White v bright: which nail tribe are you?

This summer, celeb nails have been whitewashed. From Beyoncé to Alexa Chung, Jessie J to Kim Kardashian, the Instagram feeds of the most style-stalked have been filled with snaps of white talons all season. The result? A surge in demand for the nail colour once reserved for the tips of French manicures. “As various celebrities début their white manicures, we have seen an increase in sales of Orly White Out as beauty fans jump on the bandwagon,” says Orly brand manager Katy Holding. “It gives nails a clean, fresh look that perfectly complements tanned skin and a colourful summer wardrobe.”

But as Tippex experiments at the back of science class will have taught you, it’s not the easiest look to get right. Choose glossy finishes over matte and seek out high pigment polishes to ensure a full, even coverage — see the SS13 catwalks of Moschino, Marc Jacobs and David Koma for reference. Seche Nail Lacquer in Porcelain II is a one-coat wonder with its fast-drying crème gloss formula, while backstage at Rag & Bone, manicurists used Revlon’s White on White on short curved nails for a modern take on Christy Turlington’s Nineties nails.

This latest nail trend does not mark a return to the understated, however — this is brilliant bright white we’re talking about, not nude — and testament to that is the capital’s enduring infatuation with nail art. Sharmadean Reid, the woman credited with bringing nail art to the capital’s mainstream, is scheduled to release her second book in September, the WAH Nails book of Downtown Girls, featuring 25 new DIY designs inspired by the streets of London and New York.

Next month also sees a host of new at-home nail art kits heading into stores. Innovative British nail brand Ciate is due to introduce its Feather Manicure — an actual feather applied to each nail — while new launches from Nails Inc. include a tactile holographic Modern Art range and a Monogram Manicure kit for stamping messages onto fingertips. London Fashion Week label House of Holland has a new, playful collaboration with Elegant Touch featuring nine different designs, including the super-bright Zig Zag Stardust option (pictured) while footwear designer-of-the-moment Sophia Webster has joined forces with Nail Rock to offer handy nail wrap kits to mirror the pop art polka dot and knit-print designs of her AW13 collection.

White or bright? The choice is yours.