Nails to DIY For: 20 Nail Art Tutorials for Summer
Anjelika Temple
Anjelika Temple
As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Brit + Co, Anjelika Temple brings her voracious consumption of all things creative and colorful to DIY projects, geeky gadgetry finds and more. When she's not DIY-ing her heart out, you'll find her throwing dinner parties with friends or adventuring with her husband David, their daughters Anokhi and Indira, and their silly dog Turkey.
The trend of colorful nails isn’t going anywhere, and summer is a great time to accessorize by way of stripes, stars, and summery nail decals. We teamed up with Target to roundup 20 inspiring nail art tutorials, perfect for amping up your summer style. You friends will totally look at your nails and say, “Nailed it!” :)
Tart Deco
She’s Picture Perfect, Turquoise and Caicos, and, of course, Bikini So Teeny. They also have tons of Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips, Nail Art Pens, and more. We apologize in advance if your bathroom cabinet requires a reorg due to all your new nail tools. Now, onto the nails!4th of July Stripes
We’ll kick things off with a super simple tutorial on creating perfectly skinny stripes on your nails. (via Pretty Prudent)Striped Moon Manicure
We love this take on the half moon – it almost has a glittery seersucker vibe to it. (via Pshiiit)Geometric Diamonds
If you’re ready to delve into the more complicated stuff, start with geometric patterns. (via Precious Polish)Sunrise Gradient with White Polka Dots
This would go just swimmingly with an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini. (via My Awesome Beauty)Tribal Patterned Nails
How gorgeous is this design? It definitely takes some patience to recreate, but would be awesome for a special occasion. (via Pshiiit)Neon Graffiti Nails
This is a design for your inner wild child! (via My Awesome Beauty)Great Gatsby Nails
Inspired by the recent Gatsby film, these 20s style nails are gorgeously done. (via Kathleen’s Corner)Ikat Nail Art
Is Ikat the new chevron? It is seriously all over the place… and we’re digging it! :) (via Pshiiit)Hibiscus Flowers
Channel your inner Hawaiian hula girl with this floral look. (via Precious Polish)Color Block Mosaic
This is sort of like an inverted Mondrian painting. We love the use of color blocking and mosaic together. (via Pshiiit)Stenciled Stars
Featured in our spring nail art edition, this starry design is made using a stencil, painter’s tape, and a star-shaped hole punch. (via Chalkboard Nails)Stars and a Stripe
Add a little sparkle to a basic half moon manicure with silver star decals. (via Anna Marie)Sporty Striped Nails
We think Sporty Spice would approve, don’t you? (via Love Maegan)Blue to Mint Gradient
Go for mermaid loveliness with this aquatic gradient. (via My Awesome Beauty)Green-Dipped Nails
These also have a slightly art deco vibe to them. We love the different levels of “dip.” (via Pretty Prudent)Captain American Nails
This nail art blogger describes her nails as being inspired by Captain America. We’re in! (via Kathleen’s Corner)Blue and Pink Dots
More polka dots! These totally make us think of Dippin’ Dots. Remember those? (via Chalkboard Nails)Watermelon Manicure
A summer anything roundup wouldn’t be complete without a nod to watermelon, this time in nail form. (via Rookie Mag)Dried Flowers Manicure
This definitely looks like something you’d find in an Anthropologie catalog – actual dried flowers on nails. (via Love Maegan)Beauty and the Beach
Last, this is definitely on the extremely advanced end of the nail art spectrum, but it totally makes us want to go to the beach! (via One Nail to Rule Them All)Anjelika Temple
As Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Brit + Co, Anjelika Temple brings her voracious consumption of all things creative and colorful to DIY projects, geeky gadgetry finds and more. When she's not DIY-ing her heart out, you'll find her throwing dinner parties with friends or adventuring with her husband David, their daughters Anokhi and Indira, and their silly dog Turkey.