud BIAB with bold, translucent tips in hot pink, blue, or orange,' shares Cappella. Jelly nail stacking is another trend taking shape. 'This is when each nail is painted in a different jelly shade and is often paired with soft gradient fades or pastel neon,' she adds.
Chrome, ombré and cat-eye are also starting to trickle in. 'The jelly nails can be adorned further by adding chrome or cat-eye overlays to play with depth and dimension, and adding a 3-D or textured element creates a beautiful nuance to the look,' shares Alex. 'The semi-sheer pigment to the gels used also allow them to be ombréd and marbled with ease, so beautiful coloured gradients can be achieved.'
'Jelly nails commonly see a glass colour mixed into a sheer BIAB base to create a custom shade or custom glass shades created by mixing clear bases with chosen hues,' shares Cappella. 'Korean Jelly Nails are the client's chosen finish and therefore are created through the gel polish colour applied over the chosen base.'
If you are heading to your favourite nail tech, it's important to take photo references as the term can point to many different manicures. 'Asking your nail artist for syrup nails will be a good starting point, as this is referential of the syrup gel polishes that are integral to achieving this aesthetic,' shares Alex.
Searching for ways to recreate the jelly shine via polish? 'Look for sheer or translucent polishes – these give that same juicy, tinted effect without needing a gel kit, You can layer a few thin coats of your chosen shade to build up the colour gradually, finishing with a super-glossy top coat to get that signature shine,' adds Cappella, warning that may not be able to achieve the same depth or dimension as gel.
A manicure that says 'summer heatwave', this hot candy pink was created using Glass pink, Stunning Beam Powder and Crazy Top thick by @alexdidyournails.
Whether it's teeny hearts or soft graphic lines, small embellishments are a sure-fire way to upgrade your jelly manicure.
Thought typically synonymous with winter, this soft frosted detail and colour palette works a charm come summer too and plays on the 'stacking' colour trend.
Moving straight onto our summer manicure mood board, these teeny stars are subtle yet pack a statement thanks to the jelly, 3-d finish and luminescent swirls.
Polka dots have been making waves on the runway this season, and have fast filtered into nail art trends. Opt for all over polka dots or try juxtaposing contrasting dots on different fingers.
Sitting somewhere between the viral milk trend and the glazed-donut manicure, this juicier, and shinier iteration changes colour as it catches the sun, making it a perfect pairing for the imminent heatwave.
Juicy, playful and bringing next-level shine, these summer gradients created by Kkoht Nails epitomise summer holidays.
The hype and fascination around glass nails (the manicure equivalent of the popular glass skin trend) shows no signs of slowing down. This glass manicure 2.0 combines both the dewy glass effect and 3-D jelly for maximum shine.
Cool down in soaring temps with this ice-inspired manicure – ask your nail tech for a cat-eye effect and go for cool tones of fresh blue.
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Amelia Bell is the Senior Site Beauty Editor at ELLE UK, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and overseeing all beauty content for the site. Amelia has a particular interest in sustainable beauty practices, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.