"Blueberry Milk" Nails Will Be Everywhere This Spring

The "milk bath" nail trend isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and a trending iteration proves it. Say hello to the unofficial shade of summer: "blueberry milk" nails. The manicure was spotted on Zendaya at a Louis Vuitton menswear show in 2023, and when Zendaya is seen sporting something, you know it'll pop up everywhere. The trending shade has been going strong for more than a year now, seen on Dua Lipa and Sofia Richie, so we're predicting it'll be a color you ask for at the salon at least once within the coming months.

The look uses a cloudy-blue color as a base rather than white, which makes it an easy way to incorporate a subtle wash of color into your look. While strawberry-milk nails had their moment, as did chocolate-milk nails, this new version might just be our favorite.

Ahead, we chat with two nail experts to answer all of your questions about blueberry-milk nails. Keep scrolling to learn what the trend is and how to achieve it at home, and to see inspiration photos you can bring with you to your next salon appointment.

Queen Nguyen is an editorial nail artist who has worked with celebrities like Jessica Alba and Alessandra Ambrosio.

Anastasia Totty is a brand educator at LeChat Nails.

Blueberry-milk nails feature a light and muted blue base to achieve the look of blueberry milk. "The trend is the newest addition to the milk-bath nail series that has been gaining popularity since the start of spring this year," Queen Nguyen, editorial nail artist, says.

As for the color, "Blueberry-milk nails have a creamy base with a soft blue hue to the finish," Nguyen adds. "This particular shade of blue is not a harsh pastel blue, but rather a creamier hue with a cool-tone shift." The look is either achieved by simply using a pastel blue color or by using a blue base under a semi-sheer white shade, which gives the illusion of milk.

Anastasia Totty, a brand educator at LeChat Nails, loves the color with short squoval or almond-shaped nails, but ultimately, the choice is entirely up to you.

If you're planning on doing your nails at home, Nguyen stresses the importance of starting with a well-prepped base. The trend is void of nail art or embellishments, so making sure your fingernails look flawless is key. You'll want to start by pushing back your cuticles and filing your nails into your desired shape.

Then, you're ready for your base coat. Our current favorite is the Essie Here to Stay Base Coat ($11). From there, you can go one of two routes. The first option is to apply one or two coats of a cool, pastel blue and then seal it with a clear top coat, like the Deborah Lippman High & Dry Top Coat ($22). The second option is to apply one coat of blue polish and then one coat of a milky-white polish, like the Zoya Nail Lacquer in Leia ($12), which is an opalescent white.

Both Nguyen and Totty agree that this trend is easy enough to achieve at home since all you need is the right shade of polish. But, if you're heading to a salon, make sure you arrive with inspiration photos in hand.

When it comes to picking the right color for blueberry-milk nails, the options are endless. For gel, Totty suggests using the LeChat Perfect Match in T-Bird Blue ($12) as a base coat and then following up with a sheer off-white or light nude like the LeChat Perfect Match Sheer Bliss ($13).

If you're looking for more inspiration before booking your salon appointment or busting out the nail file, keep scrolling for the best blueberry-milk nail ideas you can easily save on Instagram.