The 30 Coolest Manicures to Try This Spring

Nostalgia for the early 2000s isn’t going anywhere in 2022. Give your high school favorite a modern twist with a rounded shape instead of square.

Bored with a gradient mani but don’t want to attempt any other nail art? Add a pop of glitter with a polish like Olive & June’s Exclamation Point.

Gilded tips that read beau, amour, non, and oui? Genius.

Try a muted olive for a more sophisticated—but still eye-catching—twist on last year’s slime.

Negative-space hearts are made even cooler with a different color on each hand. DIY it by painting over a heart-shaped sticker on each nail and peeling it off after the polish dries.

For the perfect minimalist nail art, start with a French mani, but add a different color tip on each finger.

Can’t decide on a single color? Wear them all! (Paintbox’s Power Couple sets make it easy.)

A Skittles manicure using mainly primary colors feels surprisingly fresh and modern, while a hint of brown keeps it from veering into preschool territory.

Pro tip: Match your rings to your nails for maximum impact.

If spring nail designs feel too cute, go for an unexpected neutral shade instead. Try Essie’s Wool Me Over for a cool greige.

Merge the retro floral trend with the mismatched nail trend for the coolest spring manicure around. Just dip the end of a bobby pin into your rainbow of polishes to create the daisies.

For a super-springy update on a French mani, try tips in contrasting pastels. For a similar look, try Essie’s Lilacism as the base and Busy Beeline for the tips.

Combine French tips, a rainbow of shades, and dainty daisies for the most spring-ready manicure we could possibly think of.

A fresh mint shade makes a cool statement, no nail art needed.

Pale blue and daisies are a match made in springy heaven. The best part is? They’re actually gel nail stickers, so there’s no skill needed to replicate the look at home.

This French mani-floral hybrid using the coolest spring nail colors feels totally groovy. Follow nail blogger @overglowedit’s lead and use OPI in Can’t CTRL Me, Racing for Pinks, and The Pass Is Always Greener for a similar look.

Some dainty butterfly nail stickers make any mani feel spring-ready—even if it’s yet to hit 50 degrees.

For the true minimalists out there, a dark dot on nude nails is all you need. Try a dotting tool like this one for perfect circles every time.

Swirling white tips are a dreamy riff on the classic French manicure.

A foiled gold background makes delicate pink roses feel extra special.

Spruce up last winter’s cloud nails with a pastel purple background instead of a blue one.

Looking for some spring acrylic nails? Pretty pastel flowers and extended French tips are a winning combination.

Has The Queen’s Gambit left you itching to cut some baby bangs? Go for an easier Beth Harmon–inspired DIY with some chessboard nails instead.

A blue-purple-pink gradient is the perfect in-between twixt a single shade and full-on nail art.

Take nail inspo right from nature, and add tiny pressed flowers directly to your mani.

Light pink with green is one of spring’s prettiest color combinations. Swap out a mint green for a more olive-toned shade like Essie Expressie in Precious Cargo-Go! for something a little less expected.

Amp up TikTok’s favorite jelly-nails trend by adding a sprinkling of dainty rhinestones.

For a more glamorous take on spring butterflies, deck them out in silver sparkles.

Give a French mani a fresh update with bright lavender tips and a negative-space accent outlined in crisp white.