Whether you're headed to the salon or planning to get hands-on with your own nail art, chances are, you're looking for stylish ways to take your manicure to the next level. As much as you may feel inspired to reach for bright, hot hues to match the season, if you scroll through Instagram, you'll learn that pastel nails are actually what's hot right now. With nearly 530,000 posts dedicated to the hashtag, there are so, so many pastel nail art ideas to choose from. To help make it a little easier, we've rounded up 25 of our faves. Check them out, below.
You don't need to cover your entire nail in color in order to achieve a pretty pastel nail look. Here, you can see how arched diagonals, negative space, and metallic gold accents create an eye-catching manicure.
Keeping pastel purple top of mind, check out these pretty heart-shaped tips. The best way to re-create the look is to use a thin striping brush to trace on the heart-shaped arches.
While pastel and neon might seem light complete opposites, pastel neon is, in fact, a thing. Just look at this vibrant pale nail look if you don’t believe us. Megawatt, no?
Tutti frutti nails are one of the biggest manicure trends of summer and—you guessed it—pastel polish is at play. Given the intricacy of these multicolored nails, you may want to visit a professional to bring them to life. Of course, if you don’t mind perfectly-imperfect swirls, a thin striping brush will help you achieve the look at home.
We can’t get over how dreamy this negative space mani is. With two contrasting colors on each nail, it’s one pastel nail art idea that’s sure to turn heads.
We love this pale purple swirl manicure. Whether you offset it with clear-coated negative space or opt for pale peach in the background, this nail look is bound to look groovy.
Here’s a pastel nail art idea that you can easily re-create yourself. Start with clear polish or a nude base and use a dotting tool to stipple a different color of pastel polish onto each nail. Don’t forget a layer of topcoat to seal your design in.
Another simple at-home nail art idea? Clean diagonal lines. Whether you use the same pastel shade on each nail or transition between five, you’re bound to love the end look. Best of all, it’s easy! Just section off your nail with striping tape and you’re good to go.
Pale purple and peach just work together. And with only one intricate nail in this mani, we bet you can bring it to life yourself. Just arm yourself with striping tape and a touch-up brush and you’ll be well on your way.
Of course, if you prefer a bit more variety, this hot and cool pastel mani is a fun way to hop on the trend. Plus, it lets you play with multiple art accents, too.
Pink, purple, blue, yellow, and green are always pretty—especially in pastel shades. If you agree, try re-creating these wavy negative space nails using a fine striping brush.
For whatever reason, these nails remind us of the underwater squiggles on SpongeBob. Given pop culture’s love of all things Y2K, that makes them trendy in our book.
