Natural nail designs are the perfect choice when you want a look that’s impactful yet airy. They let the beauty of your natural nails shine through while adding pops of color, texture, and pattern.
“The neutral nail designs that have been trending usually consist of complexion-matching or flattering shades like beige, white, greige, or brown—maybe with a touch of earthy shades thrown in like slate, clay, or moss,” says expert Rita Remark. “But just because the colors are more subtle, doesn’t mean that the designs have to be. That’s what is so great about this trend! You can play with graphic shapes and negative space designs without the manicure feeling overwhelming.”
Wonky Smiley
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“I love the ombré of different nudes as the base colors,” says Fleury Rose. “We added smileys, but it would also be cute without them.”
Earthy Tips
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This stunning nail features a natural base with an earth, geometric brown, and cream tip. Because the tip has a straight-across bottom instead of a rounded shape, it adds a lot of interest to the look.
Side Swirl
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Using a colorful mix of a handful of polishes from Gucci Beauty polishes, this design leaves half of the nail natural while the other half gets the design. This keeps the look nice and airy.
Lime Line
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This is, undoubtedly, the simplest look on the list. It features a diagonal line in lime green down each nail, adding a bit of color to an otherwise bare look.
Reptile Tips
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“White is a great complement to this nude snake design,” says Rose. The pattern starts out more opaque at the tip and fades out toward the middle of the nail, giving a gradient effect.
Autumn Squiggles
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Although the navy blue and terracotta used in this design are quite deep, there’s lots of negative space in this design. It was painted on top of Aprés Sculpted Almond Medium ($17) gel-x tips.
Micro Glitter Tip
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“This look is very cute because it uses an almost nude glitter,” says Rose. Plus, the tip is super thin, keeping the look simple and natural.
French Tips
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French Tips are the OG natural nail design. This gorgeous set was completed on Aprés Sculpted Almond Long ($17) gel-x tips.
Renaissance
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This set of black, white, and silver nails was done for Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. It uses five polishes — OPI’s Bare My Soul ($12), Alpine Snow ($12), and Black Onyx ($12); Mooncat’s Outlaw Country ($15); and Cirque Colors’s Moonbeam ($13).
Snowflake Accent
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This delicate look is “all nude with the exception of a cute snowflake accent nail,” says Rose. Doing a design on one finger is a great option if you want just a little interest.