Manicure trends and nail patterns for spring/summer 2021

Your manicure doesn’t have to be boring and plain coloured. Even using home methods you can get interesting effects. Say goodbye to sad memories of 2020 and enter the new season with refreshing pastels on your nails. In the spring/summer 2021 season, shiny decorations and abstract patterns combining many colours will be popular. See manicure trends in this season!

Table of Contents – Manicure trends:

• Colourful french

• Abstract patterns

• Geometric patterns

• Glitter powder

• Shiny elements

• Two-colour nails

• Shiny silver accents

• Marble-like nails

• Checkered nails

• Leopard pattern

• Leopard pattern in neon colours

• Animal pattern

Below are the fashionable nail designs and manicure trends for the spring/summer season 2021:

Colourful french

It is a modern version of the classic French. However, instead of a white line at the end, use coloured nail polish for such a manicure. The base coat should be neutral nude, beige or grey. In turn, for a thin line, you can choose bright, vivid pastel colours.

Abstract patterns

Forget about symmetry and simple shapes. Take two or more colours and start with a base colour in a nude or beige shade. Then, with the second colour, try running a slightly wavy line through 1/3 of the nail. Then use the next colour. Get inspiration on Instagram #abstractnails. Some of the proposals seem unrealistic to implement. But practice makes perfect. An interesting option is to combine several pastel colours and additionally decorate them with a gold or silver accent. It is one of most important manicure trends. 

Geometric patterns

You can decorate all or selected nails with this pattern. Shape patterns may resemble triangles, squares, diamonds or straight lines. A geometric manicure may seem complicated at first. However, only 2 colours and scotch tape are enough. Start by painting your nails with one colour. When it is dry, stick two strips of tape overlapping each other at an angle. Now apply the second colour.

Glitter powder

This one of manicure trends is quite simple to do. In the first step, paint your nails in the colour of your choice or with a base or conditioner. The second step is to cover their topcoat with glitter particles. In stores, you will also find nail polish with particles in various colours.

Shiny elements

In the spring/summer 2021 season, shiny accessories, crystals, beads, pearls, jets and rhinestones will look effective and belong to manicure trends. You can only decorate 1 nail or all of them.

Two-colour nails

An interesting solution and one of manicure trends is also combining two colours. First, cover the nails with one polish, then when they are dry, use colourless tape. Stick it in the middle of the nail vertically, horizontally or diagonally and paint it with the second colour. Finally, peel off the tape and finish the whole thing with a topcoat for evenness and shine.

Pastel combinations of colours will work, e.g. coral plus pink or sky blue and mint. On the other hand, you will get a more lively composition by matching yellow with grey, if you want to use manicure trends. 

Shiny silver accents

Metallic silver was one of the popular colours at the spring-summer 2021 shows and definitely one of manicure trends. You can also easily introduce such an element in a manicure. You just need to cover, for example, one selected nail with it. Or you will make vertical or horizontal strokes on several nails. Such an expressive accent on several nails will enliven the manicure.

Marble-like nails

The nails imitate the cracked structure of marble. The fashionable colour combination is grey and white or muted pastels. Use nail stickers for this effect.

Checkered nails

After the huge success of The Queen’s Gambit, chess has once again become an international sensation. The checkerboard motif has reappeared in fashion and appears more and more often on nails.

Leopard pattern

To make such an animal motif, you will need 3 colours: beige, brown and black. Paint the nails with a beige base, then paint the irregular, jagged shapes with brown. Then use black polish with a thin brush or toothpicks and make a circle around the brown spots. Do not worry if something does not work out, such a contour should be uneven and not exact. You can decorate 1 or 2 nails of your choice in this way, and paint the rest of them brown or beige.

Leopard pattern in neon colours

Paint your nails with a neutral pale pink and make the fringes imitating the leopard print with vivid pastel colours. You will get a nice effect if each nail is different, e.g. yellow, green, blue, red, pink.

Animal pattern

Not only leopard print, but there is also a new trend – patterns in the shape of a cow’s patch or a zebra. You can go crazy with colour and create a fancy abstract theme.

See also: Trendy hairstyles for 2021