GLAZED DONUT NAILS 🍩✨ What they are + how to do chrome nails with regular polish & gel polish! - UPDATED!!!

The “Glazed Donut Nails” trend is SWEEPING the nation!!! Have you heard of it? Or tried it yourself yet?! I’m going to break down how you can do it with regular polish and gel and tell you the exact products that you need to get this look!!

First off, what the heck is this trend?! Hailey Bieber wore a set of milky sheer shimmery nails to the met gala this past year and recently the look has been going viral on social media. I’ve seen it so many times that I needed to try it with both regular and gel polish! I’ve heard the exact products that Hailey’s manicurist uses are sold out, so I naturally found a way to make this look with Kokoist products (MY FAVE!!!). 

2024 update:

Hailey will not quit with the glazed donut nails! She's done Rhode Grey Glazed Nails, Chocolate Glazed Donuts, Christmas Glazed Donuts and now baby pink glazed donuts --- and guess what, SO HAVE I! lol. I just love this trend so much and I LOVE playing with new colors and trends to go with the season! 

THE GLAZED DONUT MANICURE IS GETTING AN UPGRADE! ✨

I am just as obsessed with the glazed donut manicure now as I was almost a year ago when Hailey Bieber first shared it, and I hope you are too! I've done this manicure on myself, on friends, for brides, it's just the most perfect, chic manicure for any occasion! BUT... something I have experienced and have been asked about is how the heck do we get the chrome to LAST and not chip off?!

In my experience with this manicure/using chrome, the manicure underneath the chrome will be fine, but the chrome will almost crack off in sheets after a few days, UNTIL NOW! I have found the best method of chrome application that lasts for me for ~2 weeks and doesn't chip!! I'm showing you EXACTLY how to achieve this manicure in my new MINI COURSE!! 

This NEW mini course contains a brief presentation about chrome manicures, how to properly apply them, which products are needed to make them last, and a demonstration of my exact process. It also comes with a PDF download of the steps to follow along with when doing your own nails, as well as links to everything I use and recommend. 

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

This is the manicure I demonstrated in the course and i am obesssssedd!!!! I can't stop looking at my nails! 

Ok let’s get into it!

PS - anything that's underlined is a link!

REGULAR POLISH

For regular polish, here’s the exact process I did:

1. Prep my nails with my nail prep course available HERE 
2. Paint one coat of Olive & June Ridge Filler HERE 
1. Tip: I really like using the ridge filler here because it acts as a base coat that also kind of *blurs* the base of your nails. If you have yellowing or staining from other polishes, this is a great way to neutralize the base of your nails!
3. Paint one coat of Olive & June BEB (milky sheer white polish) HERE 
1. Here are some other milky white polishes that I like:
1. Essie - Marshmallow 
2. Essie Gel Couture - Chiffon The Move 
3. OPI - Funny Bunny
4. Essie Gel Couture - Pre Show Jitters 
4. Paint one coat of Olive & June Pink Goldfish or Nail Brightener
1. I’ve also seen this new Expressie polish that looks super similar to Pink Goldish, maybe even a little less pink that would be perfect for this look!
1. Essie Expressie Fx - Iced Out 
5. Paint one more coat of BEB or your milky white polish and let it dry
6. Finish with a top coat! I like to use a quick dry top coat since there are quite a few coats of polish here. My favorite ones are:
1. Essie Gel Couture Top Coat 
2. Orly Sec N Dry
3. Seche Vite Gel Effect Top Coat 
4. PS These are all REGULAR polish top coats even though they have the word gel in their name ;)

Here’s a quick tutorial for this process! If you try it, I’d love to see!! 

GEL POLISH

I just tried this look with GEL this past weekend for a wedding across the country! I knew that I was going to be doing a bunch of things and I just didn’t want to worry about my nails at all, so gel is the best for that reason! It’s SO shiny, it cures so hard so your nails have so much strength, and it lasts so long without any chips*!! Read more about gel HERE, HERE and see my course about how to get your best gel mani EVER at home HERE :)

*Ok but actually let's talk about chipping and chrome. Chrome is unfortunately notorious for chipping pretty easily and I tried a method that I thought would prevent chipping, but I want to try ONE MORE THING to see if it’s the answer… I’ll update this post with my findings. 

Sadly I did get a few little chips this weekend but only the chrome chipped, not the base coat. So basically my nails are still super strong and don’t feel chipped at all, but there’s a tiny piece where the chrome basically peeled off. They still feel and look great, especially since the color/chrome are so neutral, you can hardly tell! It just looks a little chipped if you look up close, and obviously I wish it didn’t happen. 

** 2023 UPDATE! I found the key to preventing this manicure from chipping and it is THIS PRODUCT! I apply this after I apply the chrome and it's been a game changer in keeping this on longer! My new course goes over the process and I highly recommend checking it out to get this gorge mani at home! 

But lets get into the process, and I’m letting you know it is a *PROCESS*!! Chrome is unique and needs some special steps in order to work. I haven’t really seen this in any videos so I’m not sure if it works well without these steps so go off if you want, but this worked well for me!

This process is going to include the one step I’m planning to add to further prevent chipping. Also I’ve never seen any content about the chrome chipping in this mani so if you have any magic tips about how to prevent it, let me know!!

PS – I’m sharing all of the products I used and most are from KOKOIST! My absolute favorite gel polish to use. It’s available without a license and they ship so quickly! Read about my favorite gels / Kokoist products HERE, and use my code KARA10 for 10% off every product on their site!!

1. Prep your nails with my Mani Prep Course 
1. Prep is SO VITAL for your gel mani lasting. If you don’t prep your nails well (i.e. remove all of your cuticle, buff correctly etc.) your polish won’t last as long as it could!
2. Paint one thicker coat or two thin coats of Kokoist Milky Base Coat, cure for 30 seconds 
1. I painted my nails using my Gel Painting & Removal Course!! This course will teach you EXACTLY how to paint your nails with gel polish, how to prevent chipping & lifting, and how to make it last!! It’s amazing for beginners or anyone who is looking to improve their gel mani game. 
3. Paint one layer of Kokoist Ultra Glossy non-wipe topcoat, cure for 60 seconds 
1. You NEED to use a non-wipe top coat for this step in order for the chrome to stick. It needs a non-sticky surface or else it will likely clump and look weird!
4. Use an eyeshadow application brush to apply your chrome powder. Cure it for 10-15 seconds
1. The exact powder I used sells out quick, but it's back in stock! HERE IT IS! And these look exactly the same: 
1. The B1 powder in this set
2. This powder is a little more pinky, but very pretty! 
3. This powder looks similar from Kokoist and it comes in a pen for easy application! Dying to try it :) 
4. This powder looks almost exactly like what I got also! 
5. Use a fluffy brush (I used an old eyeshadow brush) to gently dust off any loose chrome powder on your nails 
6. Use a clear base gel, ideally a thicker/encapsulating consistency, for one coat
1. THIS IS THE PRODUCT I USE NOW :)
7. Top Coat and Cure.
1. I used the Kokoist Ultra Glossy Non-Wipe Top Coat!! 
2. You don’t need to use an alcohol wipe with this top coat. So after it’s totally cured (for 60 seconds), you should be totally good to go!!

Here’s a video tutorial for this look from 2022: 

AND HERE IS MY NEW TUTORIAL COURSE THAT IS EVEN BETTER :) 

Which one are you interested in trying? Be sure to send me a photo if you try either one!!

*disclaimer: some links are affiliate links which means I get a small commission of your sale at no cost to you! Thank you for supporting my blog!!!