7 DIY nail art trends to try at home

Because we ain’t got nothing but time

Beauty Crew Beauty Editor / July 02 2021

Nothing saddens us more than undone nails. And while lockdown may be keeping us separated from the one true love in our lives (AKA our manicurists), that doesn’t mean it’s okay to start getting ‘lax with your nail routine.

If anything, now is the perfect time to finally hone in on your undiscovered talent as a nail artist and practice, practice, practice until you nail (pun intended) all the latest manicure trends like a pro.

And then, before you know it, quarantine will be over and you can start moonlighting as the trend-setting manicure legend you know you’ve always been deep down. Wow, dreams do come true.

In the interim, here are seven DIY nail art trends to try at home.

Heart nails

Whether you’re confident enough to freehand some heart shapes or you’re more of a stencil or nail sticker fan, heart nails are cute and easy to pull off any time of the year, regardless of skill level.

@mannequin.hands

@mannequin.hands

@3615_zbobinails

Wavy nails

Wavy nails are an abstract nail art trend that has been going strong ALL DAMN YEAR and we’re not mad about it. Freehand some swirly designs of your own or map out your design before laying down your lacquer for a more organised interpretation of this wavy trend.

@ninakieunails

@badgirlsgoodnails

@mannequin.hands

French tip manicure

Classic white tips, multi-coloured or design-laden – we think we can all agree this resurrected noughties nail trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so you might as well perfect yours during lockdown.

@mannequin.hands

@mannequin.hands

@mannequin.hands

Glitter nails

Look, we all love a glitter polish; the low fuss method of sprucing up your nails is foolproof in our opinion. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous though, why not try using glitter toppers to accentuate your nail designs or chunky glitter bits under a sheen of clear lacquer for a 3D effect.

@mannequin.hands

@theset.bykj

@3615_zbobinails

Checkerboard nails

Pull out those checkerboard Vans from the back of your wardrobe and use the iconic print as inspo for your nail art. Get funky with your colour palette or mix and match with other nail trends like a lovely set of checkerboard French tips.

@3615_zbobinails

@mannequin.hands

@3615_zbobinails

Nail art stickers

Nail art stickers are so user-friendly, we’d let a baby apply them for us if we could be assured that they wouldn’t try to slobber all over them first. Choking hazards aside, this is nail art for dummies so there’s no reason to not slap a few stickers on your nails.

@mannequin.hands

@3615_zbobinails

@nail_swag

Chrome nails

If you want a manicure that tells people you’re an alien cyborg robot from the future, then you need to try the chrome nails trend. It’s easy enough to achieve; all you need is a chrome polish, chrome nail wraps or a steady hand and a nail art pen. 

@nail_swag

@mannequin.hands

@mannequin.hands

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).