As life slowly shifts back to normality, with businesses being able to reopen their doors after several months of lockdown restrictions, people start getting more excited about dressing up and accessorizing again. Among some of the beauty trends for 2021, nail art is seeing its days of glory, with far from basic styles and designs.

With the rise of the 1900s and the 2000s strongly hitting the fashion and beauty industries, vintage-like nail trends from back then began to pop all around, especially during Summer 2021. As an attempt to fight the sad reality of the Covid-19 pandemic, most nail art trends this year reflect colourful and joyful styles, bringing a bit of happiness amongst chaos, while we all still hope for better days.

Nail designs can either be done by a manicure now that beauty salons are allowed to open up again or at home, in a DIY version, with some patience, a few tools and a lot of practice. Many nail art tutorials keep appearing every day on social media platforms such as Instagram Reels and TikTok videos with several techniques on how to create the latest trending and most diverse nail styles. Besides, several tools are now available to help DIY adepts, such as nail pens and pencils, and nail stickers. The secret to happiness when doing your own nails is to embrace imperfection and find beauty in it.

The brighter the colour, and the more intricate the design, the better! There is a huge variety of possible nail art options to choose from that will certainly make you want to take a picture of your hand and post it to your Instagram account. Nail themes can go from variations of the same colour, very delicate flowers, to highly audacious mix and matches, with a different design chosen for each nail.

Below are some of the most popular nail art trends in 2021 to get inspiration from before scheduling your next mani appointment:

1. Tones of the same colour: each nail is painted in a variating tone under the same main colour. In this category, brown and green have been trending the most.

2. Velvet nails: metallic or holographic nail polishes are used to create a glossy-velvet-like effect on the nails.

3. Neon colours: neon colours can either be used all over the nail or only at the tips, in a neon french style.

4. Ombré nails: the pop of colour is added to the tip of the nail and slowly fades away into the nail root, creating an ombré effect.

5. Rainbow nails: in this style, each nail is painted in a different colour, generating a cheerful rainbow.

6. Cool waves: each finger is embellished by abstract waves over a neutral base colour, adding an impression of movement and flow.

7. Delicate flowers: tiny little delicate flowers are drawn to the nails, either at the tips or all over it.

8. Geometric forms: geometric forms such as lines, rectangles, triangles and circles are drawn on the nails in beautiful designs.

9. Chess Board design: chessboard patterns are designed on the nails mixed with other designs or with fully painted nails.

10. Striped nails: stripes are added to the nails, usually combined with other drawings.

11. Animal print nails: cow, leopard, and turtle prints are added to the nails, either in the real animal’s colours or in colourful tones.

12. Pure Nostalgia: butterflies, smiley faces, yin-yang symbols, little hearts and rainbows are drawn to the nails to create a 2000s aesthetic.

13. Artistic Tips: this trend is all about leaving the nails in a neutral colour while designing something fun only on the nail’s tips.

14. Colourful French Tips: similar to the previous style, the nails here are painted with neutral nail polish, but the tips are either all painted in one different colour or each finger in a different colour.

Which one of the designs in the list is your favourite nail art trend? No matter the style you pick, just make sure to have some fun wearing it! Put your creativity out there and don’t forget to save a shot for the Gram!

Published by HOLR Magazine.