Pamela Anderson's Best Manicures Are Begging To Be Recreated

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There's no doubt in our minds that Pamela Anderson's beauty transformation over the years has been stunning. Just when we thought she couldn't become any more of an icon in this department, it occurred to us that Anderson is also a goldmine for one often overlooked category: nail inspiration. Her many manicures over the years have shown us her different sides — from neutral and understated to bold and sophisticated. Her manis in recent years have only added to the "Baywatch" star's complete metamorphosis. Of course, we'd expect nothing less from the natural-beauty advocate who famously stopped wearing makeup altogether in her mid-50s. Needless to say, that means there are plenty of times Pamela Anderson went makeup-free and looked flawless.

While she's our fresh-faced muse any day of the week, we realized she's had so many great manicures throughout her long career that they deserve a moment in the spotlight. The best part is that they're all pretty easy to re-create yourself at home. If you've been looking for some fresh nail inspo, take a look ahead at some of Anderson's best manis over the years and how you can DIY them from the comfort of your own home.

Soap nails are the clean girl look we're seeing everywhere, but we especially love Pamela Anderson's beautiful and understated take. The star was photographed in July 2025 rocking this trend, and honestly, we're still thinking about it to this day. The soap nails trend is all about wearing a soft pink or barely-there shades of nude or white with a clean, glossy finish. Anderson understood the assignment and wore these beautiful milky-pink nails with a subtle sheen. 

Luckily, this type of manicure is super easy to re-create. You'll want to have a base coat, glossy top coat, and sheer nude, pink, or white polish on hand (whatever your personal preference is). After you've applied your base coat, nail expert Radina Ignatova has a little advice for DIYers. "Apply one to two thin coats of a sheer, pale polish, keeping the layers light rather than thick," she told Who What Wear. "Finish with a glossy topcoat for that reflective shine."

This throwback pic of Pamela Anderson was taken in 2003, but her chunky French manicure never really went out of style. While this type of manicure is definitely nothing new, achieving the perfect  "chunky" look isn't always easy. There are so many different ways to go about re-creating this manicure, but to make things easy, we'll break down our favorite method. For starters, you'll need a base coat, sheer nude or pink base polish, white polish, top coat, a nail art brush, and acetone (for clean lines). 

To begin, you'll want to apply your base coat and let that dry. Then, apply one to two coats of your sheer nude or pink base (we love OPI's Put it in Neutral Nail Lacquer). After that dries, instead of painting a thin curved line at the tips, as you would for a traditional French manicure, paint the tip a little farther down the nail to really nail that chunky look. 

If you have an unsteady hand, all is not lost; you can use a DIY stencil for the easiest French manicure hack you'll ever need. When using a stencil, you'll want to paint the white lines at the tips thicker than normal. If it's a little messy, don't worry — you can clean up each nail using your brush and a little acetone for perfectly clean lines. After that, seal it with a top coat and, voila! A nice chunky French manicure à la Pamela Anderson.

We get it, sheer, barely-there manicures aren't for everyone, but Pamela Anderson is nothing if not versatile when it comes to manicure inspo. While the actor is amazing at rocking understated looks, we also love the moody black-cherry shade she wore to the Deauville American Film Festival in 2025. This shade is so fall-coded with hints of purple, red, and black. Wearing this color with an all-black ensemble also really made her nails pop.

Nail expert Sami Pelling confirmed to Hello! Magazine that Anderson's shade is perfect for the season. "There's something about these moody tones that ooze sophistication and pair perfectly with autumn wardrobes full of cosy knits and layered textures," she said. "Plus, darker nails tend to make a bold statement without being too 'in your face', so they've always been a favorite when people want a chic, understated look for the season." To re-create this look, you'll only need a few things: your trusty base coat, a black-cherry shade like Essie's nail polish in Wicked, and your favorite top coat. After letting your base coat dry, apply two to three coats of your black-cherry shade (depending on how rich you want it to be), and then add your top coat after it dries.

If you're looking for more of a classic red shade to try for fall, Pamela Anderson, once again, delivered the perfect inspo. Anderson was spotted out and about in New York back in 2024 with a gorgeous vampy red manicure. While this shade looks great with any outfit, Anderson's all-white ensemble was the perfect contrast to her dark yet vibrant nails. This is another manicure that's pretty easy to DIY at home. You could, however, take it a step further and apply a gel polish instead of a regular one for longer-lasting results.

A gel manicure requires a few more tools, but it's worth it for longer-lasting results. You'll need: a gel polish base coat, your vampy red gel shade (like Aprés Nail's gel color in Vampire Drunk), an LED curing light, and a gel top coat. With a gel manicure, you'll want to start with a gel base coat and cure it under the light before applying a few coats of gel polish. You'll want to cure each coat of gel polish separately before applying your gel top coat and curing it again. Overall, it's pretty simple, and if you need to do any cleanup, just grab a brush and some acetone.