Everyone is on the lookout for the next best trend, and it’s no different when it comes to nail art and design. Nail technicians and artists have become incredibly more skilled and creative over the years.
The variety of nail products and colors has opened the door to endless possibilities. Chances are that your perfect design is out there. You just have to find it!
Here are Cosmo’s nine best places to find inspiration for your next nail design.
1. Pinterest
We might as well cover the most obvious and popular item first. You’re sure to have heard of this trendy social media website. Because Pinterest is driven entirely by visuals, it has become a go-to spot for trending fashion and culture.
A quick search of “nail designs” on Pinterest reveals thousands and thousands of original, unique nail ideas. You can search by color tone, different styles, or even nails with animals!
You can follow individual pinboards or comb through countless cute nail designs from all over the world. The bottom line: there’s nowhere else on the internet that has more accessible nail designs.
2. Kiara Sky Professional Nails
Kiara Sky is a California-based company that sells nail products throughout the world. From nail polish and dip powder to PediPacks, Kiara Sky allows you to build your kit so you can have your own nail salon.
In addition to its products, Kiara Sky showcases eye-catching nail art on their Instagram page. With over 2,000 posts and 914,000 followers, they have turned into one of the world’s fastest-growing nail brands.
3. Cosmopolitan Magazine
This international fashion and entertainment magazine is constantly publishing new lists of nail design ideas. Some recent examples of posts include:
23 of Instagram’s Slickest Yellow Nail Designs
19 of the Prettiest Ombre Nail Designs on Instagram
19 Neon Nail Designs That Shine Brighter Than Your Future
29 Wedding Nail Designs to Consider Before Getting Hitched
You can view all of Cosmopolitan’s nail design articles on a filtered view of the website. You will find a few oddball topics regarding nails, but Cosmopolitan is full of inspiration for nail art.
4. Nail Career Education
With over 2,000,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, Suzie is a professional nail technician with over 30 years of experience. Her channel is full of great information for anyone who has an interest in nail design and nail art.
With ‘education’ in the name, you’ll walk away with great tips and even better design ideas. We thought about nominating Simply Nailogical, a YouTube channel with over 7,000,000 subscribers. However, that channel is aimed more at entertainment while Nail Career Education is purely for inspiration and education.
5. #nailsofinstagram
A simple search of this hashtag on Instagram currently displays 16,373,323 posts. You will see millions of creative nail art designs. From professional salons like Kiara Sky to mothers and college students, you’ll be able to see nail designs from all over the world and all walks of life.
6. Nailstyle
Nailstyle is an online publication that “provides professional stylists and the beauty-obsessed a place to feel at home.” Their website features articles, style finders, and contests. However, you’ll find most of your inspiration for nail art ideas on Nailstyle’s Instagram page.
With nearly 50,000 followers and daily posts, you’ll have access to a variety of stunning nail designs.
7. Good Housekeeping
A women’s lifestyle magazine that began in 1885, Good Housekeeping has a great gallery of different articles, posts, and lists that all center around nail design. A very similar setup to the one we highlighted with Cosmopolitan, you can use the headlines for each article to help decide where to go.
Whether you want Christmas nail art ideas or are just looking to stay up to date on the latest trends, Good Housekeeping’s nail design gallery has you covered.
8. Nail Sunny
You won’t find any more creative or controversial nail designs than you will at Nail Sunny. This Russian nail salon has made headlines with some of its provocative and inappropriate designs.
You’ll find the bulk of your inspiration on the salon’s Instagram page, which has over 2,200,000 followers. The Russian luxury salon recently opened a location in Los Angeles.
Disclaimer: Nail Sunny faced a great deal of criticism and backlash earlier this year for posting a nail design that many believed was inappropriate and crossed a line.
9. Essie
Essie is a popular nail brand for salon professionals, celebrities, beauty junkies and everyone in between. Offering unique color collections and award-winning nail care products, Essie has been transforming nail design since 1981.
Luckily for you, Essie has an entire section of their website dedicated to nail art. Not only do they provide you with ideas, Essie even gives you a step-by-step breakdown of how to do it yourself.
Another cool feature of Essie’s nail art is they often partner with celebrities to show off unique designs. Celebs such as Lizzo, Jonathan Van Ness, and Anna Kendrick have all allowed Essie to showcase their nail art.
Summary
Whether you’re looking for nude nail designs or holographic nail ideas, all of these resources can inspire you. Essie and Nail Career Education are specifically great for anyone who wants a DIY nail design. Both offer visuals on top of step-by-step breakdowns of how to achieve each design.
Do you have a passion for nail art? Contact us today to learn how you can open your own salon!
