With nail polish trends changing faster than even the seasons, it can be hard to keep up. Here’s a primer on the vocab for today’s trendy tips.

Nail Polish Textures

Sure, you can see the difference between cream and matte nail polish, but what about the textures in between? Check out our guide for help.

• Cream Polish – the basic nail polish texture; shiny or glossy. Think classic red polish.
• Pearlescent or Frosty Polish – shimmery, but all one hue and without chunky glitter. Think coral with shimmer.
• Opalescent Polish – has the distinct “mother of pearl” look that has a color base but shimmers into greens, blues, and silvers like the inside of an oyster shell
• Glitter Polish – chunky glitter is coming back, but this can encompass small flecks of glitter, shaped glitter (like hearts), and the right-now flakes of glitter.
• Matte Polish – launched a few years ago, matte has a totally flat finish. It’s not glossy, it’s not shiny. It may look like marker or white-out when painted on nails.
• Waxy Polish – between cream and matte, waxy polish looks like candlewax dripped on your nails. New on the nail polish scene.
• Clear – different than topcoat (a sealer) or bottom coat (a primer), clear polishes are clear-to-tinted-pinkish and often contain strengthening or hardening ingredients.

New Ways to Color the Nail

Women want longer-lasting manicures with no greater time commitment and no damage to the nails. Just this year, formulas have been released that have been in development for over FIVE years. Scientists are working hard to come up with polish alternatives, even coming up with the ubiquitous hybrid.

• Hybrid Polish/Gel – similar to the gel used on artificial nails, but formulated for use on real nails. This procedure must be performed in a licensed salon; polish dries in 30 seconds under a UV light. It lasts between two weeks and month. Removal requires a 10-minute soak back at the salon. CND’s Shellac, Gelish, and Gelife are some of the most popular brands. It usually costs about twice what a regular manicure would cost.
• Minx – the “It” nail look for celebrities, Minx nails are heat-activated sheets that can be highly stylized (think leopard, metallic, and fishnet) and trimmed to individual nails. They must be done at the salon, last one to two weeks, and must be removed by a professional.
• Chic Prints – at-home press-on nail sheets are cheaper, less durable Minx nails that may only last a day or two.

New Nail Polish Trends

Neon nails were so in thirty seconds ago, but now they're so passe. This fall, stick with funky spins on classic colors for style that'll never fade.

• Pureige: purple-hued beige polish is almost a neutral but pops with fall’s bold colors.
• Paradoxal by Chanel: by far the most-talked-about color from anyone’s Fall collections, there’s already a waiting list for this mystic purple-grey hue
• Jade: an update on summer’s turquoise trend, nails go deeper and greener for Fall
• Always classic, pale pink hues don’t look princess-y when they’re on short, square nails.

Got a trend we missed? Leave it in the comments!

Lyssa Myska Allen is editorial director at EndlessBeauty.com