Much like our wardrobes, our beauty looks also brighten when the summer months hit. We rose our cheeks and add pops of coral to our lips, but nails? That’s where the fun is. Acting as a blank canvas to the various polishes at our disposal, our nails afford us the perfect opportunity to let our personalities shine through—perhaps even more so than the clothes we wear. So now that nail salons are beginning to reopen, we thought it was the perfect time to collate some colourful nail-art options in one place.
Ahead of reuniting with our technicians, whose steady hands and precision painting we’ve sorely missed, we began saving amazing nail-art pictures to bring with us for inspiration. We found that many of our favourite styles fell into one of six categories.
From the new way to sport French tips to creations that wouldn’t look out of place hanging on the walls of the Tate Modern, here is some of the beautiful, brightly coloured nail art out there to consider.
Using a thin paintbrush, add spots of black to give your abstract mani an ’80s feel.
White polish will create the perfect canvas to get experimental on top of.
If you’re trying it at home, it’s a great way of utilising underused polishes.
You just can’t beat yellows and oranges to put you in a happy mood.
Perfectionists can also work the abstract nail-art trend by keeping the pattern the same on each nail.
The subtle pointed negative space will give the illusion of longer nails.
Who said you need to keep the rest of your nail bare?
Switch up the colour of your French tips for a fun spin.
Lime-green tips will give any ensemble you wear a summery finish.
Can’t decide on just one hue? Go for them all!
Use a bright base colour to make your daisy nails pop.
Alternate the size of your blooms.
We love how Elif has paired her sweet floral manicure with chunky gold rings.
Create a rainbow palette with bright shades underneath one-tone flowers.
Or use negative space to enhance your floral nail-art creation.
Emmanuelle demonstrates the perfect pastel rainbow.
We love how Claire styles her pastel manicure with powdery lilac trousers.
Liv’s ice cream shades are making us yearn for a day at the seaside.
Don’t be afraid to go for pastel neons, as Aude-Julie has done.
Simple, but so effective.
Combining two colourful nail-art trends in one with bright French tips and cherry motifs.
We can’t get over these cute little tangies.
Use all of your nails to create an impossibly cute fruit salad.
You needn’t have fruit on each nail. Instead, you can paint your remaining talons a coordinating shade.
So beautiful.
If you prefer your nail art to be pared-back, this polka-dot option is sure to appease.
Your polka dots don’t have to be perfectly formed, either. Have fun with different sizes, and if you make a mistake, embrace it.
The clashing colours are grounded by the fact that the polka dots remain consistent.
Why not add adorable smiley faces to your polka-dot nail art?
