15 Trending Metallic Nail Art Looks You’ll Want for Your Next Manicure
Long gone are the days of metallic nails trending only during the holiday season. This year, metallic nails have been sported through all the seasons and are arguably the biggest nail trend. Some say it could be traced back to Hailey Bieber’s glazed donut nails (or chrome nails)—where she explained in multiple interviews how she likes to blend nail polishes together and top them off with a chrome dust. We saw holographic and metallic eye makeup being an inspiration this year when it came to new palettes or even eyeliner stickers!
It’s clear the metallic nail art trend isn’t going away—from salon-made, chrome-style manis to DIY press-on nails straight from the store. Even better, you don’t have to stick to traditional silvers and golds. There are plenty of metallic nail polish colors that feel like a fresh take on the long-standing trend. Let us give you some inspiration for your next manicure with these 15 metallic nail designs (and even some glitter french manicure ideas!).
1. Moss Green
Oh, how we love this green shade for the fall and winter seasons. It feels super glam and gives everything a velvety touch. You’ll want to find a green metallic polish with gold undertones for this look.
2. Mixed Metals
Just like you mix your jewelry, you need to try mixed-metal nails. Don’t let its appearance scare you—they’re chic and go with just about everything. These particular nails have a silver-metallic base with a gold, coppery french tip.
3. Diamond Halos
We love how simple this is, almost like a reverse french tip that complements the little ‘moons’ at the bottom of your nails. It looks as if someone came along with diamond or pixie dust and sprinkled it on your nails. This design gives a whole new meaning to glitter nails!
4. Micro Metallic French
We’ve hit ‘save’ on this post so many times when it pops up on Instagram. You could consider this a signature look from nail artist Betina Goldstein. Micro french tips are in, and look great on both short or long nails. For this, pick a metallic color and anchor it with a neutral, like a black or white color.
5. Stay Golden
Abstract nail-art designs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. We love gold nails like these because they’re not perfect ‘dips’ and the gold has more of a rounded edge before the natural nude nail starts. You’ll want to start with your nude base coat first, then with a small nail brush, paint the top of your nail with the metallic gold color and shape your edges.
6. Marbled Metallic
Remember the DIY water-marbling nail trend? Well, it works perfectly with metallics. If you want a customized bling look and have the time to dip each nail, you might want to try your hand at water marbling. Everyone will want to know your secret to those perfect swirls—they might even ask if they’re nail stickers!
7. Silver Shimmer
To get this cat-eye nail trend (AKA velvet nails) can be achieved when your nail artist applies the polish with a gemstone technique. It’s best to show a photo if you want something translucent like this and they can help you decide what you need to grab from the polish shelf!
8. Starry Tipped
These nails are very holiday inspired. We love the subtle french tip with a gold that leans a bit more yellow and orange. Applying any sort of glitter or nail stickers will take some time as you arrange them but it will be so worth it in the end. These are the nails you’ll want to take pictures of over and over!
9. Gunmetal Tips
For some reason, gunmetal nails scream luxury. They mean business and they’re edgy! If you like the look of silver nails, we challenge you to go a bit darker by finding a gunmetal shade and pairing it with a black like the one above. This look is easy to accomplish yourself with the right nail colors.
10. Pink Metallic Ombré
These scream Barbie-chic. Even if you don’t love the color pink, surely you can appreciate these ombré metallic nails. This is another look that we recommend showing a photo of to your nail artist. It looks to be a special holographic nail polish and chrome dust mixed together! Don’t forget the rhinestones at the bottom!
11. Mirror Nails
These mirror nails are incredibly popular and our explore tab is flooded with them. They were seen all over the place during NYFW, too. Most of these looks aren’t entirely smooth and have some 3D aspects to them. We think they look like the inside of a mother-of-pearl shell!
12. Jewel Toned
Best believe w LAKUR ENHANCED COLOR BY LONDONTOWN in Iconic we’re still bejeweled! These Taylor Swift-inspired OPI jewel-tone nails might be our next manicure goal. They feel maximalistic without being overpowering. Try blending pearly tones with pink, blue, and green metallics for this look. This is easy for beginners too, as it’s a basic manicure that just uses a lot of colors.
13. Metallic Mocha
In case you’re wondering, coffee-inspired nails are still trending! We love this fresh metallic take that blends shades of champagne, brown, and copper colors to basically create the perfect, cozy latte-inspired manicure.
14. Metallic Blue
Electric-blue nails have been all over Instagram as one of 2022’s trendiest nail colors. Find a metallic-blue nail polish to achieve this look, or try out our editor’s favorite electric blue, use LAKUR ENHANCED COLOR BY LONDONTOWN’s nail polish shade in Iconic and add a metallic top coat.
15. Rose Gold
If you’re into neutrals but still want to enjoy the metallic-nail trend, rose gold is the perfect option for you. It has both champagne and gold undertones and goes with just about every outfit.
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