28 Summer Nail Designs That Are Trending in 2024

(L-R) Courtesy of Eva Torres Morgado, @nailology.101, and Julie Veyron Duplan.

Summer nail designs are a lot of things, but they’re never boring. With the seasonal heat comes delicious colors painted upon the nail – think hot tomato reds, sandy nudes, deep cobalt blues, and this year, brat green, of course. The designs are endless as well with nail artists’ versatile armory of airbrush art, cat eye gel, 3D nail art, blooming gel, and more.

Conversation starters through and through, these summer nail designs, gathered from nail artists all around the world, are distinct, special, and weirdly beautiful. Whether you’re trying to have a tomato girl summer or be a Charli XCX brat girl, we have you covered. Here are 28 unique summer nail designs.

1. Tomato Girl Summer Nails

Inspired by her client who showed her photos of NonPorpus Ceramics, London-based nail artist Shannon Elias airbrushed these lovely cherry tomatoes. Technically a fruit, tomatoes have long been hailed as the fruit of the summer since the tomato girl aesthetic went viral.

2. Orange Passion Fruit Jelly Nails

Olivia Sabellico’s passionfruit concept drew inspiration straight from the fruit itself by focusing on the delicious colors, dimensions, and shapes as well as nail artist @beautybyrachellb. Sabellico started with a jelly orange base and then hand-painted a cream oval in the center to mimic the fruit’s interior. Then using a blooming gel, maroon dots were applied vertically to imitate the seeds.

3. Airbrushed Boardwalk Cherries

Boardwalk airbrush tee shirt art comes to life on this set by nail artist Daron Wood, also known as @reallyhotgirl the self-proclaimed airbrushed sensei of Vancouver, Canada. Wood started with teal blue, a classic airbrush background, and then layered a brighter blue and lighter pink to add depth and create a look reminiscent of Sailor Moon. Finally, using stencils, the artist sprayed on white stars and green stems. Before drawing the cherry, she made sure to layer white under the red to make the color pop.

4. Sherbert Gradient French Manicure

Baltimore nail artist Lili Mucchiut was inspired by both her sister’s taste (it is her sister in the photo) and a set by @1.800.nailme. The French tips and base were airbrushed with vibrant colors and juxtaposed with gold starburst based on mid-century modern star ornaments. While Mucchiut used an airbrush, there are many other options to get the gradient look. She suggests using a matte-pressed pigment eyeshadow palette and taking the applicator sponge to softly tap and blend out on a matte nail to create the aura look.

5. Classic Fruit French Manicure

Fruit never tastes as juicy as it does during summer and this set is an ode to its deliciousness by Patricia Perez. The fruit (and martini olives) were sculpted with Lizzy’s Nail Art 3D sculpting gel and then painted delicately on a nude nail. Alternating between French tips and outlines in a banana cream creates a classic touch to the 3D fruits.

6. Pink Lily

Nail artist Margot Sagnol perfectly captures the beauty of pink lilies on this set. After molding 3D gel-like model clay, she creates a pink gradient by airbrushing the color with the same technique as doing aura nails. The end result is a versatile summer nail.

7. Mirror Reflection

If you want claws, Sojin Oh has your next nail art inspiration. Oh has done the nails of celebrities such as Bjork, Normani, Kehlani, and more. With her mirror nails, she plays with light and reflections to create an insane nail design that shines like a disco ball in any setting. For those who want to be a showstopper, look no further.

8. Some Silly Guys

Allison Crawford illustrated the likes of internet favorites such as Sonny Angels, Yoshitomo Nara, and Sara Hagale on this wonderful set. The attention to detail and use of color create a dynamic nail of all your favorite things.

9. Coastal Tropics

Bring the beach to your nails with this set by Grace Duffy that incorporates hibiscus-like flowers and seashells. Using 3D gel, she created textured vertical lines that contrast the painted horizontal brown and white to create a hyper-realistic seashell effect.

10. Colorful Pick and Mix

Can’t pick just one design? Why not try one of each? Analysse Hernandez does it all in this set that includes airbrush art, 3D sculpting, gems, blooming gel, French tips, hand-painted art, and chromes, whew! The colorful and unexpected color combinations create an exciting summer set.

11. The Pink Sunset Sky

Amy Nguyen was inspired by her favorite childhood sherbet sweets, bubbles, and angel wings in this airbrushed set. The colors are as awe-inspiring as summer skies when the sun starts to meet the horizon and everything becomes so pink and purple.

12. Starry Red French Tips

Inspired by the 4th of July, Yesenia Aranda Roman designed a set with bright red French tips and shiny white stars. After painting, Roman topped the nail with shiny chrome for extra magic. However, this nail design is not restricted to just the holiday but can be worn all summer long with its Bomb Pop popsicle aesthetic.

13. In Bloom

For Anastasia Hamon, blooming gel is a spectacular and unpredictable medium. The watery clear nail polish allows for drops of color to disperse the same way watercolor does on paper. Vibrant and multicolored, blooming gel is the next nail trend you should experiment with.

14. Mood Ring Manicure

Mutsa Munyawiri is a cat-eye gel genius with this iridescent nail art. Similar to a mood ring, the round silver pebbles on the tips change color and dimension when moved around. To add even more depth the nail artist added a pinkish base with even more cat-eye gel.

15. Brat Girl Summer

Be so Julia with these brat-themed nails inspired by Charli XCX. Nail artist @tussytalons color matched the green to perfectly match the album cover. Inspired by the music, she added edgy silver chrome detailing as well.

16. Hibiscus Nails

These nails by @nailology.101 were inspired by a vibrant collage of hibiscus. For those with shorter nails, this design makes efficient use of space with its neon color and delightful texture.

17. Abstract Airbrush

Eva Torres Morgado’s airbrush design is hazy, ethereal, and abstract. Layering different color giants over and under free-styled abstract shapes gives the nails a funky dimension. The colorful rhinestone bling also seals the deal with its contrasting colors to the nails.

18. Frutas Etiquetas

Fruits are a dime of a dozen when it comes to nail designs (however cute), but fruit labels are a different story. Inspired by the artist Laura Barnes, nail artist Jecilia Negrón painted the stickered remains of strawberries, bananas, dragon fruit, mangos, and more. She says to squint and use the thinnest brush possible.

19. Green Tortoise Nails

Emerald green makes the tortoiseshell stand out and brings summer energy to this set by Alexia Martin. Using blooming gel, she created the tortoiseshell print with multiple shades of brown to create a unique pattern for each nail.

20. Seaglass Sunset

In a mixture of soft pastels and bright jelly colors, Meili De La Cruz gives the illusion of a sea glass sunset. The bubbles are made out of 3D gel and the rhinestones replicate water droplets to cultivate this dreamy look. All in all, a very Ponyo-like look.

21. Carnival Clown Nails

Summer is the time for carnivals and county fairs, which is why LA-based nail artist Desiree Gonzalez made sure to bring the clowns to this set. Besides the illustrated classic clowns on white (with one crying 3D tears), she continues the theme with stars dazzling on French tips.

22. Color Pencil Doodles

Jaeeun Yun’s nails bring back a certain summer nostalgia of doodling with colored pencils. Lions and ducks and bears, oh my! To get the look, after applying your base coat, add a matte coat. The texture will allow the pencil to show up, so doodle to your heart’s desire and then seal in with a clear top coat.

23. Uncut Gems Nails

Tyler Macias was inspired by painted art, sculptures, and nature for this elegant set. After her nude base coat, she painted a white French tip and then went to create her gems. Painting 3D gel with different colors, she then topped them off with pearlescent chrome for that realistic pearl effect.

24. Fruit Jelly Nails

Alyssa Lim’s recreation of summer fruits is mouth-watering. The 3D grapes and strawberries in particular are spectacular with their textural imitation. To tie the set together Lim continues the themes of red and grape on jelly French tips. Be careful not to accidentally eat the design.

25. Danbi, Sweet Rain

@kkoht_nails was inspired by her friend’s LA-based clothing brand danbi by pulling colors from their clothing line. The vibrant fuchsias, beetle-like iridescent greens, and soft sky blues are adorned with silver, clear, and pearlescent 3D details. The set was named danbi after the clothing brand which also means sweet rain in Korean.

26. Pierced Orchid Nails

While 3D orchid nails are all the rage, Julie Veyron Duplan takes this trend even further by piercing them. She continues the theme of the two types of orchids by painting the petal patterns on other nails with drops of clear gel to replicate morning dew. The result is an edgy nail that radiates the divinely feminine.

27. Popsicle Stained

Inspired by summer, Arlene Licea incorporated warm tones and soft colors. Dusky purple and burnt oranges with blue chrome create a multidimensional look with pops of 3D gel that give a water-like effect. Similar to popsicle-stained hands, the colors bleed so nostalgically together.

28. Opal Mermaid

Kacie Stoddard has always been a mermaid girl and these nails are a testament to that love. She was also inspired by the beachy jewelry her mother wore when she was a kid and another opal set by fellow nail artist @innerbloom.nails. All in all, the pearl seashells, starfish, and stones give a magical mythical energy to this golden set.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue