30 Cute Acrylic Nail Ideas for Every Season

The wonderful world of acrylic nails is home to so many fun and innovative designs. Although they’re frequently associated with extra-long looks, acrylics actually let you can experiment with different lengths and interesting styles, whether you want a short, square French manicure or a set of lengthy, neon-pink, stiletto-shaped nails. The possibilities feel fairly endless (and, at times, overwhelming), but this gallery of 60 images of acrylic nail art ideas can be a guide for your next appointment.

You’ll want to make sure the design is one you love because these types of manicures are long-lasting. Acrylics tend to be harder than gel, nail artist Brittney Boyce previously told Allure. They’re created by mixing a powder (polymer) — usually clear, but the powders come in a range of colors — and a liquid (monomer) into a dough-like consistency that can be filed and molded. From there, a talented nail artist can create whatever your imagination conjures.

And if you’re worried about potential damage to your nails: don’t be. The key to healthy nails with acrylics is proper removal with the right tools (like lots of acetone) and tons of time and patience. (This how-to guide has all the steps for at-home removal.) The right nail technician will be able to care for your natural nails regardless of whether you use acrylic powders, gel polishes, or gel extensions. So peruse this gallery full of acrylic manicures in square, stiletto, coffin, almond, and even lipstick shapes. We’re sure that you’ll be able to find exactly what you need for your next nail appointment.

On the Farm

Cow print has been a super popular nail trend for a while now, but Georgia-based nail artist Sydney Martin demonstrates a new way to incorporate the design. Ditch the usual white and black for a clear base with baby-blue splotches, as seen on these extra-long, tapered, square nails.

Sharp Angles

You may be used to seeing dramatically long acrylic nails, but they don’t always have to be lengthy. Just look at this manicure from Brooklyn-based nail artist Meisty Gawdess. The length is perfect for those who are intimidated by longer styles or live a lifestyle where shorter nails are a must. We love each bright shade she chose to create the angled lines at the tips of this nude, square-shaped set.

Nostalgic Memories

Hello Kitty was a fixture in many of our lives, and Houston-based nail artist Jasmine created a perfect tribute to the fictional character with this neon manicure. She’s known for her ‘90s-influenced designs, which we can definitely see here, especially on those middle and index fingers. We love how the 3D decals, like Hello Kitty’s face, look next to the abstract neon art.

White Out

You can never go wrong with a chalk-white set, like these nails from Durham-based nail artist Kiea Taylor. She elevated the simple set with an encapsulated accent nail on each hand. Look closely and you’ll see the pieces of iridescent and gold glitter flecks.

Mismatched Manis

Painting your nails all one color is so yesterday. Nowadays, people like to play around with different designs on each finger, like this mismatched manicure created by Brooklyn-based Jasmine Lewis. We can’t decide which nail we like the best, but the way she incorporated bright yellow, orange, pink, green, and blue hues is impressive.

Slanted Tips

Cincinnati-based nail artist Myaa Nicole created this gorgeous lipstick-shaped manicure that plays with neon pink, canary yellow, and lavender hues. We like how one hand has swirls that transition between the three shades while the other hand has small blobs of each color. Of course, Nicole had to add some bling, but she switched it up on each hand. One index finger is completely covered in silver caviar jewels while the ring finger on the other hand has silver gems arranged in swirly loops.

The New French Manicure

London-based nail artist Zey is responsible for artfully painting this nude French manicure. These C-curve tips are completely hollow and outlined simply in a tan, white, or brown color. The ring finger has Powerpuff Girls-inspired hearts in a series of similar shades.

Head in the Clouds

Atlanta-based nail artist Jasmine Jones put together this sheer pink manicure with cloudy white details. She also added tiny star details to each nail, plus some 3D jewels, because who doesn’t love a little sparkle? This extremely long manicure has two nail shapes instead of one: The index and pinky fingers have a lengthy stiletto nail, while the middle and ring fingers take on a tapered, square shape.

Sprinkles on Top

These long, square-shaped nails almost look good enough to eat with the chocolate sprinkles and white swirls of polish meant to represent whipped cream. Houston-based nail artist Sophia Rice painted this ice cream-inspired set that started with a light brown acrylic base.

Mix It Up

Brooklyn-based nail artist Zariah Tulloch marbled colored acrylic powders to create this glittery manicure. She added flecks of blue glitters to the swirled creation full of bright, summery shades. 

Cherries on Top

Another French manicure — but this time on an oval-shaped set. U.K.-based manicurist Elisha Emilius created a white, C-curve tip for these medium-length nails. With a dotting tool and a fine detail brush, she added dots of red polish to form the cherries and lines of green for the stems.

New York City-based Alba Marina added colorful neon dots to this nude manicure. The tiny circles increase in size the closer you get to the tips. The square-shaped, medium-length manicure is the perfect style for work if you’re looking for just a touch of color to wake up your nudes.

• There are so many different animal prints to try, like the croc print in this green manicure. The olive hue contrasts well with the lighter lime shade. These long, coffin shape nails belong to Tyra A. Seals, one of the founders of BlkGirlNailfies, where she helps curate a gorgeous Instagram feed of nail selfies, or nailfies, from Black women.
• This swirly, purple, square-shaped manicure was carved by Los Angelos manicurist Đaô Vo. Vo used blooming gel to create this gorgeous marble effect. If you look closely, you’ll notice tiny ripples of gold glitter that almost look like bolts of lightning in clouds.
• Columbus-based nail artist Adorea Rhodes used a water-marbling technique to mix the vibrant colors in this manicure. These nails truly look like a work of art with how expertly the yellow, pink, purple, mint, and orange hues are swirled together.
• We love all the different ways you can mix and match nail designs, like this stunning pink manicure sculpted by Brooklyn-based nail artist Kyla. The thumb and index finger have a swirly pink and white marble design, while the middle finger is covered in tiny jewels. The ring finger has a pink base with loopy white lines, and the pinky stands out with a pure white base and teeny pink eyes.
• Atlanta-based manicurist Eris Ice carved out these lengthy stiletto nails. She really demonstrated her talent here with the clean, sharp shape and the chocolate-brown cow spots that decorate each nail.
• Mississippi-based nail artist Axayla Nashae created this bejeweled acrylic set that looks like it’s fit for royalty. To create the set, she tells Allure she started off with a nude acrylic powder mixed with a shimmer powder for a subtle glitter effect. Then, she added the multicolored gems, including the Gucci logo, on each nail, drawing inspiration from images of Black women’s nails from the ’90s to figure out the placement.
• London-based nail artist Naysap put together this encapsulated freestyle set. Her client picked out a few stickers and glitter acrylic and let the artist go to work. There’s an interesting mix of decals like the green four-leaf clovers, the Rick Sanchez sticker, and the tiny Hello Kitty. The random assortment of stickers works with the various green, blue, and purple shades of glitter to tie this manicure together.
• Bay Area-based nail artist Agatha Mae hand-painted each individual design (five in total) onto these almond-shaped nails. One nail has a black base with a slim, green alien drawn on top. On the next finger is a cow print with a white base and black spots. There’s another animal featured in this mani — a slithering snake drawn in black polish on a peach nail. There’s also a bright yellow smiley face on a cobalt nail, and, for the last design, she used different colors on both nails. One finger has a red base with green, blue, and a darker red polish spread out on the nail; the other hand has a yellow nail with green, red, and blue colors instead.
• Houston-based artist Paige Carthon expertly crafted this bright-yellow manicure. She mixed a few different nail designs here — a French manicure, glitter marble, ombré, and 3D decals, to be exact. Her shaping on this lengthy square set is superb.
• Jasmine truly has mastered adding that ’90s-inspired curve, like she did with this peachy manicure. (She even sells press-ons with the dramatic arch.) We love the slightly glittery finish on all the nails, plus the shimmery, bronze pinky ones. The two brown-and-pink marble index fingers make great accent nails.
• Loopy lines in various shades will always look cute, like this lavender design. We like how Zey added a heart that reaches across the middle and ring fingers. The purple, pink, and white shades look gorgeous laid next to each other.
• Ice painted this 101 Dalmatians-inspired set. We love the long stiletto shape and have a good feeling that one of the most fashionable Disney villains would approve. The addition of the red, heart-shaped gems and the faint red line at the cuticle adds the perfect touch to this animal-print manicure.
• Jelly nails grew in popularity during 2019 and for good reason: They’re super cute and allow you to play around with different colors and styles. This set from Taylor is a clear set with a glitter twist. On one hand, she swirled purple glitter across the nails to create a loopy effect, and she did something similar on the other hand, but with yellow shimmers instead.
• Gawdess bodied this neon manicure that has a different color on each finger. We love how she added tiny eye details on each nail in various outline colors and formations. The way she arranged the eyes into a heart shape on the index finger really takes the cake.
• This set by Lewis has all the retro feels of the glorious ’80s. We’re loving the color palette she used here; the green, lavender, blue, and yellow shades complement each other well. She expertly added in the black and white lines and circles that really make this artwork so retro.
• Where do you even beginning with this colorful neon manicure? Jasmine calls this a ‘90s psychedelic set, and we can totally see why. The explosion of neon shades here works well alongside the hints of leopard print. The pearls and teeny silver gems make stunning 3D accessories for this fire manicure.

• Tulloch encapsulated a mix of opalescent glitters and sequins to form this stiletto manicure. This one is completely see-through so the flecks of blue, purple, and pink glitters are the main star of the show.
• Carthon incorporated a few different animal prints into this long, freestyle manicure. The clear base she chose makes the black designs almost look like stained-glass art on the transparent acrylic. We spot croc, zebra, and leopard prints here.
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