There’s nothing I love more than seeing the playful side of beauty making its way from the catwalk to the high street. And as men become less afraid to express their creativity using cosmetics, more and more trends are crossing over from being fair game just for girls. And it’s not just a neat and tidy manicure for men anymore, this autumn, some of the most famous men on the planet are going for all-out nail art.
Who said nail art was just for girls? Certainly not ASAP Rocky, Harry Styles or Marc Jacobs, leading the charge on autumn’s hottest grooming trend: nail art for men. Forget neatly-clipped nails for boys, nothing says ‘I take good care of myself’ like a full male manicure, and this season’s fashion pack are braving playful nail art designs. Rapper ASAP Rocky has been showing off bold designs on his fingertips for the last few months, from Union Jack designs to yellow smiley faces and mini American flags, this is a person putting the ‘man’ in manicure.
“I feel like men should be able to do nail art without feeling feminine.”
ASAP Rocky told Vogue
Image Credit @ AMA The Salon Instagram in collaboration with Ali Pirzadeh
“Over the ages, there have always been a few ‘daring’ high profile men i.e David Bowie, Dennis Rodman, who have worn nail varnish as naturally as their female counter parts. With fashion, music and pop culture becoming even entangled through social media there seems to be a more broad spectrum of male celebrity who now confidently wears polish ASAP Rocky, Snoop Dogg, Adam Smith, Frank Ocean & Marc Jacobs.”
Speaking of Marc Jacobs, the designer’s latest manicure even features crystals and jewels. The designer is never without a lick of polish, proving the trend has a fashion seal of approval. Harry Styles has also been seen with turquoise nails, adding a splash of colour to a Gucci ensemble for the Met Gala.
Of course, men wearing nail polish is hardly new (would David Bowie have ever stepped onstage without a splash of nail colour or at the very least a buff and polish?) but this upgrade into nail art territory and the broadening of the appeal to transcend fashion and music suggests that more and more men might be about to get in on the action. Footballer Michy Batshuayi has also been showing off bold designs on Instagram and Anwar Hadid even recently got a matching nail art manicure with girlfriend Dua Lipa. Now if that isn’t the ultimate date night, I don’t know what is!
Want to get in on the act? To celebrate the salon’s first birthday, Brixton nail bar AMA is launching a charity nail art menu. Founder, Ama Quashie has teamed up with friends of the salon, including stylist Julia Aarr Jamois, hair stylist Ali Pirzadeh, design studio Studio Moross and online community Gurls Talk, each of which has designed a nail look for the menu. With £5 from each treatment being donated to local Lambeth charity High Trees and Free Periods (Gurls Talk only), the menu will be available throughout November in the salon. Find out more at https://amathesalon.com/.
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