The "Dirty Martini" Nail Trend Is Perfect For Fall
You may be firmly in the camp of never wanting summer to end, but there are a few things about fall worth looking forward to. The change in the weather signifies that it's time to start packing away your denim cutoffs and switch out your brightly colored wardrobe for a more muted palette with deeper, warmer colors — and that extends to your manicure. While we don't see minimalist trends that have stood the test of time — like glazed-doughnut nails or the '90s-inspired supermodel manicure going anywhere anytime soon, we're ready to start embracing earthier tones, and a new trend called "dirty martini" nails is the perfect way to do so.
The nail trend has seen tons of iterations all over social media, including tiny olive nail-art decals and even designs meant to mimic the actual martini glass. However, the most effortless take on the trend we've seen thus far is nails painted an all-over olive-green color. Celebrities like Selena Gomez have even been seen wearing a "dirty martini" manicure with an olive-green hue, and it's a shade that pairs perfectly with fall's chunky knit sweaters and dark denim jeans.
Two years ago, green nails had a major moment, and it's back on track for being a top shade again this fall. We've seen neon green, sage green, and even "bottega veneta" green each have their turn in the spotlight, and now it's time for the dirty-martini-inspired yellow-green hue to take its position at center stage.
Whether you want to go all out and ask for olive nail art at your next salon appointment or you want to keep it simple with an all-over color in the perfect green hue, the dirty-martini manicure has something for everyone. Keep scrolling for our favorite takes on the nail trend.
Martini Nails With Glass Details
The only thing more important to a martini besides the olive is the martini glass you pour it into. This nail art look plays on all the essentials with a milk-bath manicure base.
3-D Dirty Martini Nails
Looking to take things up a notch with your manicure? If your nail artist is as skilled as this one, ask them to create some fun 3-D details for you with tiny little olives.
Martini Nails With Red Pits
Love the olive-green nail color but want to add a little something extra? Using a detail brush and red polish detail, draw on a circular olive "pit" to each nail.
Tiny Olive Martini Nails
These dirty martini nails are perfect for the minimalists out there. They feature a sheer milky white base and a tiny olive on each finger.
Almond Martini Nails
The dirty martini nail trend looks great on all nail shapes and lengths, but we're especially obsessed with this look. The shade is the perfect dirty martini olive tone, and the almond nails make it look even better.
Short Martini Nails
Anyone with short nails can also get in on the fun. Paint on a classic olive-green hue — bonus if it has a shiny finish to play up the cocktail feel — for easy, minimalistic martini nails.
Short Martini Nails With Tiny Olive Details
It's all in the details: keep your natural nails clear from any polish, and use a fine-tip nail-art brush to paint on tiny, glimmering olives in various spots at the base of the nails. The result is a simple martini manicure with a negative-space effect.
French Martini Manicure
The olive-green nail color also works as the perfect substitution for the white tips in a classic french manicure. You can even opt for chrome if you're looking to add a little more pizazz.
Martini Nail-Art Details
There are a lot of components to a good martini that you can then use as nail-art decal: the olive pick, the martini glass, the inevitable poker card you'll be throwing down.
Dark-Green Martini Nails
If the traditional bright olive-green color isn't quite your style, try a deeper tone of the hue.
Renee Rodriguez is a staff writer and social producer for PS. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.