The Gold Leaf Trend You Will Want On Your Nails Stat

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By Sophie McEvoy/March 11, 2022 5:36 pm EST

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Last autumn, one trend in particular caught the attention of nail art lovers thanks to Addison Rae. The influencer opted for a full foil coverage on particular nails, leading many of her followers to emulate the style completely or create their own spin on it, per Grazia. The love for nail foil certainly hasn't stopped as the world rolled into 2022, and it seems that gold foil flakes are in — especially when paired with pastel blues and pinks (via DIY blog Paper & Stitch).

And while you may think you need to travel to a professional nail salon to get this done, it's actually a pretty easy piece of nail art that you can do at home. All it takes is a toothpick and some gold leaf, according to Paper & Stitch, which you can find via Daily Charme, YesStyle, and even Walmart. You just have to apply the flakes while the first two coats of polish is tacky, then finish with a top coat.

Less is more when it comes to the gold foil nail trend

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Even though this may seem like a relatively new trend, it actually was all the rage back in 2013 thanks to the Fall Suno Show at Fashion Week (via Glamour). However with this nail look, a nail polish with gold flakes already in it was used — Rococo's Gold Leaf Lacquer. This is a much more expensive way of achieving the look, as the polish costs nearly $50, per Refinery29.

Thankfully, the look is as easy to achieve with gold flakes and your go-to polish. And as tempting as it is to pile on the gold leaf when doing this style thanks to the affordability of some brands, manicurist Michelle Humprhey suggests less is more. "The trick to making this look work is to keep it minimal," she told Vogue. "The gold should be an accent. Think of it as an accessory to your manicure."

You don't necessarily need to stick with the flakes, either. You can also opt for other ways to use gold foil to accent your nails, including ombre, gold tips, and using the gold to outline or separate other colors, as Who What Wear notes.