A properly executed Ukrainian manicure can stay fresh for up to five weeks, according to Vlada Klym, founder of London's Browchuk salon — and that durability is driving salons and clients across Europe, the UK and the US to adopt the technique.

"The manicure can stay looking fresh and neat for up to five weeks, making it both beautiful and incredibly practical," Klym tells Allure. The appointment takes between 75 and 105 minutes on average, with roughly 40 minutes dedicated to removing old polish and meticulous cuticle and nail work before any color is applied.

What Is a Ukrainian Manicure?

There is no single rigid definition. Services differ slightly by salon, but the defining traits are precision and an intense focus on prep. In Ukraine, "manicure" refers to the preparation — the cuticle and nail work — not the polish.

Manicurists use both manual tools (nail files, cuticle trimmers) and electric files to tidy cuticles and shape natural nails. For gel services, rubberized or builder gel formulas add strength to the natural nail. Brands in play include OPI and Luxio at MVK, plus Ukrainian companies Touch, Gémely, LunaMoon, Dark by Rior, Trendy Nails and Komilfo at salons such as Browchuk London and So.Shell.

One signature technique: each nail is flipped upside down before curing to create an even, curved apex — the side-on shape of the nail. This method is common in Ukrainian salons and used at So.Shell in London and MVK in New York City. Services finish with oil and cream.

Why Do Ukrainian Women Care So Much About Nails?

"From a young age, women [in Ukraine] grow up watching and learning from one another how to take care of themselves — from nails and hair to skin care," Klym says. "There has always been a strong desire to look and feel your best."

"You can recognize a Ukrainian woman by her immaculate cuticles, as funny as that sounds," says Alyona Ponomarenko, beauty editor in chief of Vogue Ukraine. "Finding a woman with neglected hands here is surprisingly difficult. In big cities and small villages, across professions and social backgrounds, whatever her workload and however many children she has, a Ukrainian woman will almost invariably have perfectly groomed nails."

Ponomarenko describes a relative who works in a drone factory wearing a cat-eye manicure, a DIY store cashier with extra-long designed tips, and a market florist whose gel manicure survives working the soil. "Even elderly women living on the margins of society are surprisingly likely to have a pearlescent finish on their toenails," she says.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, manicures have also become a form of control amid uncertainty. "Nails are one of those tiny aspects of life we can actually control at a time when the air-raid alarm may sound 14 times a day, and at night we sleep in underground parking garages or metro stations to protect ourselves from Russian missile attacks," Ponomarenko explains.

How Did the War Spread the Technique?

The technique's expansion tracks the movement of Ukrainian refugees. Some were already beauty professionals who began offering nail services abroad; others trained in their new homes. Ukrainian women also became local salon clients — "Demanding clients, at that," Ponomarenko notes.

Early on, salon owners met resistance to paying for prep. "Often [the nail prep] didn't matter much, and the focus was on color as a form of self-expression," says Viktoria Kolodii, founder and creative director of the MVK salon group, which started in Kyiv. "In Germany, for example, people spend more on pedicures than on manicures, which was a very interesting insight for us. Encouraging them to get a manicure was real work, because it is an extra cost in their budget."

Local clients converted once they tried it. "People notice the cleanness, the standards, and the precision," Kolodii says. "What usually surprises them is how much time goes into the preparation and the care, not just the color, and how long the results last. Once they try it, they come back."

When Ponomarenko's goddaughter, Kateryna Bondarenko, opened her salon Perle in Vienna, the team worked from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, for the first few weeks because local demand was so high.

Where Are the Salons Expanding?

• London: So.Shell opened its first salon in December 2022, just off Carnaby Street, staffed by Ukrainian refugees. Cofounder Masha Sharova says 95% of the team is from Ukraine, with more than 100 members arriving in the UK after the war began. The chain runs its own academy training both Ukrainian and local British technicians. So.Shell and Pied-de-Poule now have multiple London locations.
• US: G.Bar opened in Los Angeles in 2020. MVK opened its first salon outside Europe this year, in New York City — its hardest launch to date. "I won't sugarcoat it, this whole experience has been very hard," Kolodii says, citing talent recruitment and market differences.
• Terminology gaps: "In Ukraine, a regular manicure means a bare manicure — just cuticle work and shaping — with no color," Kolodii explains. "In the US, people understand it as a manicure with color included. We were often talking about different things without realizing it." Ukrainian salons also charge separately for each element, while US salons usually bundle services.

What Happens Next?

"I think we will see more Ukrainian salons [in the US in future], but what is also important is that [American] salons are learning our techniques," says Viktoriia Voloshyna, award-winning nail educator and founder of Tory Pro Nails in Beverly Hills. "Nail techs are learning new techniques and improving the quality of their services, and I think this will continue to grow."

"I learned this approach in Ukraine, brought it with me to the US, and now I get to teach it to nail professionals across the country," says Valeriia Telemaniuk, founder of Altera Nails in San Diego. "It feels like we're at the beginning of a new era in the American nail industry."

Ponomarenko puts it simply: "Who could resist a manicure so glossy you can practically use it as a mirror? One that wears flawlessly for three weeks, makes your hands look beautiful and instantly lifts your mood? I have a feeling Ukrainian manicures have a very big future ahead of them."