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A bare, tidy nail set has become a Princess Kate signature, with the future Queen sometimes choosing a sheer or beige-pink nails.
Kate Middleton seen in shiny nail set
While Kate has most often than not opted for no-nail polish, in one of her recent outing she was seen wearing a shiny, sheer nail paint as she shook hands with volunteers at a local community lunch.
According to Marie Claire, the presence of a polish, no matter how minimum, felt like a reaction to the ongoing manicure debate that has divided the internet and experts alike.
Bare nail: A status symbol?
Beauty experts noticed that bare nails and no polish manicure have become a status symbol, with Marie Claire's Beauty Editor, Siena Gagliano writing, "I knew bare nails had officially become a trend when people started asking for a manicure that didn't really look like, well, a manicure at all."
Princess Kate's sheer manicure leans right into the trend, which recently made headlines.
The BBC removed an article on the bare nail trend titled "How the Bare Nails Trend Became a Class Issue" after intense backlash.
Minimal nails called out for promoting 'white supremacist standards'
Beauty journalist Kristina Rodulfo said that the trend is "often called elegant or tasteful, and these are often usually euphemisms that perpetuate white supremacist standards of beauty".
Kristina accused the trend of being a sign of "counter signalling", where trends and status symbols shift as they become more accessible to the masses.
"The same way that logo bags are considered gauche or quiet luxury is more aspirational, bare nails are considered the trend now."
Princess Kate's colourful manicure
Kate sported a coloured manicure only one time in recent years.
The Princess unexpectedly wore a bold, deep red manicure during the Easter Sunday church service at St. George's Chapel on April 10, 2023.
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Kate paired the surprising manicure with a marine blue coat and matching hat.
As Princess Kate has often sported a sheer manicure, it seems unlikely that she was giving a direct statement to the ongoing debate.
However, her fashion and beauty choices often make headlines, whether she deliberately chose the sheer pink to make a statement or simply wanted a subtle touch of colour.
