Whenever it's time for me to get my nails done, I'm reminded that settling on a color and design is probably the most difficult part of the process. Between the bubble bath nail trend and the Italian summer manicure trend, there's endless polish and design inspiration to choose from. This season, though—with the weather heating up—I'm doubling down on all the pastel nail ideas. My new go-to shades are light, fresh, and allow me to play with color without being too dramatic.
“Pastel nails are perfect for summer because they help make your golden summer tan pop," says celebrity manicurist and imPress Beauty ambassador Gina Edwards. "Lighter shades feel right for the warm, long days of summer." Celebrity manicurist and KISS ambassador Julie Kandalec agrees, saying that pastel colors—especially butter yellow—offer a vibe that's softer and fresher than their brighter counterparts. "They can instantly make you feel like you're on vacation no matter where you live," she says. "The soft tones pop on tan or darker skin tones, yet they still flatter lighter skin tones as well."
The good news is that there's no shortage of options when it comes to playing with pastel nail colors. "You can wear pastels as a French manicure, an ombre manicure with two colors—like coral pink into yellow—or even a muted color blocking mani," Kandalec says. "As a bonus, you can put chrome over it to give it a multidimensional effect."
To give you a bit of inspiration, I've rounded up 20 stunning pastel manicures for you to bring to your next nail appointment.
Butter Yellow
Hailey Bieber may have recently declared that the butter yellow trend is played out but this'll have to be one of the only times I'll disagree with her. It's the perfect kind of shade to wear if you want to add a bit of brightness to your nails without overdoing it.
Rainbow Pastel
Not only is this such an easy design to replicate at home, it's also perfect to try out on those days when you just can't decide on one color.
Rainbow Pastel Tips
Add some flair to your traditional French manicure by playing with color. If DIY-ing the tips is too tricky, a press-on manicure set will be your best friend.
Butter Yellow Tips
Again, butter yellow appears to be one of the more popular colors of the season, but if you want to get in on the trend without going yellow all over, just add a tip. You can choose a bright base color, add a chrome topper, or stay traditional with a classic nude.
Chrome Pastels
Pastel chrome nails have been trending since earlier this spring; they're almost like glazed donut nails, except these include bright colors as the base instead of pales or nudes. Throwing a bit of chrome powder on top of your color can make your nails look a little more funky and add a slightly futuristic vibe.
Soft Lilac
Soft lilac is a trending summer color that even Selena Gomez approves of. Just throw on a few coats and you'll have the pale purple manicure of your dreams.
Floral Rainbow Pastels
Adding florals to a pastel manicure isn't as hard as you think it is—just grab some nail decals and pop them on each finger to accentuate your colorful French tips even more.
Strawberry Lemon Sherbet
I can't think of a better color combination than pink and yellow, especially for summer. This pretty manicure blends both of the colors into a gradient design to mimic the appearance of sherbet.
Daisies with Negative Space
Giving your nails the rainbow treatment already makes for a fun manicure, but adding a floral design gives it even more of an upbeat vibe, especially for summer. Place the stickers at the base of your nail for a half-moon vibe or at the top for a nail crown.
Rainbow Squiggles
Have you ever wanted your nails to look like a watercolor painting? That's the exact energy this manicure has, with two accent nails featuring a twisted rainbow design. Choose pastel shades for a softer finish.
All-Over Mint
When you think of pastels (especially in regards to nail colors), shades like baby pink and light blue might be the first to come to mind, but don't forget about mint green. It's an underrated in-between shade, and you can easily nail the look by simply painting your nails a solid mint color all over.
Abstract Shapes
This design gets creative by combining a handful of pastel colors painted in abstract shapes. It uses just the right amount of shades (I recommend at least three) to make the manicure look out-of-the-box without being overwhelming.
Pastel Flames
Remember: French manicures don't have to be boring. Colorful tips can already liven things up, but if you really want to get fancy, turn your French tips into flames with fruit stickers. This one is a little trickier to DIY, so screenshot and bring it to your next salon appointment.
Squiggly Tips
This fun design features pastel colors painted in squiggly shapes at the tip of the nail before being outlined in 3D gel and gold chrome powder.
Blue and White Daisies
You can never go wrong with a baby blue pastel look, but adding daisies to an accent nail or two makes the look feel extra summery. While nail stickers are a solid options, daisies are actually pretty easy to DIY with a dotting tool.
Color Block French Manicure
Another unique take on the French manicure? This look takes pastel shades and juxtaposes them with their bolder counterparts in a geometric design.
Soft Pink
If nail designs aren't your thing and a solid shade is what you're after, soft pink is always a reliable option. Cooler undertones should opt for pinks with a whiter base, while warmer undertones can choose something with a hint of yellow or red.
Strawberry and Orange Sorbet
This is another abstract design that leans into different shapes. The pink and orange shades compliment each other pretty well here, but something like this could also work with other pastel colors.
Lilac Chrome
Lilac is another great all-over shade, but this design takes it to the next level with chrome powder added on top and an actual lilac outline on each nail.
Pink and White Squiggles
Pink pastel polish is pretty gentle, but this squiggle design helps to add a bit of edge to an otherwise plain manicure.
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