Nude Gloss

There are nude nails, and then there are nude nails. This glossy, ultra-sheer set has us marveling at the condition of the nail beds.

Nude Glow

Nude doesn’t have to mean minimalist. The glowy neutral gold polish here is an ethereal take on a neutral, turning heads while pairing seamlessly with everything.

Nude Jellies

Love the barely there look, but prefer a tad more coverage? This nude jelly set offers a lusciously rich gloss in an almost imperceptible tone.

“While we don’t refer to any of our shades as nudes, there are a variety of ways to create a neutral mani that creates that ‘mannequin’ hand effect—where your nails either look nearly naked with a sheer wash of color, or are painted in a shade that’s close to your skin tone,” Van Iderstine says of finding the neutral hue for you. “You can opt for a sheer polish that creates a glossy effect on your nail and let your natural nail shine through, or choose one of our deeper neutral shades for that mannequin effect.”

Chic Dots

Not ready to go full-on nude? This manicure features light gray tips and a clean line of white dots to subtly jazz up the neutral base. Use a small dotting tool (or try nail stickers) to get the circles round and uniform in shape. Lim suggests Paintbox’s Like Mystery and Essie’s Topless & Barefoot to achieve this look.

Neutral Florals

Pastel yellow and baby pink provide subtle accents against a nude base. The floral accent feels sweet and sophisticated, with a single gemstone adding a touch of sparkle.

Chanel Chic

Nude looks demure all on its own, but add a tiny white Chanel logo pattern and your nails will look classically chic. An allover pattern like this one is replicable with any favorite logo, though, using a steady hand and detailing brush or nail art stickers (Gucci offers some). Alternatively, go for a different design altogether: A bunch of tiny lips or hearts would be equally chic.

Iridescent Nude

Sometimes a nude nail design doesn’t need to feature lines and dots to stand out. Here, it all comes down to the iridescent topcoat.

Nude Polka Dots

A naked polka dot manicure beautifully toes the line between minimalist nude nails and a trending classic. White keeps the lowest profile, but feel free to try any hue you’d like against a neutral background.

Golden Hour Nude

For a warmer approach, layer your preferred nude base with a gold-flecked topcoat. This particular look was uses Olive & June’s Golden Effect Top Coat over a base of Cold Foam Pls.

Glazed Donut Nails

While iridescent topcoats offer an invaluable option for achieving the famous glazed donut manicures, Hailey Bieber’s original design is all about the chrome. Celeb nail artist Zola Ganzorigt used OPI’s GelColor in Bare My Soul as a nude base and layered the brand’s Chrome Effects Powder in Tin Man Can to create the viral look.

Futuristic Nude Nails

For a nude manicure with a little more panache, dial up the iridescence. Who knew galactic manis could be so chic?

Earthy Nudes

Don’t forget that “nude” encompasses all shades of peach, tan, and brown. This manicure opts for abstract designs in earthy hues of chocolate and olive, and the result feels so cozy.

Nude Gradient

Here’s the easiest nude gradient in the book. Why? Because Olive & June takes the guesswork out and selected these seamless ombré nude shades for you in its Pink Sweater Set.

Half and Half

Never underestimate the power of a negative space manicure: These crisp clear-and-nude nails are an instant favorite in our book. To replicate it, go for a French tip but with a much wider line, so the shape is asymmetrically arched and covers half of the nail.

Ethereal Drip

Moonlight in a manicure, that’s what this is. The pinky-nude base is exalted by drips of syrupy moonlight cascading over the tips.

Rose Gold Stripes

Rose gold is nude’s shinier sister, making these simple striped nails a fun take on monochromatic nail art. Ask your nail artist for a simple stripe down the middle with a sparkly shade for an added punch.

Pastel Nudes

These cool-toned nude nails give us pastel vibes despite their technically being neutrals. In other words, they’re pretty as can be—especially with the elongated coffin nail shape. We love it on a minimalist manicure like this to add extra interest.

Celestial Spin

Nude nails on the brain? Here’s a star manicure worth considering. The gilded celestial motif looks absolutely regal paired with the opalescent French tips.

Abstract Stripes

If nude isn’t enough for your taste, spruce it up with a couple of red abstract lines. All it takes to create this look is your favorite skin tone polish, a bold red shade, and a toothpick to carefully draw the geometric shapes.

Glitter Polka Dots

These glitter polka dot nails remind us of confetti and good times. For this fun look, keep the base of the nail nude and glossy, adding sparkly dots for a contrast in both texture and color.

Daisies for Days

You can DIY this adorable floral nail look thanks to Olive & June’s Loveliest Day Nail Stickers. Try the look by relegating the stickers to just one nail, or add them to two, as seen here.

Mother of Pearl

These sparkly nails will look nude in some lights and holographic in others. As you might have guessed, they’ll require professional skill to create. But, you can give your mani a pearlescent effect with Olive & June’s Frosted Gloss at home.

Negative Nudes

You don’t have to cover your entire nail in color to create a head-turning manicure. Just look at this glossy, glitter-topped nail look. Here, all of the colors are varying shades of nude, with the real pop coming in the form of the glittery gold topper.

A Cosmic Set

These sheer nude nails with celestial stickers and pearl embellishments are dainty, ethereal, and have us wanting to copy them stat. The trick is to apply a single coat of sheer color as the base, so it doesn’t look too opaque.

Floral Enamor

We don’t know about you, but we’re enamored by these floral nude nails. While the design is delicate, the intricacy is sure to stand out. Rather than adding the floral design to every nail, try going half-and-half, or only adhering the floral stickers to the ring or pointer fingers.

Abstract Doodles

How cute are these abstract silhouettes? Their minimalist nature and artful design give us chic French girl vibes. Replicate the look with a toothpick dipped in white polish, or try another contrasting color of your choice.

Oil Slick Strips

We love the simplicity of this nude nail design. Best of all, it’s easy to DIY so long as you have a roll of oil slick-inspired striping tape. Run a stripe of contrasting color (we love something high-gloss or sparkly) down the center of each nail to replicate the look.

Diamond Cuffs

If you’ve never heard the term “cuff” when referring to nail art, you now know that it’s referring to your cuticle area. This diamond dust cuff from Betina Goldstein is the perfect amount of sparkle for a simple nude nail.

Matte Masterpiece

Just because you want to rock nude nails doesn’t mean you can’t add other neutrals to the mix. Case in point: this black-and-nude manicure that looks marvelous with a matte finish.

Mocha Swirls

This design features a double helping of neutral shades, with a twist. “We love pairing a neutral mani with a geometric or swirly nail art look. These have a major design impact, but are perfect to DIY because you can freehand the design, and it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t come out perfectly,” Van Iderstine says of swirls, lines, and blobs, which are all great for a neutral manicure.

Dotted Details

“What’s classic about nude nails is they go with everything,” Lim tells us. In other words, don’t overthink your nude nail design. You can create a stylish manicure with a coat of color on each nail and a contrasting dot at each cuticle. Here, the nails are done in varying minimalist nude shades.

Electric Foils

Holographic manicures may be electrifying, but they’re rarely pared-back and minimalist. Enter: the electric nude. These holographic silver foils pop rather delicately over a sheer nude base.

Black and White Tips

Another way to add black and white to your nude nail design is with this French manicure, which is especially unique thanks to its half-and-half tip. Of course, you can always copy the same design with bolder, brighter colors, too.

Leopard Print Tips

If you prefer longer nails, check out these almond-shaped, leopard tips. They’re the perfect way to embrace an animal print if you don’t want it to feel too loud.

Tortoiseshell Tips

Same, but different: If leopard print reads too jungle fever for your style, tortoiseshell offers a diffused option that’s both timeless and sophisticated.

Glittery Gradient

It’s no secret that we love gradient nails. While color alone can make quite a statement, this manicure idea takes it up a notch, adding a glitter finish to one of the nails.

High Contrast

Ease into the nude nail trend by designating the edge of each nail for a bold pop of color. Just keep in mind that this particular design requires a steady hand to recreate.

Shattered Nude

These nude and rose gold nails remind us of shattered glass, as well as the Japanese custom of sealing cracks with gold to celebrate the healed brokenness (Kintsugi). Talk about a beautiful (and meaningful) nail idea.

Moody Moment

This warm-toned gradient mani merges a peach shade with burgundy, creating an almost-sunset effect in the chicest way.

Starry Statement

If you love the idea of star nails but don’t want to go all out with color and larger designs, consider this itty-bitty nude approach. Here, contrasting stars are placed at the bottom of each nail, with the rest of the design being simple and square in shape.

Patriotic Dots

We love a nail look that’s as pretty as it is easy to create. Start with a nude base and use a toothpick or dotting tool dipped into the colors of your choice to create this same design.

Nude Diagonals

We’re taken by these runway-ready diagonal nude nails. The oval shape helps elongate the hands and keeps the vibe feeling fresh and abstract.

Artsy Stars

Here’s another star manicure that has our hearts. While this might be difficult to DIY, remember: Practice makes perfect. Alternatively, try nail stickers, which are easy to apply.

Mini Black French

French manicures are having a major moment, and this thin black version is sure to be a hit. Wear it as is, or pair with additional nail art on a few statement nails.

Glazed With Heart Tips

“The simplest way to add depth and intrigue to a neutral mani is to paint a topper over it—the overall effect is neutral, but you can create a shimmery glazed effect with an iridescent topper,” Van Iderstine says of this look. She recommends Olive & June’s Pink Goldfish polish over top. This scalloped, heart-shaped take on a French tip is equally as captivating.

Rose Quartz

These rose quartz nails are inspired by the crystal with the same name, which is tied to the heart chakra and represents love. If that isn’t enough to win you over, maybe its every-nail-has-a-unique-design approach will do the trick.

Charcoal Chrome Tips

The best part about French manicures is that they work with any color combination. These charcoal chrome tips with a neutral base are equally classy and edgy.

Classic French

You can never go wrong with a classic French. Simply paint your favorite neutral base and add a simple, classic white tip. “Choose a more narrow tip for a modern look, or go for ’90s vibes with a thicker French,” Van Iderstine suggests.

Soft Ombré

Crisp tips aren’t the only option for French manicure lovers. This softer French ombré style offers a diffused gradient between the nude base and white tip.

Heavenly Set

“I love adding a sweet detail to a neutral mani like a heart, star, cloud, or lightning bolt,” Van Iderstine tells us. “It’s super wearable, and the tiny detail is really only visible to you, so you can wear this mani literally anywhere.” She recommends recreating the above cloud design with nail art pens or stickers.

Embellished Nudes

If you’re looking for a more dimensional way to decorate your nude nails, try charms or embellishments, like these Egyptian-themed ones.

Milky Micro French

These baby French tips make a surprisingly major impact. We love the sporty iteration of the tried-and-true classic.

Nude Tips

Bright white tips will always have their place in our manicure lineup, but you also have the option of this gentler take. Forgoing stark tips for a softer nude option creates the perfect natural-nails look we didn’t know we needed.

Glittering Cobwebs

Who knew a spiderweb manicure could keep us captivated well past spooky season? This sparkly display, created with Cirque Colors’ Disco Ball over a nude base, is one we’d proudly wear all year long.