Matcha and matcha latte manicures are a hit on social media, standing out as the nail polish colours of the season. Photo: AFP
Matcha tea is nothing new, yet the drink consumed for centuries by Japanese Buddhist monks has never been so popular.
The craze is such that this very fine green powder is now making its way into the cosmetics industry, and not just in any form. Specifically, it's the matcha latte that's all the rage in the manicure department, rising to the rank of star nail colour of the season.
Social network users have boundless creativity, especially when it comes to fashion and beauty.
Today, this inventiveness knows no limits, spilling over into another field that social media is particularly fond of, the kitchen.
So, it's not surprising that the beverage of the moment, the matcha latte, is at the origin of the latest beauty trend, matcha latte nails.
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This, in other words, is a manicure directly inspired by the color of the drink. And it's a craze that looks set to take off and stay put, given the hype around this milky green shade.
Nail art now takes many and varied forms, with creations that can be playful, sophisticated or even totally off-the-wall.
This has been seen recently with Christina Aguilera's vulva-like nails, but also in the interest for duck nails or knitted nail art.
So many trends that reflect people's quest to stand out and express their personality, their tastes and their desires through their manicures.
Today, this goes even further with an unprecedented craze for matcha and matcha latte nails, directly inspired by the two drinks of the same name, which are also top of the trends.
Matcha nails
Matcha tea, which is nothing more than green tea powder – more precisely, the powder of young tea leaves – is particularly prized, whether for its taste or for its detoxifying properties.
Some even consider it to be a superfood. However, it is not these virtues that are currently of interest to social media users, but the colour of matcha tea – a very specific shade of green.
On TikTok, the #matchanails hashtag already has more than 300,000 views, and this is just the beginning, especially since beauty fans are also going wild for the matcha latte manicure, using a lighter, milkier green.
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Model Kendall Jenner is no stranger to the matcha manicure, having sported it in the summer of 2022. An inspiration that did not go unnoticed, giving rise to a major craze for the trend, which has since continued to grow.
On the Chinese social network, there are now all kinds of tutorials showing people how to create this particular nail color themselves, but there are also plenty of off-the-shelf nail polish selections spotlighting this spring shade, and loads of application demo videos.
And if there's one thing that TIkTok users seem to enjoy, it's taking a picture of the final result next to their favourite drink.
All of which suggests that the matcha tea trend isn't going anywhere. – AFP Relaxnews
