Ribbed Glass Nails

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A translucent, sculpted-glass manicure with fine raised vertical ridges that catch light like cut crystal or a chilled glass of iced coffee. The surface reads dimensional and cool rather than flat, and the ridges are built by hand with builder gel instead of stamped.

Trend context

Ribbed glass — nicknamed the 'Baccarat' or 'iced coffee' manicure — is one of the 2026 finishes beauty editors keep calling out. Refinery29 and dfa.co.za both flag it as a breakout glass look for the year, InStyle lists glass ridges among the six nail looks 'everywhere' for 2026, and Allure Philippines calls it 'the latest fancy nail trend,' noting it walked the Sergio Hudson NYFW runway and is 'just beginning to gain traction stateside.' The appeal is the hand-built dimension: thin ridges that bend light, worn sheer over a neutral or magnetic base.

Key fact Allure Philippines calls ribbed-glass (the 'Baccarat' manicure) 'the latest fancy nail trend,' noting it walked the Sergio Hudson NYFW runway and is 'just beginning to gain traction stateside,' while InStyle names glass ridges among the six nail looks 'everywhere' for 2026.

How to get the look

Lay a sheer jelly or cat-eye base and cure, then switch to a liner brush and a small bead of builder gel to draw a set of parallel 1.5mm raised lines down the nail, curing between passes so the ridges hold their height. Keep the spacing even and the lines thin — the ridges, not the color, are the signature. Finish with a matte or soft-shine top coat so the ridges scatter light like cut glass rather than reading as a glossy stripe.

How to wear

The cool, crystal-like translucence lets ribbed glass sit between minimal and statement: pair it with thin gold bands and neutral knits for a quiet-luxury read, or let it stand alone against an all-black outfit for evening. It carries a 9am meeting to a 9pm dinner without a change and reads expensive against both silver and champagne jewelry.