12 Best Summer 2023 Nail Trends, According to Nail Artists and Experts

Want to level up your glazed-donut nails for summer? Opt for an iridescent pearly chrome powder with flashes of pink, blue, and purple, says nail artist Miki Higuchi. It’ll glow under the sunlight, giving “mermaidcore” energy, like Halle Bailey sported at the 2023 Oscars.

“I did pastel French tips on the Brandon Maxwell SS2023 runway,” says Choi. “Instead of having pastel colors on your full nail bed, which can look a bit spring-y, simply paint a dainty French line over a sheer, neutral nail polish.”

If you’ve seen the iconic Jean Paul Gaultier dress that these nails are modeled after, you’re a real one—and you’ll also be unsurprised to find the inspo has made its way to your nails too. “The look is very colorful and trendy, which makes it perfect for summer,” says Higuchi. Bonus points if you try a multicolor finish similar to the dress for the full effect.

Sometimes, the most maximalist nail is actually super minimal, says nail artist Jin Soon Choi. “I think sheer-blush tones will be popular because they highlight how healthy your nails are,” she says, especially if you’ve been loading up on cuticle oils and nail strengtheners lately.

“I think pink nails are trending partially because of the 2023 Pantone Color of the Year, Viva Magenta, being in the red/pink family, and also the Barbie movie coming out this year,” says nail artist Kameron Lange. Add chrome powder on top, and you’ve got a shiny, sparkly take for summer 2023, she says. To get the look at home, paint on a pink base color (try a bright-pink like Gucci Glossy Nail Polish in Valentine Fuschia, or a muted blush like Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish in Blushed Petal), then lightly brush on the chrome finish with a silver chrome powder, suggests nail artist Areia Nguerebanda.

French manicures will absolutely never go out of style, but there are always new iterations to try to make it look more elevated every season. “I predict we will be seeing variations on the French manicure using cool color combinations and French line shapes,” says nail artist Jin Soon Choi, like these negative-space French tips. Try it with any color you like, whether you go for a neutral look or prefer a bright shade like above.

Have you also purchased a long denim skirt and wide-leg jeans lately? Thought so. Try a gray-blue polish for summer 2023, which can look like distressed blue jeans, says Choi. And for an even more realistic finish, paint on a matte top coat to give it a true denim look.

Team Cosmo has been chatting the last few months about how massive the lavender spring beauty trend will be this year, from eyeliners to summer and spring hair colors to, yup, nails. Paint on two to three coats of light-purple nail polish to get an opaque, non-streaky finish.

I’m, personally, planning to manifest a beach vacay this summer with a tropical-floral design like the one above. I’ll def go for airbrushed flowers too for an even stronger Y2k vibe, but I might try painted flowers if I have enough time and confidence.

Just looking at these nails is making me want to grab my straw tote and a spicy romance book and escape to Cabo, because neons just scream summer vacation. For a more simple look, I might try a neon accent nail to dip my ~fingers~ into summer nails, but when I do leave on vacay, I will absolutely be trying a similar neon design as above.

If you’re down to just go back to basics this summer, just paint two coats of a bright, cherry-red nail polish and layer on a shiny top coat. Hailey Bieber recently swapped her go-to chrome nails for this look, which means everyone is about to be asking for this shade in the salon.

Already sent this inspo to my bestie for my next nail design because it’s so colorful and cheery. I have so many options to choose from whenever I head to the nail salon (I mean, did you see all the looks above?), and I’m essentially considering this gradient a mix of ‘em all. Just know that a design like this one can take time, so I’ll be planning the shades in advance and prepping a fat tip for my nail tech.

• Miki Higuchi is a nail artist based in New York, NY. She focuses on editorial nail looks and has created nail designs for magazine shoots.
• Jin Soon Choi is a nail artist based in New York, NY. Her work has been featured on runways and on celebrities. She’s also the founder of JINSoon, a line of nail polishes and nail tools with a salon in Manhattan.
• Kameron Lange is a nail artist at Tricoci Salon in Naperville, IL. She’s an expert in freehand nail art, gel nails, and gel-nail extensions.
• Areia Nguerebanda is a nail artist at Tricoci Salon in Orland Park, IL, where she specializes in all types of nail art and nail extensions like Aprés Gel-X and acrylics.

Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with nearly five years of experience researching, writing, and editing nail stories that range from dip powder nails to 2023 nail trends to manicure sets. She’s an authority in all nail categories, but became an expert on summer 2023 nail trends after attending backstage at New York Fashion Week and interviewing top nail artists.