Trend forecaster Angela Baidoo has been tracking this shift toward what she calls the “minimal and micro,” or as she also puts it, “the new ‘demure’ beauty ideal.” It’s no surprise, she says, given the fashion and beauty industries’ obsession with ‘quiet luxury’ and ‘trad wife’ aesthetics. As fashion historian Suzanne E. Shapiro, author of Nails: The Story of the Modern Manicure, pointed out in a previous Refinery29 article, well-manicured nails have long been associated with status across many cultures. Perfect nails and soft skin historically signalled that one didn’t work with their hands. Still, individuals of all classes have taken pride in grooming, said Shapiro, turning to home remedies to buff, trim, and care for their nails — even while leading physically demanding lives. Maya Regan, assistant beauty trends editor at Stylus: The Trends Intelligence Business, agrees: “The quiet luxury trend is driving a preference for elevated simplicity, which is steering softer and more wearable round shapes like almond and oval — styles that feel polished and effortlessly chic,” she says.
