Playful, shimmering, and absolutely on trend: Mermaid Nails are dominating manicures in summer 2026. The shimmering nails are a tribute to the Disney character Ariel. The Ariel manicure owes its current hype primarily to the fashion house Chanel. At the Cruise 26/27 fashion show, head manicurist Ama Quashie created a completely new look. This variation of the Ariel aesthetic appears subtle, elegant, and absolutely suitable for everyday wear.
What defines the Chanel Mermaid Nails
The new trend moves away from flashy glitter stones and instead focuses on elegant light reflections. Chanel uses a soft, flowing watercolor gradient for the Ariel manicure. This effect imitates the interplay of water, sand, and sunlight. Delicate pastel shades like nude, soft orange, light blue, mint green, lavender, and baby pink create the appearance of a shimmering watercolor painting. The centerpiece of the look is a limited edition peach metallic shade with fine mother-of-pearl: Chanel Golden Mermaid.
For the perfect mermaid effect, the styling mixes opaque polishes with transparent textures. The soft transitions conceal hard edges. This modern variation of Mermaid Nails is ideal for short, natural nails. Classic variations from previous years, on the other hand, usually required a certain nail length.
The classic Ariel manicure trend
The so-called mermaidcore remains a major topic in nail salons even in its classic form. This variation of Ariel nails focuses on saturated, intense colors. Deep-sea blue, aquamarine, shimmering purple, and rich pink bring the vastness of the ocean to your hands.
Highly reflective chrome powder creates a visual shell effect here. Alternatively, top coats with a matte, slightly milky finish create the popular look of polished beach glass (Sea Glass Nails). Small embellishments like pearls, rhinestones, or 3D applications round out the classic Ariel aesthetic and directly evoke the underwater world.
