'Fombré Nails' Are The Latest Minimalist Manicure Trend

There's nothing we love more than getting two for the price of one. In beauty terms, that means mixing two trends together while they're at the height of their popularity for the ultimate cool factor. In 2024, that definitely involves jumping on the "fombré nails" bandwagon. Coined by celebrity manicurist Harriet Westmoreland, this minimalist style simply combines it-girl ombré with the enduring French manicure, which isn't ever not popular. "I've always loved an ombré manicure, but sometimes the more traditional style isn't popular with my clients, so I created a more subtle, flattering version: fombré nails," Westmoreland shared with Glamour. "I've taken the best bits of both manicures and paired them together."

Any good nail artist will be able to create this fuss-free style for you, but you can also achieve it at home with a standard ombré process. After prepping your nails with a base coat, apply your pink-to-natural color to the first three quarters of each nail (vertically speaking), and then apply your white to the tip. Blend with a nail brush in horizontal movements, and repeat until you get the desired effect before finishing with your top coat. If you're content to leave this one to the pros, however, don't forget to take these photos with you for some inspiration.

Like many nail styles, a fombré mani looks especially chic on long stiletto nails. This is because you have more room to let the white tip shine, so it takes up around half of the nail rather than just the top quarter. It isn't the most practical of nail shapes, but it does win you endless style points. 

There's no hard and fast rule that says French manicures need to be white. Actually, one of the best ways to add a twist to your traditional French manicure is by introducing some color, and this looks even more effective with some ombré thrown into the mix. Since fombré nails are trending just in time for summer 2024, why not try a warm-weather color, like grapefruit or tangerine?

Without any hard lines — and typically created with softer colors — fombré nails are ideal for minimalists. But there's still a seat for maximalists at this table — just add some bling! It's up to you where the glitter goes on your fombré nails, but applying it to the lower half will allow your white tips to remain the highlight and ensure the "F" remains in "fombré."

Fombré nails may look superb with stiletto talons, but you can still rock them with short nails. This just makes the look even more minimalist (and life-friendly!). It might be a bit trickier to DIY fombré on short nails because you have less room to work with and every inch counts, so it could be worth a trip to the salon for this seemingly simple style.

Technically, the fombré style blends together French and ombré by making the white tips "melt" into the rest of the nail, but you could add another interpretation to the coming together of these two trends. Create colored ombré nails as normal, and then simply layer a white tip on top. Remember that the more saturated your ombré color, the more these will catch the eye.

Even though fombré nails are enough to create a high-fashion moment, you might be left wanting more. And that want is always fixed with a statement feature nail! The design is up to you, but opting for the same colors as your fombré will keep your manicure cohesive. Experiment with diagonal patterns or flipping over the white and pink for an inverted French manicure.