Cute Summer Nail Art Ideas

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Bright yellow beams of light, green leaves full of life, baby blue ocean waves — your manicure can take a cue from the lively and vibrant colors that are found all around us during the summer months. Now it's time to transition from spring nail art and bring on the color — because the best summer nails are nothing if not colorful. With these easy-to-replicate manicures, nail art has never looked so cool for the season.

Whether you're just looking for a fresh new shade to paint your nails, or you're a burgeoning nail artist looking for your next design-orientated challenge, here's some popular nail trend inspiration for your next summer manicure. From fun twists on French manicures to easy DIY manis — these cute designs aren't afraid to play with color and pattern. The result? Some light and breezy nails that are perfect for flipping through your beach read and soaking up in the sun. Now that summer is well on its way, go ahead and grab your favorite polish and get to painting before it's fall again.

Hottest & Cute Summer Nail Designs

French tips always look sweet — but they look even sweeter with a citrus touch. Add a pop of color to French tips with a cheery orange shade, and paint on some miniature citrus fruits for a fun design.

Imagine pressing your favorite flower between a book's pages while reading in a sunny park. Now imagine transferring those blooms to your nails — you end up with a chic and sophisticated floral mani.

If you're a fan of a traditional French manicure but want to liven it up a bit, lilac tips are the perfect way to try out a fun twist on the classic.

Summer Nail Art Designs We've Bookmarked

No need to use base coat — these colorful stars look easy and effortless on top of your natural nails. Try nail stickers for clean lines and symmetrical shapes.

If your favorite summer drink is water infused with your favorite fruit, these detailed nails are perfect for you. Try this tiny nail art with any fruit (or vegetable!).

For almost-bare nails that still pack a punch, go for itsy-bitsy polka dots. You can do these in any color, but contrasting shades like orange and blue are striking. This design is especially great for short nails.

Cute Summer Nail Design Ideas

You'll look right at home next to the neighborhood pool with nails that resemble a colorful inner tube. For even more of a pool float effect, add texture to the stripes with puffy paint. Bonus idea: dab the colors together while still wet for a cool tie-dye effect.

If you love nail art but like to keep your nails simple, try placing designs on bare nails for a chic, minimalist look.

For a French tip lover who likes to stay trendy, this graphic French manicure fits the bill. Pastel squiggles make this manicure eye-catching.

Summer Nail Art Ideas–from Sunset Ombré To Dreamy Clouds

Nothing says screams summer more than ice cream. When the weather gets warm, opt for a manicure that's good enough to eat — these fun, multi-colored tips with gilded drips remind us of our favorite sweet treat.

These detailed nails are giving off major plant mom vibes. Bring your favorite plants to life by adding little faces to the pots.

Gold trimming along the side isn't a must have, but it definitely gives eye-catching finish to a coat of holographic nail polish.

Cute Summer Nail Ideas For 2020

Over a fresh and clean white base coat, let your creativity run wild with some colorful, abstract designs. To recreate this tiny and colorful artwork, you can other opt for nail stickers, or dip a fine-tip, line detail nail brush into a your favorite polish and create a design of your own.

Floral accent nails are cute to begin with, but the best part of these nails is the peep of leopard print on the sides — talk about mastering the art of pattern mixing.

Why choose one color when you can include every color of the rainbow? By applying your color in thin stripes, you get a more grown-up manicure.

Spring Nail Art Designs To Try In 2024

Katie Berohn is the Beauty Assistant at Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her Master’s Degree at NYU’s Graduate Program of Magazine Journalism. In addition, Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life Magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan, a digital editorial internship at New York Magazine’s The Cut, a social good fellowship at Mashable, and has freelanced for HelloGiggles. When she’s not obsessing over the latest skincare launch or continuing her endless search for the perfect shade of red nail polish, Katie can be found in a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at New York’s newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.

As an Editorial Fellow for Good Housekeeping, Katie covers health, beauty, home, and pop culture. Outside of the office, you can find her killing it on the karaoke machine or listening to true crime podcasts.

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