Congratulations! We finally made it to 2021. Who’s got the champagne? While it’ll be awhile until life returns to normal, there are some glimmers of hope—new beauty trends to look forward to being one of them. 

Like most things, beauty has been in a weird place these past few months. It the early days of the pandemic, our homes became our office, day care, and beauty salon. Searches for at-home manicures, root touch-ups, and DIY spa days soared during what we thought would only be a few weeks of lockdown. Some of us ditched our foundation and lipstick and learned to accept our makeup-free selves (or just give less of an eff), while others fell back in love with our natural hair. Then as precautions loosened during the summer, trends fell firmly into two camps. We either stayed true to the minimalism of the spring, or dove head first into fun statement-making trends like bold eyeshadow, peach hair, and glimmering nails just to have something to break up the monotony. 

These conflicting viewpoints are going to continue to drive the way we do beauty next year. For example, pros predict playful eyeliner is only going to become more popular, but that’s mainly because we’ve still got months of mask-wearing to go. Elsewhere, expect to see more curtain bangs (they’re not going anywhere) and retro nails having a moment. So in the spirit of looking forward, we rounded up the biggest beauty trends to get excited about for 2021. Here’s to lipstick making its long-awaited comeback by December. 

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

As we all hunker down for an inevitable months-long slog of sweatpants, a new rotation of winter nail ideas are here to break up the monotony. This year especially, which will go down in the history books as a certifiable dumpster fire, nails are proving to be more of a delight than ever. Who among us hasn’t experienced the momentary joy of looking down in between endless Zooms or yet another round of hand-washing to delight in a fun print, a hint of shimmer, or a pop of our favorite color peering back at us? 

This season the biggest nail designs are all about maximum fun with minimal work. Sure, there are the beautiful deep greens and dark red nail polishes that always trend this time of year. But there are also plenty of unexpected winter manicures you can easily paint from the comfort of your couch (preferably with a bottle of wine and something feel-good pulled up on Netflix). Think glittery shades that look just as good with sweats as they do with the LBD collecting dust in your closet, or quirky stickers that give the look of nail art without any of the fuss. 

So no matter your taste or dexterity, scroll on for the coolest winter nail ideas that’ll take you through the holidays and finally into 2021. Cheers to that. 

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.