There’s arguably nothing chicer than minimalist nail art. Combining neutral base polishes with pared-back designs and simple details, it’s the perfect nail aesthetic for anyone embracing an effortless nail look. Minimalist nails are timeless, suit every skin tone, and can be dressed down for the day to day, or dressed up for a fancy event. Here are 9 minimalist nail trend ideas to bring to your next manicure!
The Minimalist Aesthetic Explained
The minimalist aesthetic is characterized by neutral colours, clean and calm vibes, and simplicity. With the popularity of the clean girl aesthetic, many girls have gravitated towards more minimalistic nail designs. Minimal nails often include neutral polishes, negative space designs, and small, intricate details that create a clean, understated look. They always look chic and pair well with decked out fingers. Not to mention, you never have to worry about them clashing with your outfit.
How to Get Minimalist Nails
- Neutral base
If you want to do minimalist nails yourself at home, the most essential step is creating a simple, neutral base. This could be a sheer pink or milky white nail polish, or really any nude/neutral shade you love. While minimalist nail art is stunning, leaving your nails with a neutral polish is also effortlessly cool and as minimal as it gets. - Nails tools
If you want to go beyond a milky or sheer base and actually create some nail art, invest in nail tools to create dots, lines, hearts etc. This brush set includes essentials like a dotting tool, a liner brush, and a French brush for French tips. Minimalist nail art embraces simplicity, so the designs are relatively simple to do yourself! - Embrace negative space
One of the most important aspects of minimalist nail art is ensuring there’s lots of negative space. Without a decent amount of negative space on each nail, the design becomes too busy and you no longer have minimal nails.
9 Minimalist Nail Trend Ideas
1. Blue Cuticle Accents
If you usually get a sheer or milky manicure, add some interest with dotted blue polish. It’s a small addition, but it makes a trendy impact. Place the dot right above your cuticle on each finger for a stylish yet minimal nail look. Of course, you can ask for the dots in any colour, but blue is our personal favourite.
2. Nail Swirls
We love a nail swirl and this is the perfect design to ask for if you want a chic yet minimal look. One of the most important aspects of minimalist nail art is ensuring you have negative space, which swirls allow for. With simple, thin swirls you can get creative with your nail art while still maintaining a minimalist aesthetic.
3. Milky Nails
There’s something about milky nails that we just can’t get enough of. They offer a fresh take on a classic nude manicure and since they’re so neutral, they can really be paired with any outfit. You can opt for more of a milky white or a milky pink, either one will have your nails looking incredible.
4. Tiny Yellow Hearts
Yellow is having a style moment and that’s true for nail trends, too. These tiny yellow hearts are so incredibly cute and the nude base allows the yellow to shine, even though it’s subtle. This nail art looks amazing paired with gold jewelry and is overall very chic.
5. Colourful Micro French Mani
A micro French manicure is perfectly minimal and we love these coloured tips. The pastel shades are subtle, yet add some visual interest. The sheer base is close to the natural nail colour, which really lets the tips shine. It’s a super stylish nail look that can be paired with almost anything.
6. Gold Dots
Dots are ideal for a minimal nail look since they barely take up any space on the nail. We love how these dots line up in a vertical line- you can choose how many dots you want, whether they start at the cuticle or tip, and how many nails you want the dots on. For example, although this example shows them on all nails, another idea is to leave a few nails with the milky base only, such as the pointer and pinky finger.
7. Light Pink Chrome
Another way to go for a minimal, clean look is light pink chrome. Ask for a pretty pink shade like OPI’s bubble bath with white chrome over top. This is perfect if you don’t want a nail art design, but still want something more than a polish base. Chrome offers a gorgeous, subtly shiny finish that will have your nails looking amazing.
8. Cuticle Half Moons
Another way to add colour to minimalist nails is with cuticle half moons like these. Once again, they offer lots of negative space allowing for most of the nail to revel in milky neutralness. The half moon lines are so dainty that people will have to look very closely to see them, and when they do, you’ll inevitably receive compliments.
9. Fruit Design
Fruits are also having a moment in the world of style and aesthetics. If you want to incorporate them into minimalist nail art, ask for fruit like cherries or a lemon design in the corner of one of your nails. We love how these cherries are paired with a micro French mani- it’s the perfect minimal combination!
If you’ve been loving the minimalist nail aesthetic, bring one of these ideas or designs to your next salon visit!
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