10 Pedicure Trends Clients Keep Requesting at Nail Salons This Summer 2026

Nail artist Milly Mason confirms that French pedicures remain a summer staple, noting that colored French tips and chrome finishes are what clients keep asking for this season, drawn especially to soft milky tones and a glazed, glossy effect on toes. Applied over a sheer nude base with a crisp white line along the tip, the pedicure reads effortlessly elegant against every skin tone in open sandals, finished with a thin gold toe ring for a modern, polished edge.

How to get this look:

• Apply a sheer nude base coat and let it dry fully.
• Using a thin brush or french tip guide, paint a clean white line along the tip of each nail.
• Cure or let dry completely, then seal with a glossy top coat.
• Finish with a delicate gold toe ring on the second toe for an extra polished detail.

There’s a reason bubblegum pink keeps showing up on pedicure request list all summer: it’s candy-colored without being childish, glossy enough to catch light from across the pool deck. Think less “little girl pink” and more high-shine, saturated color that reads confident rather than cute, the kind of shade that looks intentional even on a five-minute polish change.

Stack a few delicate toe rings over it and the whole look shifts from a simple pedicure to genuine styling moment, proof that color choice matters just as much as the accessories piled on top of it.

Orange is having a real moment this summer, and the version nail techs are pushing is glossy, almost tangerine-bright. Warmer than red, punchier than coral, with a glazed finish that catches light instantly. This is also the shade clients are pairing with the most jewelry: pearls, twisted bands, thin stacks.

Themed nails, one flower. That’s it. That’s the trend. Nail techs say clients keep asking for a single hand-painted floral accent (usually the big toe) left alone against an otherwise solid color. Not a full floral set, not a pattern repeated ten times. It reads more intentional than an all-over design, and honestly, it’s the detail people notice first, even when they can’t say why.

Celebrity nail artist Julie Kandalec calls icy blue the cooler, no-effort sister to the glazed donut nail — the shade already has that glazed look built in, no chrome powder needed. For a quick way to try it, Kandalec suggests adding a single dot of oxblood to an otherwise solid icy-blue pedicure, small, unexpected, and far more intentional-looking than plain blue on its own.

Beauty editors say butter French pedicures are among summer’s most cosigned trends right now, with celebrities and nail artists alike backing the buttery-yellow update to the classic French tip. It’s technically still neutral, but with just enough personality to avoid looking basic. Nail techs are calling it the freshest way to wear French this season, warmer and more forgiving than the crisp white-and-pink combo it’s replacing.

Not every French pedicure has to whisper. This version takes the classic nude base and swaps the white line for a bright, saturated hot pink tip. It’s the shade nail techs say clients ask for when they want something that still feels put-together but doesn’t fade into the background next to a tan. A single statement silver ring is enough to keep the whole thing from looking too playful.

How to get this look:

• Apply a sheer nude or clear base coat and let it dry fully.
• Using a thin brush or French tip guide, paint a clean line along the tip of each nail in a bright color of your choice — hot pink, coral, or orange all work.
• Keep the line thin for the most modern, updated version of the look.
• Cure and seal with a glossy top coat.

Black nails are having a moment, sure, but the shade actually turning heads in salons right now is one shade off: midnight navy, a deep, almost-black blue that reads infinitely more interesting than plain black ever could. It’s moody without being gothic, dramatic without trying too hard, and it has this quiet way of looking expensive the second it catches light. Nail techs say it’s become the pick for anyone who wants a dark pedicure but doesn’t want it to look flat or one-note.

Chrome has been everywhere since Hailey Bieber’s nail artist Zola Ganzorigt introduced the glazed doughnut nail back in 2022, and it’s only gotten more entrenched since, but the real shift this year is that it’s finally landed on toes. Beauty editors point out that neutral, pearlescent chrome pedicures are having their own moment now, separate from the manicure trend that started it all.

How to get this look:

• Apply a sheer neutral or milky white gel base and cure fully.
• Buff on chrome powder using an applicator, working it into the nail in circular motions.
• Cure again if using a gel-compatible powder.
• Seal with a no-wipe glossy top coat to lock in the shine without dulling the shimmer.