Glass nails are the quiet successor to the glazed donut. The glazed look put a pearl chrome film over a milky base. Glass nails take the film away and keep the depth. A translucent colour is built up in thin coats, then covered with a top coat so thick and clear that the tint appears to float under it.
The polish that makes this possible is a jelly. A jelly polish is a translucent lacquer with a low pigment load that lets the nail show through and deepens with every coat. It is the same family that gives milky nails, BB cream nails and the 2026 milk bath manicure.
What are glass nails?
Glass nails are a finish in which sheer colour lies under a hard, high-gloss surface. Nail artist Miss Pop, who named the look in Marie Claire's 2025 trend report, said nails will look so glossy the colour will appear to be beneath a sheet of glass, and described it as an evolution of the previous year's chrome and glazed donut designs, in Marie Claire. The look can be done in regular polish, gel or press-ons.
Two things define the finish. The colour is translucent, so light passes into the polish and comes back from the nail underneath. The top surface is thick, smooth and clear, so the eye reads a depth between the surface and the colour. A crème does not do this; it stops the light at the surface.
The look reads as clean and expensive because it hides nothing and shows no texture. It suits short and medium nails best, where the depth of the colour, not its length, is the point.
What is jelly nail polish?
Jelly polish is a translucent lacquer whose colour builds with each coat. One coat is a tint that shows the whole nail. Two coats give a coloured haze. Three coats give a deep, squishy colour that still lets light through. Jelly is the basis of glass nails, milky nails and BB cream nails. The New York brand Cirque Colors sells jelly as a category of its own alongside crelly, a crème-jelly hybrid with a little more coverage.
Jelly differs from a sheer crème in how the colour is distributed. A sheer crème is a normal opaque pigment used sparingly, so it looks thin and patchy in one coat and covers unevenly. A jelly uses dyes and translucent pigments dispersed through the film, so each coat is even and the colour deepens without going opaque.
Jelly shows the nail beneath it. Ridges, white tips and staining all read through. A ridge-smoothing base coat and clean, unstained nails matter more for jelly than for any other finish.
What is the difference between glass nails and glazed donut nails?
| Look | Colour | Surface | How it is made | Wear and removal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass nails | Sheer tinted jelly, two to three thin coats | Thick, clear, high-gloss top coat | Base, jelly coats, glass top coat; no powder | Regular polish wear, 3 to 7 days; normal remover |
| Jelly nails | Any jelly shade, one to three coats | Standard glossy top coat | Base, jelly coats, top coat | Regular polish wear; normal remover |
| Glazed donut nails | Milky sheer pink or white base | Pearl chrome powder sealed under top coat | Gel colour, no-wipe top coat, chrome powder rubbed in, top coat | Gel wear, 2 to 3 weeks; file and acetone soak |
| Milky nails | Semi-opaque white or pink jelly, two coats | Glossy top coat | Base, milky coats, top coat | Regular polish wear; normal remover |
The glazed donut manicure that Hailey Bieber wore to the 2022 Met Gala was created by nail artist Zola Ganzorigt with a sheer beige-pink gel and a pearly chrome powder rubbed over a no-wipe top coat, then sealed with top coat, as recorded by Bustle. The pearl film gives a frosted reflection.
Glass nails skip the powder. With no pearl film, the surface stays fully transparent and the colour reads deeper. The glazed look needs a gel base for the powder to grip; glass nails work in air-dry polish with a thick top coat.
Which colours work best for glass nails?
Cool, clear colours read most like glass: violet, blue, cherry red, deep pink. They look like coloured glass, not tinted skin. Cool violet jelly over a pale nail gives a look close to a drop of amethyst water. India Anaïs Amethyst Glaze is a jelly of this type; it is sold out with the first edition and the next edition is planned for spring 2027.
Warm sheers, such as milky pink, peach and beige, read as skin-like and become BB cream or milky nails instead. They are the softer end of the same idea and they suit nails that have staining or unevenness to hide.
Dark jellies, such as blackcurrant and plum, build to near-opaque in three coats but keep a glow at the tip where the nail is thinnest. They give the deepest glass effect, and they need a base coat to prevent staining.
How do you build glass nails in three thin coats?
You will need:
- A ridge-smoothing base coat
- A jelly polish in a cool, clear shade
- A thick, self-levelling high-gloss top coat
- A small brush and remover for clean-up
- Cuticle oil
- Prep the nail. Push back the cuticle, buff lightly, then wipe the plate with alcohol. Essie's nail expert Rita Remark advises against soaking first, because nails absorb water, puff up slightly and chip later, in Essie's manicure prep guide.
- Apply one thin coat of base coat and let it set. A ridge-smoothing base gives the jelly a level floor.
- Apply the first jelly coat as thin as the brush allows. Do not aim for coverage; aim for an even tint.
- Wait one to two minutes. Apply the second thin coat, capping the free edge.
- Judge the depth. Stop at two coats for a tint, or add a third thin coat for full glass depth. Three thin coats dry harder than two thick ones.
- Wait five minutes, then apply the glass top coat in one generous, even stroke per section and let it level. Do not brush back over it.
- Clean the edges with a small brush dipped in remover. Add cuticle oil after an hour.
Reapply the top coat every two to three days, the interval Essie recommends for keeping any manicure glossy and whole. For glass nails the top coat is the look, so this step matters more than usual.
Why do thin coats matter more for jelly than for crème?
Jelly polish shows every flaw in the film because light passes through it. A thick coat traps solvent, forms bubbles and levels unevenly, and all of that is visible under the gloss. Thin coats flash off their solvent in minutes and lie flat.
Thin coats also let you control depth. Each coat adds the same amount of tint, so two coats and three coats are two different shades from one bottle. That is why a jelly is closer to a watercolour than to a paint.
Drying follows regular polish: touch-dry in about 3 to 5 minutes, fully hard after several hours, according to the Dutch salon site Nagelstudios.nl. Three thin coats plus a thick top coat need the full hardening time before hot water or heavy hand work.
“Nails will look so glossy, the color will appear to be beneath a sheet of glass.”
Miss Pop, Nail artist, in Marie Claire
- Glass nails are sheer jelly colour in thin coats under a thick, clear, high-gloss top coat, so the tint appears to lie beneath glass.
- Jelly polish is translucent and builds with each coat; one coat is a tint and three coats are deep colour that still lets light through.
- Glazed donut nails add a pearl chrome powder over a gel base; glass nails keep the surface clear and work in air-dry polish.
- Cool, clear shades read as glass; warm milky sheers become BB cream or milky nails.
- Three thin coats dry harder and lie flatter than two thick ones, and the top coat should be refreshed every two to three days.
Questions people ask
What are glass nails?
Glass nails are a manicure where sheer, translucent colour is built in thin coats and covered with a thick high-gloss top coat. The colour looks as if it lies under a sheet of glass. The look was named by nail artist Miss Pop as a successor to glazed donut nails.
What is the difference between jelly and glass nails?
Jelly is the polish type: a translucent lacquer that deepens with each coat. Glass nails are a look made with jelly polish plus a very thick, clear top coat. Every glass manicure uses a jelly, but a jelly can also be worn with a normal top coat.
Are glass nails the same as glazed donut nails?
No. Glazed donut nails have a pearly chrome powder rubbed over a milky gel base and sealed with top coat, giving a frosted reflection. Glass nails have no powder; the surface is fully clear and the colour reads deeper.
How many coats of jelly polish do you need?
One coat for a tint, two for a coloured haze, three for full depth. Keep each coat thin and wait one to two minutes between them. Three thin coats dry harder and flatter than two thick ones.
Can you do glass nails without gel?
Yes. Glass nails work in air-dry polish because there is no powder to grip. Use a jelly shade, two or three thin coats and a thick self-levelling top coat. Regular polish wears 3 to 7 days; refresh the top coat every two to three days.