These are the Only 20 Summer Nail Designs That Matter, According to IG’s Fashion Crowd

I’d be honest—I don’t do my nails at home very often, but you can count on me to screenshot manicure ideas I see for my nail artist to tackle. Instead of scrambling to scroll through Pinterest while choosing my polish color, I like to have my inspo right where I can reach it: tucked away in my Instagram Saved Folder. Lately, it’s been overflowing with a plethora of bright and fun nails looks I’ve gathered from Instagram’s fashion crowd and celebrity nail artists. I’ve decided that this summer is going to be the one where I finally dive into them.

I’m already starting to comb through them and decide which polish colors, 3D nail art designs, and lengths I’ll be wearing to lounge by the pool and to check off my travel bucket list. Luckily, as a Who What wear beauty editor (and avid social media user) have endless sources at my fingertips from my fellow beauty and fashion enthusiasts, so I’m never hunting for too long. If you want to know which ones ‘ll be wearing this season, keep scrolling for the top 20 nail looks I keep coming back to.

Ditsy Daisies

Mate Janova’s ditsy daisy print is further proof that while classic florals may not be “groundbreaking” for the summer months, there will always be elevated takes that capture our attention. This manicure features butter yellow french tips, a bubble bath pink base, and white petals.

Diamond Tips

Nail piercings have steadily been rising in popularity amongst Instagram’s fashion crowd over the past few months. Iram Shelton’s take on the trend features a milky pink shade with diamond details incased in gold on the tip of every other finger.

Butter Chrome

If you’ve been hunting for a manicure look that captures two of this year’s biggest nail trends (butter yellow polish shade and chrome finishes), save this one by Queenie Nguyen for inspo ahead of your next nail appointment. These glazed butter french nails have a chic glassy sheen.

Neons and Pastels

Eye-catching marble nails are in year-round, but can be especially striking with bright colors for summer. U.K.-based Content creator Celeste Vignois, who is no stranger to electric shades, shared her take on the artistic trend with a mix of neons and pastels.

Star Prints

Come summer, can always count on astral-inspired manicures to pop up again on our feeds, but fashion people seem particular drawn to nails with a hint of sparkle. This manicure, for example, was created with the help of chrome nail stickers, 3D nail gems, and a neutral pink base coat.

Turquoise Cowboy

The kick-off of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter tour in the U.S. and Europe has sparked a love for all things western, and manicures like these on content creator Symphani Soto are setting the standard. Her chic nail looks included cow pint, a sacred heart design, and a turquoise polish design resembling the famous stone.

Lavender Swirl

If you’ve noticed a rise in 3D nail art while looking for nail inspo on TikTok and Instagram, you’re not alone. Nguyen’s lavender manicure offers a twist on the trend with a manicure with french tips on some nails and 3D art on all of them. Just look at how it catches the light!

Coffee Colors

While Shelton’s signature manicures are frequently minimalist and natural-looking, retro-inspired set has lived rent free in our minds since we came across it. Using shades of coffee brown with black, white, and caramel, these nails leave us craving a steaming cup of coffee even as the weather heats up.

Chrome-on-Chrome

Instagram’s fashion crowd still hasn’t tired of the chrome-on-chrome nail trend, and neither has Who What Wear’s beauty editors. Brittney Boyce created this bold manicure for actress Megan Fox with silver chrome polish and delicate crossed on every other nail.

Western Whimsy

Here’s another Western-inspired nail look we love that will earn you endless compliments. This one, by Queenie Nguyen, has everything from cow print and sparkling denim blue shades to delicate jewels and a paisley design that almost looks as if it’s been folded onto the nail (just like a bandana).

Dirty Martini

One martini please! This dirty martini manicure by Shelton is everything we could want from a boozy nail look and more. We can’t stop thinking about how stunning these hyper-realistic hand made 3D olives against the milky pink base (the delicate cocktail skewer is even hanging off the tip slightly).

Baby Blue French

We’ve all heard of the winter blues, but powder blue shades like the one featured in this manicure screams summer. Olive and June’s The Queen Takes Her Tea shade takes center stage in this colorful twist on a French nail against a classic, flesh-toned base.

Summer Sorbet

Craving something sweet? Nguyen has affectionally dubbed a “summer sorbet” manicure. The citrus shades of orange and red are set off with a milky white border that resembles a blood orange when its been cut open. It’s the ideal tropical vacation manicure.

Gold-Dipped

Whether your going into this summer as a bride or just love romantic and delicate manicures, this nail look will have you falling head over heels. The natural, milky base puts the gold-tipped tips on display. We could definitely imagine this looking just as amazing in silver.

Mixed Media

Clearly, we’re fans of metal polish for the summer (especially when its used to add even more detail to a mixed-media manicure like this one). Not only does it feature 3D nail art, but it also includes velvet polish, raised french tips, and a whimsical start design that gives all the whimsigoth vibes.

Formula One

In cased you missed it, F1 has taken the fashion crown by storm (especially Gen Z and Millennial viewers). This colorful F1-inspired manicure is perfect for formula fans and includes everything from a playful checkerboard print to race car numbers. Ready, set, go!

Minimalistic Cherry

There’s few things that are sweeter than the juicy fruits that come along with summer’s arrival. If you’re not one for bold fruit prints, try this delicate take on a cherry design by combining a green, hand painted stem with red nail gems as the cherries on just two of your nails rather than going all in.

Lemon Yellow Tips

Butter yellow may be the color of the season, but we’re not quite ready to retire lemon yellow. This charming manicure draws inspiration from Clase Azule bottles, pairing the blue and white print found on its packaging with sunny french tips.

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