The accent nail trend isn't exactly new on the scene. According to Racked, it exploded into popularity in the '00s. The publication surveyed several nail artists who listed a variety of reasons for the takeover. Sophy "So So Fly" Robson referred to the trend as a way for customers to "break into nail art," which can get expensive.
Ayla "B R A S S" Montgomery explained that nail art is often priced by the finger with customers paying as much as $10 per nail. "A lot of times people can't afford a whole full set of nails. That's how they end up with the accent nail — purely for economic reasons," she said.
The nail artist also referred to the trend as an entry point to nail art in a different way. "I think accent nails originated from people who were kind of afraid of nail art, so usually it's like a gateway," Montgomery explained. "Start with one nail and you work your way to a full set of nail art."
Customers may select an accent nail for other reasons, too. While any finger can serve as the accent, the ring finger is a popular choice (via L'OREAL Paris). Weddingbells noted that this makes it the perfect trend for the recently engaged. "It's actually the chicest new way to play up your ring finger," the publication gushed.
