For beauty buffs, there’s nothing more exciting than seeing your favorite celebrity glamor moments backstage. slip on yourself artist pass As we take you behind the scenes of the beauty looks that stay rent-free in our minds from our favorite tastemakers and the talented artists we have on speed dial. Inside, her best-kept product secrets, exclusive tricks of the trade, and her hot take on pop culture’s beauty moments.
Roasted Chestnuts. Peach Champagne. velvet noir. Fleur blush. A random bunch of adjectives until you scroll down Tom Bachik’s InstagramA treasure trove of celebrity manicures and real beauty trend blueprints. The celebrated manicurist is responsible for many adorable moments on your favorite A-listers (Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Margot Robbie, Hailee Steinfeld, Anne Hathaway… I could go on!), many of which go viral as soon as she immortalizes them on the grid. (looking at you, Romeo + Juliet Nails.) So if you’re wondering what manicures we can expect to dominate the next few months, you’d be wise to consult Bachik; Chances are, whatever he’s cooking up will be in good hands in no time.
(Image credit: Courtesy of Tom Bachik)
I decided to ask her this question, IRL, when I was lucky enough to find myself in her makeshift salon chair during a New York pit stop: What nail trends do she suspect will emerge this spring? Bachik announced, “I think we’re going to focus more on beautiful, clear, naked tones.” “(There’s) a timeless elegance that I think people look for.” But wait! There’s a catch! Plus, she suspects subtly adding glam, futuristic accents like gems, chrome or crystals to punch up the contrast of that minimalist, “naked” base – “Neutral Nails 2.0,” if you will. “I’m pretty sure we’ll see a lot of it,” Bachik says.
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And look we certainly did that. Consider it Wuthering Heights Premiere in LA, where celebrity manicurists Bettina Goldstein Real diamonds and rubies were scattered over a delicate, barely-there base for Margot Robbie, or the Grammys red carpet, where Olivia Dean and Laufey both wore pale pink manicures adorned with tiny rhinestones. This isn’t a brand new concept by any means (Bachik did something similar for this). Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl performance in 2020), but it is reaching new heights in 2026. A clean, soapy manicure will never go out of favor, but beauty lovers will clearly want something extra spicy. For spring and beyond.
The only question that remains: How do you get neutral nails 2.0 at home? Scroll ahead, and you’ll find a step-by-step tutorial from Bachik herself. Note, their instructions pertain to gel manicures (take that as your cue to grab the LED lamp and gel kit!), but you can totally master it with traditional polish, too. I’ve made sure to note where you may need to make some changes, such as additional drying time. With that said, let’s dive in.
The Ultimate Tutorial for Neutral Nails 2.0
1. Out of length
First things first: Without proper preparation you cannot expect better results. “People always ask me what the most important part of my look is. It’s the manicure. If the manicure doesn’t look good, the nails don’t look good,” says Bachik. “It’s like having a newly painted house and then the yard is really bad.” As said, he starts taking away the length of my nails by evening Tweezerman’s Stainless Steel Nail ClipperStarting from the corners, gradually move towards the centre. “This keeps your nail from breaking,” he explains, adding that it’s especially important to keep this in mind for people with thick nails. “If you start in the middle, you’re straightening that nail out.” Ouch.
2. Perfect the shape
Once you’ve cut your nails into the shape you want (be they square, squoval, almond, etc.), take a Hi-Grit Nail File (240 is generally the ideal grit for natural nails) to refine the outline. like all professionals recommend“I like to file from the outer edge to the center,” says Bachik. “Whatever I do on one side of the nail, I do the same on the other side.” Make sure you avoid “biting” your nails back and forth, which can cause splits at the free edge.
After filing, take one cuticle pusher And round the cuticle at the base of the nail in a soft, circular motion — a step Bachik considers “100% essential.” He adds, “This helps you then give (the nail) a beautiful, natural shape.” (If you’re using traditional polish, pushing back the cuticles will also help your color last longer. Just a heads up!)
3. Clean the cuticles
This step is technically optional, but if you have any scratches on your nails, Bachik recommends cleaning them gently. cuticle nipper. Just be sure to only cut the pieces that are already loose and avoid pulling on the skin, which will only cause more scratches down the line. Finally, he polishes the surface of the nail, focusing on the cuticle to gently exfoliate that area of skin. “Buffs come in all shapes and sizes,” he says, but Bachik likes to use buffers that are very soft and spongy “so you don’t have to worry about it burning or cutting you.”
4. Prepare the surface
Once he completes the manicure, Bachik soaks a cotton ball with 90% alcohol to prepare the nail surface before polish. “This helps remove any dust, debris, (and) any natural oils,” he says, which will, in turn, make your polish look smoother and last longer. “Do this right before you polish them, so do it with one hand at a time.” This way, you can ensure a completely clean canvas right before coating the lacquer.
5. Apply base coat
Finally, time to paint! Apply your base coat – That may seem simple, but Bachik has a useful hack for optimal coverage. “When I’m polishing, I like to push toward the cuticle, so you can stop right at it, then just bring it down from one side to the other,” he shares. Then he takes a small brush (he says a lip liner brush would work perfectly), soak it polish remover, and trace it around the cuticle to remove any product on the skin. “It really helps around the side walls of the nail,” he explains. If you’re using traditional polish, this extra step between each coat will also help clean up any excess polish spread into the nail beds.
6. Paint your polish
After curing that base coat (or letting it dry if you’re using traditional polish), Bachik takes a Sheer, pinky nude. “When I’m creating this look, I want to choose a color that matches my client’s natural skin tone,” he says. “This will help lengthen the fingers naturally.”
The specific lacquer he chose for me-Apris Gel Couleur in Burnt Blush-It has a slight hint of peach which compliments the warm undertones of my skin. He opts for just one coat to create a beautifully translucent, “my nails, but better” effect, painting over it again using the same technique from the base coat step. “Use a small amount of color on the tip of the brush, push it back toward the cuticle, then apply a little pressure so it thins out the color,” he says.
7. Apply Topcoat and Crystals
Okay, this is where things get a little technical. At this point, you should be left with a fabulous, clean, neutral manicure. You can stop there if you want, but if you choose to decorate it with crystals, you’ll want to slow down and focus on one finger at a time. “When you apply crystals to a wet topcoat, gravity still wants to do the work,” Bachik explains. “If I put (them) on all your nails, the crystals will slide off with the topcoat while I’m applying other nails.” Be sure to cure each nail before moving on to the next nail (or wait until it’s completely dry if you’re using traditional polish). Yes, it’s a little difficult, but the impressive end result will be worth the painstaking time.
Take the crystals of your choice (Bachik uses a piece of Swarovski stones, which you can find Amazon Or Etsy), first apply a layer of topcoat to the nail, and, using a pair tweezersPlace the crystal directly onto the wet polish. “I like intentional placement (that’s also) sporadic,” Bachik says. Each finger does not need to look exactly the same; The contrast is what makes it good.
8. Re-trace the crystal with topcoat
After placing the crystals on your nails, dip a small detail brush into some additional topcoat, and trace it around the edge of the gem. According to Bachik, this extra layer helps the crystals stick better to the nail without completely encasing it (thus reducing its shine).
“You don’t want to just polish the stones (with a topcoat) because the stones are curved. That’s what gives them the shine,” he says. Put your hand back into the LED lamp for 10 seconds to recover quickly. “This will set the gel so the crystals won’t slide around anymore, and then we can do the same with the next finger,” Bachik says. (Traditional-polish users, you may want to wait until your topcoat is completely dry before proceeding.)
9. Repeat for each finger
Copy and paste steps seven and eight until all your fingers are glowing. Again, tedious work, but once you get into the rhythm placing the crystals can actually be quite meditative. “I tried to position (the crystals) divinely,” Bachik explains. “You don’t want to overdo it. You want to keep everything small, almost as if it’s glitter on the nail.” If you want an accent nail (for example, with a different color or shaped crystal), he recommends applying that nail first and using it as a guide for the rest of the manicure.
10. Finish with cuticle oil
Finally, “I like to use a great To eliminate cuticle oil,” Bachik says. After cleaning the nail surface with that alcohol pad and tracing the cuticles with remover, your fingers may be quite dry. “We always want to rehydrate,” Bachik shares while massaging. Chanel’s Huile de Jasmine In my nail bed. No cuticle oil? No worries: He says facial oils (like the Chanel hero above) work wonders, if you have a few drops added to your skin-care routine.
last look
And there you have it: a timeless manicure that’s equally chic and minimalist, as if tossing it off A beautiful accessory to elevate your neutral wardrobe basics. “Like jewelry on nails,” Bachik agrees.
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