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A side by side of two hands with nail art.
@chelseaqueen/Instagram | @j.hannah/Instagram

Beauty » Nails

The Nail Trends You Need to Try Right Now

Authored by Iman Balagam
Iman Balagam
February 12, 2021

Your nails are windows to your soul … or wait is that not how the quote goes. Nonetheless, nail art has really upped the ante lately and there are so many manicures saved to my Instagram board cleverly titled “Nails.”

As I click-clack away at my desk, the smiley face painted on my nails may be the only smile I see all day. It really is the little things in life. It is nice to have a hint of whimsy quite literally at our fingertips.

But with so many options of nail art and trends to choose from, it is easy to get overwhelmed. I would much rather let the experts make the decisions for which trend to try for me, which is why I spoke to these 10 nail artists on their current favorite trends.

Jess Hannah, CEO of J. Hannah

“I was really into the multicolor manicure, where every nail gets a different, solid color. I delighted in this because all the J. Hannah colors compliment each other so well, but you can’t tell when you’re just getting a regular manicure. The collection really shines when you can see everything together. My other favorite is a bare nail with an interesting neutral for an updated French tip. I did this with Miso and the response was really great!

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Colors of the JH rainbow ft. Relic, Hepworth, Miso, Blue Nudes and Agnes (+ new favorite Duet Signet). What’s your JH rainbow of choice?

A post shared by J. Hannah (@j.hannah) on Apr 18, 2019 at 6:53pm PDT

Britney Tokyo, Celebrity Manicurist to Harry Styles, Hailey Bieber and Justine Skye 

“I like reflector nail art, heart cut-out shapes, men’s nail art and French twists.”

View this post on Instagram

Be Mine💘💘💘✨ ・・・ @britneytokyo’s x @apresnailofficial Heart Cut-out tips designed by Britney Tokyo Herself! Stay tuned for this amazing candy inspired look 🍭 on our IGTV & YT video releasing in TWO DAYS!⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #apresgelx #nails #gelx #apres #softgel #extension #britneytokyo #celebritynailartist #cutenails #design #nailart #kawaiinails #candy #candynails #heart #artist #artwork #nailstagram #nailsart #nailsofinstagram #nails2inspire #ネイル #ネイルアート

A post shared by Britney TOKYO 💅✨ (@britneytokyo) on Feb 11, 2020 at 10:40am PST

Yoko Sakakura, Celebrity Manicurist to Doja Cat, Madonna, and Solange Knowles

“My favorite nail trend is ombré tips and leopard print nails. Having my nails done gives me confidence.”

View this post on Instagram

Meow in Neon.

A post shared by nails_by_yoko (@nails_by_yoko) on Jul 12, 2019 at 5:19pm PDT

Steph Stone, Celebrity Manicurist to Lili Reinhart, Kristen Stewart and Camila Mendes

“Every few years I see the ‘negative space’ trend return as a highly requested look and I am always a fan. If you’re not familiar with negative space, it is when you apply nail art leaving part of your natural nail bare to peak through. I love this trend because it embraces the natural beauty of your nail while still being incredibly eye-catching.”

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@deborahlippmann on @leekarying during downtime on set ☺️✨🖤🍃

A post shared by steph stone (@stephstonenails) on May 16, 2018 at 1:08pm PDT

Fleuryrosenails, Editorial Nail Artist

“My favorite nail trend of the moment is snake nails. This design has been popular for a little while, but it’s not going anywhere, especially since you can keep it fresh by changing the base colors depending on the season or your mood.”

View this post on Instagram

Coming right up… chic @chanelofficial leopard! If you’re stuck at home bored out your mind, then I welcome you to join me on IG live at 3pm EST to try out these three EASY leopard nail designs using polish from @chanelofficial. Self care, and at home luxury is important during this time to keep your spirits high ☺️ See you then! 🐆💞🐆 @welovecoco @chanel.beauty #welovecoco

A post shared by Fleury Rose (@fleuryrosenails) on Mar 19, 2020 at 9:11am PDT

Michina Koide, Celebrity Manicurist to Kate Upton

“Loving what I’m seeing with foil nails! Getting our nails done is almost the same as putting on a nice dress. When our nails are done, it’s like our outfit is complete!”

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Red French nail ❤️ with gold metallic 🤩#redfrenchnail #nails #nailart #nailsofinstagram #rednails #frenchnails

A post shared by Michina Koide 小出 径奈 (@michinail) on Jan 29, 2019 at 12:44pm PST

Chelsea King, Editorial Nail Artist

“My favorite nail trend right now is minimalistic designs! They go with anything, are simple enough to DIY, and if they chip it’s not noticeable because they’re on a clear nail. My favorite version of this is placing a few crystals over a clear nail — like nail jewelry!”

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Funfetti nails from a recent shoot 💥

A post shared by Chelsea King 💅🏻 (@chelseaqueen) on Mar 2, 2020 at 4:32pm PST

Roxanne Campbell, Celebrity Manicurist and CEO of Roxanne Campbell Nail Lacquers

“My favorite trend right now is deep plum ‘squoval’ nails. Getting my nails done is a necessity for me, just like brushing my teeth.”

View this post on Instagram

'Expensive Taste' nail lacquer 💎💎💎 @thepolishlist

A post shared by Roxanne Campbell (@roxannecampbell) on Dec 7, 2017 at 12:46pm PST

Michelle Humphrey, Celebrity Manicurist to Dua Lipa

“The classic French manicure is here to stay, however, you can change it up. White tips are completely acceptable if your style sits alongside it. Kylie Jenner was recently spotted wearing a leopard-print tip, so people are now opting to wear their French with a design. Think zebra, cow-print tips, jellies, tiger, etc, even a matte finish, these are all super fun and cool.”

View this post on Instagram

🍒 CHERRY FRENCH 🍒 for angel @daisydeane Using @biosculpturegelgb in Whitney, Scarlett (Evo) and Catch the Wind (Bio) 🍒 Prepped with @navyprotools #manicure #nailart #nails #gelnails #biosculpture #biosculpturegel #evo2 #evo2gel #notd #nailinspo #navypro #navyprotools #frenchnails #cherrynails #cherryfrenchnails #handpaintednailart #cherry

A post shared by Michelle Humphrey 💅🏽 (@nailsbymh) on Mar 8, 2020 at 8:00am PDT

Alicia Torello, Editorial Nail Artist

 “I’m loving how nails have moved into an abstract realm. It’s almost better to be imperfect and geometric designs aren’t the only way to express yourself on nails now. Flowing lines, imperfect circles and mismatched nails are huge. I think we will continue to see this evolve into summer nails. It’s really exciting!”

View this post on Instagram

Swoops for my sweet @rubycaster

A post shared by Alicia Torello (@aliciatnails) on Sep 4, 2019 at 10:31am PDT


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