Nail Trends Selena Gomez Made Popular

Singer, actor, and entrepreneur Selena Gomez is one of the hottest trendsetters of our age. With more than 425 million followers on Instagram, Gomez is the most-followed woman on the platform, beating out fellow pop culture heavyweights like Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift. So, it's safe to say that people are watching — and often mimicking — the "Love You Like a Love Song" singer's every move. Whether admiring the star's incredible fashion sense or taking cues from her favorite makeup hacks, Gomez's fans, who passionately refer to themselves as Selenators, are eager to follow in their idol's oh-so-stylish footsteps.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Gomez has even established herself as an influencer in the competitive realm of nail art. With the help of her go-to celebrity manicurist, Tom Bachik, Gomez has shown off and popularized some iconic nail looks in practically every aesthetic, from feisty, fire-red claws to pretty pastels.

In June 2023, Tom Bachik inspired fans with a peek at the "Calm Down" singer's ethereal, not-quite-naked nail art. Bachik dubbed this gently shimmery manicure "angel nails," and it's easy to see why. Gomez's "angel nails" featured a soft, pearlescent pink and were just transparent enough to hint at the natural tips underneath. According to Bachik, he created the look by eschewing a base color and reaching straight for a light topcoat.

This manicure's vibes are like a sheer take on the glazed nail trend, offering a subtle shimmer and neutral glamor that pairs with almost any aesthetic. Its intentional display of the nail underneath is perfect for anyone seeking a simple yet elegant manicure for natural nails. Better yet, it's easy to replicate this Gomez classic at home. For a heavenly manicure of your own, take notes from Bachik and try donning your favorite shimmery topcoat without a base color.

"We haven't been able to stop thinking about 'angel nails' since we spied them via Selena Gomez's nail artist," one Instagram user posted, sharing shots of their own take on the manicure. Fake nail lovers, take note: This remixed version proved the versatility of "angel nails" by layering sheer pink shimmer over longer, almond-shaped extensions. However you prefer to style your nails, there's a version of this trend for you.

When it comes to show-stopping manicures, nail shape can be as important as color, and trailblazers like Selena Gomez aren't afraid to step outside of the box. Case in point, her September 2023 mani for the MTV Video Music Awards showed off a unique throwback shape: ballerina nails.

The ballerina style is an elongated nail shape that evokes the silhouette of classic pointe shoes — think slender and sleek nails with a dainty, squared tip. While ballerina nails may sound soft and sweet, remember: These are all about shape, not shade, so you can pair them with any color, muted or bold. Take Gomez's ballerina nails, for example. Rather than defaulting to a demure hue, the "Only Murders in the Building" actor wore her ballerina manicure in vivid red.

On Instagram, Tom Bachik revealed the technique behind the mani. To achieve the luscious, chromatic effect on Gomez's ballerina nails, he topped the PLA Nails shade Chai and Chai Again with an unidentified "gold iridescent." In fact, when Gomez wore this look to the VMAs, it earned attention as "golden glaze fire" nails, effectively setting two trends with one manicure. Online, nail artists have been quick to try the effect for themselves. A quick scroll through the almost 1,000 posts under hashtag #selenagomeznails reveals that it's one of her most popular manis, and one Instagram user even called Gomez's fire nails a "must-have for [fall]!"

Selena Gomez flew in the face of current nail fashions when she released the music video for her song "Love On" in February 2024. Rather than showcasing a contemporary manicure, Gomez turned to chunky French nails, which graced her fingertips in every clip. In fact, the video even featured a cameo from Tom Bachik, who's seen perfecting Gomez's throwback manicure on a patio full of diners dressed to the nines.

While this retro take on French tips would probably seem clunky and out of step in other circumstances, it actually fits the music video's vintage vibes. Throughout the video, Gomez appears in '60s-inspired 'fits, from her sky-blue halter dress and fascinator combo to her rainbow-striped sheath dress with its mod hairband. This nostalgic sensibility gives her sizable French tips a whimsical intentionality that just works. As Bachik commented on Instagram, it was "an exaggerated French to play into the chateau vibe of this video."

"After seeing this masterpiece, I'm gonna do french on my nails tomorrow, for sure!" one user replied to Bachik's post. If you also want to follow Gomez's lead and add a retro twist to your day-to-day look, Bachik detailed the colors he used to create the manicure. All three layers were polishes by Essie — in particular, a base of sheer pink Essie Mademoiselle, the clean tips in snowy white Essie Blanc, and a glossy top layer of Essie Gel Couture Top Coat.

Each year brings its own it-colors, inspiring everything from fashion to nail art. Never one to run from a trend, Selena Gomez has repped a number of timely hues, including her inspiring butter-yellow nails. Butter yellow is beyond hot for 2024, and Tom Bachik delivered that energy to Gomez's nails with a soft, creamy manicure that had all the quiet luxury girlies running to their closest salon.

As soon as photos of Gomez's manicure hit social media, fans were immediately lining up to echo her buttery nails. As one commented, "We are definitely getting behind this trend!" Another user added, "I just put yellow on today! Bringing on spring!" Want to follow suit? In a second Instagram post showcasing the manicure, Bachik named the color he'd used on Gomez: the appropriately titled Mia Secret Gelux Gel Polish in the shade Butter. The perfectly pastel results of Bachik's work made for a cheerful manicure that can transition smoothly from bright spring to sunny summer — in other words, butter yellow is a covetable color base that works all throughout the warm-weather months.

However, it's worth noting that butter yellow isn't the most adaptable shade on the spectrum. Golden-skewing takes on the shade look exceptional on melanated skin from olive to ebony. For fairer skin, consider something paler and less saturated. Still, you can ultimately choose whichever shade you prefer — it only matters that you like it!

If neon tones are too harsh for your vibe, Selena Gomez offers some inspo that brings the same brightness but with a softer edge: mouthwatering tangerine nails in a sweet, sherbet-like hue. Straddling the line between vivid and pastel shades, these tangerine nails are perfect for sunny days. Gomez embodied the trend on sleek squoval nails courtesy of Tom Bachik, of course.

"Orange nails are the best," one user praised Gomez's tangerine mani, while another admitted, "Lately I have been wearing orange a lot, and I love it. I would've never thought it would vibe like that." Bachik has yet to reveal his products for this manicure, so we're left eyeballing orange polishes for a tangerine color with the right ratio of vibrance to creaminess. Thankfully, we can take a few starting cues from social media users who've replicated the look. The hashtag #tangerinenails has almost 1,500 posts on Instagram, for starters.

One nail enthusiast on Instagram swears by the Orly Breathable 1-Step Manicure in Are You Sherbet? — and the name of this orange cream color is certainly encouraging. Meanwhile, one Reddit user created a full rainbow of sherbet-based hues, achieving a similar tangerine with OPI Nail Lacquer in Sun, Sea, and Sand in My Pants. Excuse us while we try it and every other orange shade within reach. All we want is a Selena Gomez-approved, frosty-sweet pop of tangerine color. Is that so much to ask?