How to get the jelly nail look

What makes a nail look jelly

The effect comes from translucent color that lets light pass through the nail. Your nail or tip stays faintly visible underneath, and the color deepens wherever layers overlap. One or two coats look pale and glassy. More coats look richer, closer to a fruit candy.

Bright shades are the classic version: strawberry, cherry, tangerine, lime and sky blue. Softer tints such as rose, smoky gray or pale peach read more quietly and fit a stricter dress code. Jelly color also shows up as a sheer French tip, or layered under small painted details.

Shape changes the feel. On short, rounded nails the look reads like a jelly bean, which is half the charm. On a long almond or coffin shape it looks closer to tinted glass, and bright outdoor light makes the color glow.

What a sheer color shows

Translucent color hides very little. On natural nails, ridges and the line where your nail ends can show through. On extensions, you may see the shape of your natural nail under the tip. Some people love that see-through quality and others find it distracting, so decide before the color goes on.

For the tint with less show-through, ask for more coats or a milky shade. A cloudy pink jelly looks soft and covers more than a clear red. Ask to try the color on one nail first so you can see how sheer it looks on you.

Grow-out is the bonus. A small gap at the cuticle is far less obvious under a see-through shade than under a solid dark one.

What to ask for

Jelly can mean barely there or nearly opaque, so go in knowing a few details:

• How sheer you want it: a light tint, a medium wash, or rich and deep
• One color on all ten nails, or a different shade on each
• Plain, or with a small design such as hearts, swirls or a French edge
• Shape and length, since longer nails show off the translucency more
• Glossy as usual, or frosted like sea glass with a matte finish

Add-ons and starting prices

Jelly Colors are always added to another service. You will find them on both the builder gel, Gel-X and dip list and the acrylic list, at the same $10 starting price and about 15 minutes. These sets are the usual places to start:

• A Builder Gel Manicure is $70 and up, for about 60 minutes
• An Aprés Gel-X Full Set is $75 and up, for about 60 minutes
• A Dip Manicure is $65 and up, for about 60 minutes
• A Dual Form Fullset is $70 and takes about 60 minutes
• A Color Acrylic Full Set starts at $60 and takes about 60 minutes

Adding details to a sheer set

Other add-ons build on the look. A rainbow set of different tints calls for 3+ Colors, from $10. Painted hearts or swirls fall under Design, from $10 on builder gel, Gel-X and dip or $15 on acrylic. Matte is also from $10 if you want the frosted version. Coming in with an old set on? Removal with a service is $10 and up, for about 15 more minutes. Jelly Colors are not on the pedicure add-on list, so ask when you book if you are hoping for toes to match.

We sell designs as add-ons, so how a detail gets made is up to your artist and what suits your set. Bring a photo, because a color in the bottle can look very different once it is thin and layered on a nail.

Questions guests ask

Is the Jelly Spa Pedicure the same as jelly nails?

No. The Jelly Spa Pedicure is a pedicure at $90 for about 70 minutes, with a 20-minute massage. Jelly nails are a sheer color look for your fingernails, and Jelly Colors are listed as an add-on to nail sets.

How long do jelly nails last?

Wear depends on the set underneath, since jelly describes the color. Ask your artist how long your particular set should go before a fill or a new one.

Are jelly nails the same as glass nails?

They are close cousins. Glass nails usually mean a clear, shiny look, sometimes with a shimmer, while jelly nails carry a tint of color. Names for these styles overlap, so a photo clears up any confusion.