Looking for a simple way to boost your mood or manifest your future? Your next manicure just might do the trick—especially since 2024’s trending nail designs are so cool that it’s pretty much impossible not to be inspired.
As for what’s predicted to take over? According to Michelle Nguyen, nail expert and founder and CEO of PLA Nails, the sleek, minimal styles we loved this past year aren’t going anywhere. “It seems like quiet luxury is here to stay for a bit,” she tells Glamour. “Many people are now embracing a sleek, minimalistic look for their nails, and we’re seeing a lot of sheers and pigmented skin tone and nude shades trending for 2024.”
This should come as no surprise, especially after a year filled with bright pink Barbie-inspired nail designs. Our nails—and eyes—need a breather.
That doesn’t mean 2024’s trending nail designs are boring, however. Nguyen adds that while minimalist nail looks are definitely in, loud, vivid colors aren’t gone for good; they’re just evolving. “They can still be seen in more abstract designs and patterns, like bold, bright swirl designs and more-vibrant French tips,” she explains. “French manicures with a sheer base and bold, vivid tip are a look to watch out for, as it blends a classic design with a pop of color.”
Jan Arnold, a nail expert and cofounder and style director of CND, agrees, noting that while 2024 is shifting away from 2023’s over-the-top extremism, the new year’s nail designs will still be spiritual, virtual, and trippy (and therefore, super cool). More specifically, Arnold predicts psychedelic, holographic, and pearlescent finishes to trend for spring, and says summer will be a time to embrace “carefully curated bright, warm and cream palettes, for love, light, and good fortune.”
By fall we’ll see an uptick in muted earth tones mixed with optimistic bright finishes that “evoke a futuristic feel,” and “winter and the holiday season will bring us regal refinement through textures and dimensions for a deep, glamorous festive season,” Arnold continues.
Other styles to expect? “Colors and tones will feature top notes and undertones that play in concert and in contrast, depending on how they’re paired,” says Arnold. “Extravagant details like over-scale embellishments with rich and luxurious colors will be a perfect design for a festive night out, and patterns and textures will bring inspiration, motivation, and calm.”
According to Arnold, we will see medium to longer lengths with softened stiletto, coffin, and almond shapes continuing to dominate the nail world.
However Nguyen asserts that short and natural shapes will continue to spike in popularity along with stealth-wealth minimalism. “It looks like natural colors and nail shapes will be prominent in 2024,” she says. “There seems to have been a shift from ultralong nails to shorter and more manageable square or round nails.”
Whatever your preferred nail length, shape, or style, there’s at least one—or a few—2024 nail trends for you. See the coolest nail art inspo for the year ahead, and get ready to screenshot. (And then call your nail tech.)
