The summer of 2025 is a year of contrasts: We wear buttery yellow or crisp blue, and our hair is either super short or messy. The same rule applies to nails, with trends ranging from clean and girly minimalism to… well, ultra-dramatic and seductive. Or should we say “seductive”?
Dallas manicurist Cameron Short (Really Niche Nails) said her viral manicure set was inspired by a post on Reddit. “As a traditional manicurist, I didn’t want to just copy the original,” Short said. “I took one look at the original and started frantically searching the internet for photos of real and fake fishing lures.”
Before she began painting, Short collected more than 100 references of fishing lures, as well as her own childhood memories. “I didn’t really find a secret to the creation, I just knew I had to capture the nostalgia of my childhood fishing,” Short added. “I remember using bright pink, purple and yellow baits.”
Hang Nguyen, aka Hang Edit, also jumped on the fish trend, though she leaned more towards photorealism. She shared a detailed fish painting of aquarium regulars – a four-eyed cardinal fish with a red stripe on its belly – done on a small canvas on her index finger nail.
“The shape of the fish fits perfectly with the shape of your natural nail,” Nguyen said of the trend. “Nail art tools like magnetic polish and chrome can easily replicate glittery scales for a realistic effect, which is why it’s so popular right now.”
Since Short released her first nail kit, her Etsy shop has been flooded with requests. “I wanted people to get the full experience, so I packaged the nails in a real tackle box with a few baits.” Looks like it’s time to go fishing.