How to do chrome nails

Chrome nail ideas: Key takeaways

 1. Chrome nails are a type of metallic nail colour, recognisable thanks to their reflective and textured metallic finish.
 2. While many nail polishes look to show off a uniform colour, chrome nails reflect light and colour to give your nails an ever-changing and shimmering look.
 3. To get chrome nails, you can use either a chrome colour, like essie’s Cosmic Chrome, or put a Glazed Chrome topcoat over a coloured polish of your choice.
 4. You can make all sorts of colours into chrome nail art designs, but among the most popular are silver, gold, pink, blue, and green.

What are chrome nails?

Before we look at the most popular designs, let's quickly answer the question: what are chrome nails?

Chrome nails are all about that ultra-reflective, textured shine. While most nail polishes look to dry in a uniform way that shows off your colour from any angle,  chrome nails create a textured, almost mirror-like sheen that changes with the light. Unlike metallic nails, which also have a shimmery appearance, properly crafted chrome nails will have a liquid metal effect, almost as if they haven’t set.

Chrome nails Vs. Metallic nails

Best chrome nail colours

Whether you want a shimmery ultra-reflective silver or an opulent gold, there are plenty of shades you can choose from to create chrome nails:

 ● Silver: The classic chrome shade, silver chromes, like our Cosmic Chrome, offer a glossy, metallic finish that really gives a liquid-metal vibe.
 ● Gold: A bold and unmissable colour, gold chromes, like our Separated Starlight Gold Pearl, also have a liquid-metal vibe, but with a slightly more indulgent edge.
 ● Pink: Perfect for a colourful twist, pink chromes, like our Gilded Galaxy shade, offer a colourful and multi-dimensional chrome effect.
 ● Purple: A rich and indulgent shade, purple chromes, like our Orchid Purple, offer a glossy and reflective shade, without the metallic edge.
 ● Green: Stay fresh and on trend with our Cactus Jelly Matcha Green, a shimmering chrome shade that can brighten your look.
 ● Blue: A deep and layered shade, blue chromes, like our Frosted Fantasy nail polish, are perfect for a metallic style chrome finish.

How to do chrome nails

Learning how to do chrome nails is simpler than you might think. Here’s our easy guide on how to achieve the look:

 1. Start by hydrating your nails with Apricot Cuticle Oil.
 2. Next, apply a thin layer of essie’s All-In-One Base Coat.
 3. Then, paint your nail with your chosen shade, for example, Cosmic Chrome.
 4. For a textured look, halfway up the nail, add a strip of another chrome colour, like Ethereal Escape Purple Pearl.
 5. After this, fill in the rest of the nail with another chrome colour, like Divine Dimension.
 6. Finish and seal with our Glazed Chrome topcoat.

Best chrome nail designs

Looking for some chrome nail ideas? Here’s a selection of our favourite chrome nail art designs!

Chrome French tip nail art

French tips are a classic style for a reason. Simple and elegant, French tips are a great way to show off a subtle hint of colour, without fully committing to it. Adding chrome to your French tips can be a welcome twist on a classic style, and make the subtle strips of colour pop even more.
Try pairing essie’s Gilded Galaxy nail polish with our Glazed Chrome topcoat for a shimmery, glossy, french tip look.

Abstract chrome nail art

Looking for something bold? Try an abstract chrome nail art design and combine several chrome colours for a bold liquid look. Why not try out combining layers of our Astral Aura Pink polish with our Orchid Purple polish and a Glazed Chrome topcoat for a layered and textured chrome nail look?

Silver chrome nail designs

Silver chrome nail designs are a classic, and for good reason!

A coat of our Lustrous Luxury or Cosmic Chrome polish, followed by a Glazed Chrome topcoat, will create a starry, silver look that shimmers and shines in any light. It’s the perfect look if you want to really lean into the chrome vibe and sparkle like never before.

Gold chrome nail designs

For the more indulgent among us, gold chrome nail designs are the perfect choice.

Pair a coat of our Separated Starlight Gold Pearl with a  Glazed Chrome topcoat, for a glittering gold look that combines the best of metallic nail art with a reflective chrome finish. For an even more shimmery look, you could combine gold and silver polishes for a metallic chrome finish that draws all the looks.

Discover chrome nail colours from essie

If you’re tempted by chrome nail art designs, then essie has got you covered. With a range of chrome and metallic nail polish colours, you can create your own swirling, liquid metal-like design in a colour scheme of your choice.