The “Dragon Scale” Nail Trend Will Take You to Another World

Have you given your inner child a treat today? If not, it’s time you did—they’ve been so very good and you know better than anyone how much they deserve it.

Apparently, they’re still asking for one of the scales from Dragon Tales. Your mom said that wasn’t possible way back when, but times have changed and it’s absolutely something you can procure now. In fact, you can have ten of them! One on each nail, thanks to the “Dragon Scale” manicure trend.

The Trend

“Dragon Scale” nails are super closely related to cat eye or velvet nails, but glowier. They have a glass-like finish and somehow seem to shine from within. Like most nail trends, this look has roots in Korea. No one is doing it like the K-beauty brands (Japanese, too!), who often feature ultra-fine magnet particles in their polishes that help catch, and redistribute, the light.

“I create the look using ‘cat eye’ gel which is essentially a gel polish with metallic particles which are reactive to a magnet, creating that depth and iridescent effect,” explains Rosie Wainwright of Petal World Studio. “I love using Japanese and Korean brands for my magnetic gel products and am particularly drawn to products with that really fine shimmer effect, rather than chunky glitters.”

Honestly, it’s hard to even do these designs justice in photos. You need to see them glimmer in real life or a video.

The design can be any color you wish (new icebreaker question: “what color is your dragon?”), with a sparkly or simply glassy finish—as long as they have that glow, you’re in business. The shape is also up for interpretation, though there’s something special about trying out oval or soft almond if you want to get as scale-like as possible.

Get the Look

The best way to get dragon scale nails is to head to a salon that specializes in/stocks high-quality Korean or Japanese nail products. They’ll know the precise magnet placement and gel layering techniques so you can get that perfect finish.

Or, there are always press ons. Kiss has some nice purple ones, and Etsy offers an endless scroll of expert artists who can create a custom design for you based on your dream scale(s).

Come along, take my hand! Let’s all go to dragon land.