If you get your nails done on the regular, you're probably starting to run out of nail art or polish color ideas. You're in luck, though, because Pinterest’s top nail trends offer plenty of inspo to carry you through the rest of the year and beyond. Though each of the nail trends are starkly unique, they're all trends that have surfaced on Instagram and nail blogs over the last several years. Between Kylie Jenner's take on VSCO nails and Ariana Grande's short and sweet cow print nails, celebrities are already hip to the trends of today.
Bloggers and nail Instagram accounts have long embraced black marble nails and animal print designs since as early as 2012, but the trends, shapes, and techniques have evolved in 2019 to give new life to old styles, making them a huge hit on Pinterest.
Here are the top 5 nail trends right now, according to the platform.
1. VSCO Girl Nails
This nail trend falls in line with the Ugg-ed out, crop top-wearing, "basic" culture in which tapping into your younger teenage self involves wearing different colors on different nails. Don't forget your friendship bracelet for your Insta-worthy nail pic!
This look rapunzeis posted on Instagram is a classic example. Each nail is a different colorful shade, so it's a perfect way to get more use out of your entire polish collection. It's also super easy to do at home.
2. Tortoise Shell Nails
Tortoiseshell nails first popped up on Instagram during the fall of 2018 as one of the newest animal print-inspired trends.
It's the perfect pop of print for any fall-inspired ensemble.
Amy Le is a California-based nail artist who specializes in gel manicures and her Instagram features tortoiseshell manis aplenty. On round tips, these really do look like the shell of a tortoise.
You can achieve a set of tortoiseshell tips like this on your own with various shades of brown polish. After applying your base coat, add a thin layer of a brown nail polish followed by a layer of yellow polish. Add brown and black spots throughout and before the polish dries, use a small precision brush to smudge them out (the messier they look, the better). After letting it dry or 10 minutes, add a glossy top coat to seal in everything.
3. Milky-White Acrylic Nails
Ariana Grande and Amber Rose have sported matte white acrylic nails before, however, milky white acrylics are different. Rather than a matte finish, they're more pearlescent and slightly more transparent to give the trend it's "milky" name.
Pinterest says milky white acryllic nails are the platform's third highest searched nail trend (+1353% to be exact).
Moscow-based salon Nail Sunny is famous on Instagram for its exaggerated 3D nail art (you might remember the nail art design inspired by Kylie Jenner's first photo with Stormi). The milky white acrylic trend doesn't mean tossing nail art to the wind. In fact, the trend makes space to do any kind of minimalist design on any accent nails like Nail Sunny did here.
4.Cow Nails
Cow nails have gained steam in 2019, but have been circulating the nail blog scene as early as 2012 from blogger Polishpedia. And while cow print seems pretty straightforward, it can be designed in many different ways.
Nadia Ornelas' take on the cow mani is unique for two reasons: the extreme length and the gold rings hanging off her accent nail. But even if your nails are short, like the Essie nails below, you can still "moo up" your digits.
If you want to try this style for yourself, it's easy enough to try at home. YouTube Nail artist Simply Nailogical recommends starting with a clear base coat (this will make your polish stay put). Apply any white nail lacquer or even a one-coat white base if you're pressed for time, and use a cow print stamp with black nail polish. You can also find a plethora of cow print decals on Etsy for under $10 to press onto your nails and remove the excess with clippers and acetone.
5. Black Marble Nails
Marble nails aren't exactly a new thing since they've been surfacing nail art blogs and YouTube since 2014. However the original trend featured more striking coats of white paint while these are more transparent and ghostly-looking. Alecia Erikson of Alecia's Nails tells Bustle exactly how she achieves her version of the black marble trend.
Erickson explained that she used a gel nail polish to achieve her black marble nails. The nail artist first used a gel black base color and cured it with a gel lamp. Erickson says she carefully added squiggly lines with Gel Play Paint White by AK Zentz and added a glossy top coat which she then dragged a striping brush through to create the marble effect. Then, she put her nails under the lamp to cure it and set it with another layer of glossy top coat.
Consider trying one of these trendy designs during your next mani appointment. Just dont be surprised if the person next to you is asking for the same thing.
