Okay yes, we know that alerting you to the presence of another ’00s-inspired trend is like telling you that they’re rebooting yet another TV show; nothing new. The classics are all making comebacks at this rate.

The best bit about beauty, though, is that the old is always reinventing itself in new ways. Cartoon bubble hearts drawn around zillions of other cartoon bubble hearts, for example?

Huge in the pages of your high school English books/inked onto your arm during particularly dull assemblies, sure. But now they’re ready to make their way onto a different canvas: your nails.

Meet the ‘Y2K bubble heart manicure’, AKA the Internet’s new favourite nostalgic nail trend. After coming out swinging as August 2021’s top Pinterest beauty search, it’s now sweeping every other social platform under the sun.

We’re well aware that hearts have been a mainstay in the mani game for like, ever, but they’ve been more of a side dish than a main meal up until now, stuck on as nail art stickers or painted into French tips, but rarely filling the entire nail.

That’s kind of the whole idea of the Y2K bubble heart trend, in case you were wondering. The hearts go on and on forever, basically like the nail art equivalent of a babushka doll.

It’s definitely a true OTT trend; we’re talking Kylie Jenner-length claws and chaotic colours all round. But hey, maximalist manicures are having a moment, so we’re going with it.

How to get Y2K bubble heart nails

Wondering how on earth you’re supposed to achieve this coveted aesthetic if you can’t get to the salon? We thought you might be. Well, it’s actually not as heart (forgive us) as it may seem…

All you’ll need (besides a super steady hand, of course) is a couple of polish colours, a precision paintbrush and some downtime (because yes, each individual heart needs to dry before you move onto the next one in order to ensure you steer clear of dreaded colour bleed territory). As for the how, @faithjamesnails’ TikTok tutorial will be your guiding light…

Or hey, if your artistic aptitude is low (because, same), press-on nails are always a worthy alternative.

Whatever approach you’re taking, here’s some heart-centric inspo to get you going. These are the Y2K bubble heart manicure moments we’ve got heart eyes for…

The most popular way to wear the trend? With bubble hearts on a few nails and matching swirls on the others.

We see nothing wrong with pulling out one of your heart shades and giving it a solo moment on a nail or two.

Your bubble hearts don’t have to hit both borders, either—just draw until they meet the sides and leave the bases bare.

Nude and neon is a colour combo we’ll always hail, and fluoro bubble hearts look just like the ones we sketched with our school highlighters.

Not into neons? Stick to neutrals. This cocoa, caramel, taupe and toffee quartet is still a statement, it’s just a little less intense.

Choosing colours closer together is an option, too; this look has three layers of purple, with two lighter hues and one standout darker shade.

The trend also works a treat as part of an ‘everything at once’ manicure. Multiple different bubble heart colour schemes in one mani? Obsessed. 

Prefer pastels? No worries. Keep the design theme in tact but switch to softer sorbet shades to tone down the chaos.

In our opinion, however, the brighter and bolder the better. Bonus points for different colour combos per nail.

This story originally appeared on ELLE AUSTRALIA

Read more:

7 Fall Nail Trends to Inspire Your Next Manicure
The Makeup Trends The Pros Are Obsessed With for Fall/Winter 2021-2022
How to Master the Reverse Cat Eye Trend Haute off the Runway

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