Every few months the nail scene collectively decides to level up, and right now that level-up is ribbed glass nails. If your Reels and TikTok feeds suddenly look like nails carved out of reflective glass panels, you’re seeing the same thing every nail girlie is – hyper-dimensional cat-eye sets that move like liquid under light.
The trend feels like a natural upgrade from the cat-eye era we’ve been living in. Magnetic gels have quietly leveled up – finer particles, smoother movement, more depth.
And instead of moving on to something else, nail techs are pushing it even further. Ribbed glass nails take the magnetic glow and build real structure on top of it.
The process starts with cat-eye gel shaped with a magnet to create a soft internal shimmer. After curing, the entire nail gets a matte top coat, which sets up the contrast for what comes next.
Nail techs then paint extremely thin vertical lines using clear no-wipe 3D gel, creating subtle raised ribs across the surface. The gel cures glossy on its own, so there’s no final top coat flattening everything out.
What you end up with is actual texture sitting over a diffused magnetic shimmer, and when the hand moves, the light shifts underneath while each rib catches highlights separately.
Some people are calling them glass cup nails, and the comparisons to fancy ribbed drinking glasses are honestly spot on.
And naturally, the trend is already evolving. Some nail techs are swapping straight ribs for flowing swirls, turning the glass effect into something softer and more artsy.
That’s usually how nail trends move – someone masters the original idea, and someone else immediately pushes it further.
Color-wise, winter leaned dramatic: black, emerald, and deep brown shades (the whole “iced coffee cup nails” moment) dominated feeds.
Now, with spring showing up, softer versions are taking over – pinks, grays, milky neutrals, and lighter translucent tones that feel less intense but still impressive under light.
I’m also seeing animal prints painted over cat-eye bases starting to gain traction – but that’s a whole separate conversation. If anything, it just proves how popular magnetic nails are right now and how many directions they’re heading in at once.
I genuinely love where cat-eye nails are at the moment. Trends feel experimental again instead of repetitive. That said, this is absolutely not something I’m attempting myself – my patience would last approximately three ribs before giving up.
So yeah, I’m 100% booking an appointment for this one. And if you’re feeling brave enough to try it yourself, check out the tutorial below.
@plantythings.withallisa Replying to @LuckyClove loved this color and thought it was sea glassish 😍 Ribbed glass nails tutorial using cat eye gel polish 💕 #glassnails #glassnailstutorial #cateyegel #diynails #nailtutorial ♬ original sound – your hyper fixated bestie