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In early September toffee nails were shaping up to be the it-manicure for fall, as forecasted by two of the top celebrity nail fluencers, Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez.

Dubbed toffee nails by Gomez’s manicurist Tom Bachik, the Only Murders in the Building actor showed off her custom autumnal manicure at Telluride Film Festival the same week Bieber declared herself “ready for fall” with a custom warm, butterscotch-toffee shade by manicurist Zola Ganzorigt. “Can’t tell you exact color because we mixed 5 different colors 🤎,” Ganzorigt wrote on September 3.

The message was clear: Summer is over; fall nail trends are back.
Now that we’re midway through October, however, both Gomez and Bieber seem ready to embrace a more subtle take on the fall mani. After jumping between toffee, coffee chrome, and apple cider nails in September, Gomez debuted vanilla chai nails in New York City in early October.

Image may contain Selena Gomez Accessories Belt Adult Person Glasses Head Face Bracelet Jewelry Ring and Chair

Selena Gomez on October 8, 2024 XNY/Star Max
Bachik has been favoring “skin tone matching” shades on multiple clients the past few weeks, using colors like Kokoist USA’s Apricot Satin and Mia Secret’s Gelux Gel Polish in Natural to achieve the look for Gomez, Après Gel Couleur in Forgotten Film for Jennifer Lopez, and Après Nail’s Quiet Table for Hailee Steinfeld.
“I would describe vanilla chai nails as high-glossed, semi-opaque beigey nude,” Bachik told Glamour earlier this month. “The color should be a shade lighter than your skin tone, matching the highlights, as this allows nails to stand out but remain deliberately understated.”
Ganzorigt seems to be on the same page when it comes to clients suh as Sabrina Carpenter, Kylie Jenner, and Sydney Sweeney—though the nail artist remains devoted to her signature glazed-donut finish. The latest to come on board the vanilla chai train? Hailey Bieber, who debuted a chrome version of the look on October 9.

Hailey Bieber
Instagram/@haileybieber
As Bachik pointed out, “a thick, high-gloss topcoat allows the deliberately subtle shade to sparkle and really catch your eye.” The same can definitely be said for chrome.