The Coolest Nail Art Ideas For Spring 2018
The 16 nail art designs that will upgrade your manicure.
Nail art is not dead. Thanks to Cardi B and a handful of talented artists backstage at the spring runway shows, nail art is back and better than ever. This time, it's all about two major trends: three-dimensional embellishment (think rhinestones, rings, and other metallic tchotchkes) and logo nails. But if you're not quite ready to embrace those two bold trends, we've also rounded-up some of our favorite spring nail art ideas from Instagram's manicure maestros.
Pretty Prints
Interwoven lines and negative space combine to give a Missoni-like effect to this colorful and graphic design.
Athleisure Nails
Backstage at Monse, models had two sporty white stripes painted on every nail except for their thumb. There, a red-and-white M logo was the star.
Seeing Spots
A mix of small, medium, and large dots give this nail design a much cooler vibe than if it were just uniform polka dots alone.
Art Deco
Can't choose between two polish shades? You don't need to: at Rebecca Minkoff, two purple polishes were layered in an Art Deco-like shape along the middle of the nail.
Check Mate
Why not wear a picnic blanket on your nails until it's actually warm enough to lounge outside? In two different but complementary color ways, the look becomes even cooler.
Third Dimension
Black faux nails with big crystal clusters were seen backstage at Phillip Plein's spring 2018 show.
Meme Queen
Eating a Tide Pod is irresponsible and dangerous. But painting them on your nails? That's a meme we can get behind.
Single Stripe
Nail art doesn't have to be elaborate to make a statement. Upgrade your everyday nude manicure with a single black stripe drawn across your ringer finger nail, as seen at 3.1 Phillip Lim.
Overgrown Garden
It's okay to color outside the lines and nail beds this season. Take a cue from the Rodarte show and continue a floral manicure motif down the length of your fingers. Is it practical? Of course not. But it's art worthy of the Instagram age.
Logo Nails
Nail artist Jessica Washick wears her favorite brand from head-to-toe-to-nail. A classic Nike swoosh painted across two nails is a more subtle take than painting a logo across all ten fingers.
Glitter Goals
At Jeremy Scott, the cuticle art trend got a major glittery update. It's a fun look to wear on a wild night out—just know that you'll get glitter on everything and everyone. Make the look more wearable by lining your nail along the cuticle with a glitter polish, instead.
Light Florals
A feminine manicure that screams spring, this is the type of floral design to ask for when you've mentally checked out of winter and want to pretend it's warm and sunny.
Heavy Embellishment
We've said it before but we'll say it again: glue anything to your nails this season and it's on trend. We love this mix of gold and silver elements created by the Insta-famous Korean salon Nail Unistella.
Ice Crystals
At Naeem Khan's spring show, icy metallic blue polish got the 3D treatment with a few rhinestones. Consider it an unconventional bridal manicure.
'90s Finesse
Ever since we saw Bruno Mars and Cardi B in the "Finesse" music video, we've been struck with '90s color fever. This matte manicure hits all the right nostalgic notes.
Punk Glitter
At Tom Ford, models walked the runway with glittery copper nails dipped in black paint on the very tips. It's an edgier and punkier take on the glitter-everything trend.
Jenna Rosenstein is the Beauty Director at Harper's BAZAAR across both print and digital. While attending NYU, she held internships at Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomingdale’s, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Allure, the latter of which she parlayed into her first job as the Beauty Assistant. She left Allure three years later as the Senior Beauty Editor. She spent a few months at Refinery29 overseeing branded content in the same title, before finally landing back at BAZAAR to manage all beauty content. When she's not testing every lipstick known to mankind, getting zapped by new lasers, or interviewing experts and celebrities, you can find Rosenstein at home in New Jersey with her son, husband, and black cat named Maddie.
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