This Week in Nails: What's Hot & What's Next - 24 October 2026
Fresh colour, fantasy creatures and jewel-inspired nail art
24 October 2026 | Covering 17-23 October 2026
This week's news takes us from colour development to miniature sculpture. A Gelish product update puts finish and pigmentation in the spotlight, a competition pairs nail artists with a Hollywood creature designer, and a new creative brief looks to jewellery for inspiration. Here are three developments worth a closer look.
Illustrative colour study. Photograph by Maria Lupan / Unsplash. This does not show Gelish Color Plus or the featured competitions.
Gelish puts colour and finish in the spotlight
Product update / reported 23 October
Scratch's 23 October report highlights Gelish Color Plus, with 45 new shades reported to have arrived in the UK. The range includes opaque colours, softer shades, reflective glitters and cat-eye effects. It is also listed on the official Gelish Morgan Taylor UK website.
The variety of finishes is the interesting part for colour lovers: the same broad colour family can look very different as a solid shade or a light-catching effect. It gives this update a visual story beyond the number of bottles.
Gelish describes richer pigmentation and smoother application. These are the manufacturer's claims; we have not independently tested them. This is a product update reported this week, rather than a claim that the range first launched on 23 October.
When nail art meets creature design
Competition update / reported 21 October
What happens when nail artists are asked to invent a species? The opening challenge of North America's Star Nail Artist Season 3 offers an answer. Jan Arnold worked with creature designer Neville Page, whose film credits include Avatar and Star Trek, on a brief called Anatomy of Imagination.
The brief was announced on 1 October; this week's development is Scratch's 21 October showcase and results report. Artists had two weeks to build an original creature, thinking about its anatomy, purpose and story. Nineteen contestants progressed directly to the second challenge.
For anyone who enjoys the creative side of nails, the work is a glimpse of the craft's sculptural possibilities. The organiser's gallery includes the artists' creations and process videos. The competition's finale is scheduled for 6 June 2027.
A jewel-inspired brief to watch
Design watch / announced 20 October
October's Scratch Snap competition opened on 20 October with the theme Jewel Looks. The online challenge invites nail professionals around the world to interpret a theme through a salon-style design. Entries close at 23:59 GMT on Tuesday 27 October.
As a creative prompt, jewellery offers plenty to explore: gemstone colour, reflected light and the detail of a decorative setting. Those are possibilities suggested by the theme, rather than a description of the eventual entries or winning look.
The interest now is how different artists will interpret the same idea. This is a confirmed competition to follow, not evidence that one jewel-inspired style has become a widespread trend.
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