Some people called it the ‘aesthetic’ style, but the trend in nail designs can equally be described as just plain fancy. The techniques, products and abilities of nail artists have developed exponentially over the past few years. These result is so many nail design ideas, it can be difficult to choose one you like. While it is possible you can have up to ten individual designs on each fingernail, even if you have different designs on each nail, it's best to go for one overall aesthetic. With developing nail gel trends, you can have almost any fancy nail design you like.
oneHOWTO is here to help you decide on the right nail aesthetic for you with our list of the 10 best fancy nail designs and ideas. We also provide pictures of the nail designs to help you see if each design is right for you.
Transparent swirl nails
For our first fancy design, we look at something which stands out for its uniquely gel nail aesthetic. This is because the gel nails allow us to play around with transparent nail designs. By using swirls of color and painting over with transparent acrylic, we can make our nails look like little miniature stain glass windows.
Going for uneven lines of bright color helps to create a beautiful contrast, but you can also go for something more muted. Whether long or short nails, choose something which comes together so it doesn't look too chaotic. Find out a trick to create patterns in your nails with our guide to decorating your nails with sticky tape.
Combination designs
The aesthetic is the opposite of boring. Perhaps you like bust designs, perhaps you simply can't make up your mind on one design. In this case, choosing different fancy nail patterns and designs in combination might be the best option for you. You can use animal print, checkerboard, symbols or whatever you like. One good technique is to have a few nails with a busier design and the others one bold color.
Geometric nail designs
If order is your preference over chaos, geometric fancy nail designs are for you. By using geometric shapes with contrasting colors, you can have elegant designs which work great for short or long nails. Use triangles, rhombuses, squares or any shape which takes your fancy. Can also be great to alternate with solid color or even use corresponding wave designs.
Learn about another technique for nail design with our article on how to do ombre nails with a sponge.
Emoji nail designs
Emojis are all over popular culture. They are a fundamental part of our communication, so why not try to communicate with your nails. Use a new manicure as a canvas to add whatever range of emoticons you like with your emoticon nails. How detailed your emoji nails will be depends on the skill of your manicurist, but you can find some pretty detailed emoji nails out there.
Classic smiley face nails
One of the most recurrent, discreet and fun aesthetic nail designs in manicure trends is to draw different sizes of smiley faces in white and yellow tones on your nails. The goal is to make them look casual and add a fun touch to your look. Use them with transparent gels to make them pop even more.
Fancy French manicure
The French manicure is a classic nail design that can be adapted to any type of style. In this case, you can include your short or long aesthetic nail designs within the French manicure by making the edge of the nail different colors. You can also add patterns on top of the French manicure nails, something many don't think to do, but we think adds a great way to border you nails and still have fun.
Tie dye fancy nails
The hippie and psychedelic look has become fashionable again. Within this style trend, we can apply it to our nail designs. It can be a bit difficult to design, but a Tie Dye style pattern on your nails can create a beautiful aesthetic. Thanks to new manicure tools and nail polishes with magnets or oils, you can achieve this effect more easily.
Flame nail design
The aesthetic look is not always about being sweet and delicate, it also has an empowered side. If you want fancy nails which show you to be the force of nature you really are, then a flame design can be perfect. Whether used in combination with other patterns or having every nail flicker with flame, you don't need to choose colors associated with fire. These flame design fancy nails also look amazing with other colored flames.
If you want to add some texture to your fancy nail designs, then why not check out how to do sweater nails.
Pastel fancy nail designs
If you don't want to overcomplicate your look, you can have fancy nail designs with a more muted tone. Pastels are a great option of you want to choose a different color for each nail. By keeping them all pastel colors, it makes the nails easier to blend with each other. Of course, you can also choose to combine the muted pastel tones with one of the previous fancy nail design ideas mentioned here.
Cute and kawaii nail designs
If don't want bold or fierce looking patterns, but still like quirky and fun designs, opt for something cute and kawaii. You can use the same pastel colors you like the most, but then add a design in white tones on top. For example, some drawings of clouds, hearts, birds or little stars can create great cute designs on each nail. This is another great fancy nail design which allows you to mix and match.
If you are thinking of trying some of these fancy nail designs for yourself, but you don't know where to start, check out our easy nail art tutorial for beginners. For those who have chosen their design and want to make them look perfect for as long as possible check out our tricks to make nail polish last longer on nails.
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