There’s nothing as frustrating as spending time and money applying polish only for it to start chipping the next day. Luckily, gel nail polish offers a longer shelf life than those avocados you bought this afternoon.
Regardless of how unique or simple your gel nail designs are, they’ll stand the test of time. And the ability to quickly cure the nail polish with UV light makes gel nail art consisting of several layers much easier to achieve. Or, it’s at least more efficient.
19 Gel Nail Designs
1. Cows and Gold Flakes
Tell us you love country music without telling us you love country music.
2. Matte Mustard Yellow with Blue Accents
Perfect look for when you really want to flaunt that you have opposable thumbs. No wonder cats hate us.
3. Abstract Nails
We love that anything can be called abstract. We’ve been using that little trick to explain our hair style for years.
4. Multi-Colored French Tips
Can’t choose one color? Don’t want to paint the whole nail? Have commitment issues? Call it art! For legal reasons, our therapist cannot comment.
5. Black & Gold Leopard Nails
Gold foil, black matte, French tips, leopard print…who knew that your ideal nail aesthetic would perfectly match the VIPs from Squid Game?
6. Matte Green and Polka Dots
When you understand Cruella’s vision, but you’re not quite on board with all the execution. It’s so messy!
7. Gold Drip Gel Nails
The bad news is that we didn’t get that job as a house painter. The good news is that our nails look outstanding.
8. Pastel Camo Nails
We’re no fashion designers, but we think this slight adjustment to the Army color palette would look lovely.
9. Plant Gel Nail Design
If you can make your nails like this, you can keep plants alive. Look, it’s what the guy at Home Depot told us and he’s never led us astray before. Except that one time he sent us down aisle 13.
10. Matte Green and Tortoiseshell Nails
Did you know tortoise shells get along really well with matte green? They’re so much trendier than those silly turtles.
11. Brown Abstract Gel Nails
A little inside tip – take a few paint swatches to your nail artist and let them go wild. Super inside tip? Take your nails to the Home Depot paint department. (Don’t worry, it’s not on aisle 13).
12. Marbled Almond Gel Nails
Marbling is just like fancy tie-dye. Which really makes us wonder why we’ve never seen a tie-dye countertop.
13. Lime Nails
When life gives you lemons, return them because you really need limes for those margaritas.
14. Brown Negative Space Nail Design
Aside from looking amazing, the main benefit of this design is that it won’t get ruined when we rummage around in our purse and inevitably run into melted chocolate. We swear it’s chocolate.
15. Geometric Nail Design
We are so glad we paid attention in geometry class. Or at least enough to have these shapely nails and name drop “hypotenuse” into conversations.
16. Caramel Matte Gel Nails
This is what happens with you mix up your coffee order and your nail salon request. We’re not sure how our nail artist pulled off a design that mimics a peppermint mocha but it tasted delicious.
17. Green, Orange, Black, & White Tips
French tips have evolved so much that they’re Irish now. More Jamison, please.
18. Black & White Gel Nails
Are these and black and white cookies connected? Do we get cookies now? We’ll even split one with you…tomorrow.
19. Peach Gel Nails
Someone get out the purple nail polish because we’re doing eggplants next.
Ashley is a Nashville unicorn (born, raised, and based), queer, vegan, and dedicated to leaving a positive impact through her life, work, and her website, Wild Hearted.
When she's not writing, she's traveling, reading a book, trying not to kill her houseplants, worshiping her dog, or having an existential crisis. Follow her on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter, and LinkedIn
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