While pastel pinks and lilacs are often the go-to for a spring manicure, sunny yellow hues are also getting a look-in this year and essie's Atelier At The Bay polish is the perfect buttery iteration.
Now, if the idea of a butter-yellow manicure seems a bit out there or niche, rest assured that the shade is actually featured on the list of 2025 nail trends - and is already proving to be a popular spring nail colour. You can spot it all over social media and among our beauty team's April nails, which, in our not-so-humble opinion, is reason enough to follow suit. After all, it's our job to stay on top of the season's must-have looks.
As for achieving it yourself, as with this season's other popular manicures - like Lavender Milk and Cherry blossom nails - if you can't make it to the salon, essie has the perfect alternative in traditional polish form. This brings us back to Atelier At The Bay, the only pastel yellow you'll need in your nailcare kit - here's why.
Why essie's Atelier At The Bay is the chicest spring nail colour pick
Introducing one of the latest additions to the essie nail polish collection, Atelier At The Bay offers a chic wash of creamy, butter-yellow to your nails. It's soft but simultaneously bright - picture the look of a slab of butter melting into a warmed tea cake or the hazy glow of springtime sun and that pretty much sums up this shade. We'd go so far as to call this delicate hue a spring neutral, on par with nudes and sheer nail polishes.
RRP: £10.99
Offering the perfect pastel yellow shade for spring, complete with a long-wearing formula and gel-like shine, essie's Atelier At The Bay deserves a spot in your nail polish collection.
As mentioned, this pastel shade has been (and will continue to be) in high demand, so if you're looking to embrace the season with a chic manicure, you can't go wrong with this particular polish.
The beauty of this colour also lies in its versatility. It suits both short and long nails, as well as every nail shape. That said, if you prefer a more minimalistic and subtle manicure, we would make a case for pairing it with short square nails and short almond nails, to offset the brightness of the colour.
For the perfect Atelier At The Bay manicure, we would suggest first applying a base coat, ideally, one of the best nail strengtheners, followed by two to three coats of colour - depending on the opacity you'd prefer. Then top with essie's Gel Couture clear top coat, for a professional-looking shine and to protect your nail colour from chipping and peeling.
Tried & tested butter yellow nails
If you're on the fence about a pastel yellow manicure, in general, our Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson has been sporting the colour this month and has only good things to say.
"Having worn both lavender and sheer pink in the last few months already, I was really keen to embrace a brighter shade for spring and butter yellow just felt right. I paired it with a simple oval shape and have loved the little accent of colour it brings to every outfit. It's also more wearable and versatile than you might expect; in fact, it's similar to cream nail polish in a way - just with a bit more oomph."
Essie's Atelier At The Bay offers a similar feel to Naomi's Bio Sculpture nails, so if you love how hers look, you're bound to love this gel-like polish too.
Our other essie spring favourites
If butter yellow really isn't your thing, we've also rounded up three of our other favourite spring shades, including a milky lavender hue and timeless sheer pink...
RRP: £10.99
Sheer but buildable, this essie polish is ideal for achieving the popular 'soap' nail look and also doubles as an elegant base colour for designs like French tip nails.
