Grandma nails: your grandmother's manicure will be your new summer nail inspo What they are and how to recreate them at home

As we’ve learned, trends always manage to surprise us, bringing back to life something that not long ago seemed destined to be forgotten. While this often happens with fashion aesthetics and make-up, now it’s the turn of nails. Summer 2026 has in fact found refuge in a new obsession: grandma nails. Can you picture what they are?

Summer nail ideas 2026: what if we took inspiration from grandma?

What grandma nails are

Grandma nails are the kind of manicure that comes to mind when you think of your grandmother’s hands: pearly nail polish, slightly iridescent, the kind you’d apply without overthinking on a summer afternoon. Today, however, that imagery is being reinterpreted and worn with the same elegance (and a touch of nostalgia) even by celebrities and beyond. No complicated nail art: this is all about minimal, essential nails, in nude tones, powder pink, milky white and soft beige, shades that create that mother-of-pearl effect reminiscent of shells collected at the beach.

How to recreate grandma nails at home

The good news is that grandma nails are perfect to recreate at home, because you basically don’t need much more than a pearly nail polish. Then, if you want to do it properly, the base is always the same: filed nails and tidy cuticles, because this type of manicure only works if the final result is clean and even. At that point you move on to the polish. Among the most suitable whites are Pearlescent by Manucurist, Luminous Pearl by Kiko and Porcellana Bianca by Collistar. If instead you want a softer, more pink-toned version, the right references are Out Of This Pearl by Sally Hansen, Pearl Plankton by Astra and Happily Ever After by Essence. The secret, in any case, is to work in light layers, without using too much product, so as to maintain a translucent and luminous effect.