30 spring nail looks for the perfect new-season manicure

Check out our current favourite manicure designs ahead of your next salon trip…

Content Writer

On 5 April 20245 Apr 2024, 19:11 BST

The customary post-salon snap honestly hits different now that the sun is beginning to emerge.

Spring has officially sprung, which means a mani refresh is in order. In keeping with the season's air of optimism, soft, cheery tips, chrome finishes, and super cute florals are some of the trend frontrunners, vying for a place on our nail radar.

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Glossy finishes are still doing the rounds, excellent news for devout minimalists as this look can be easily achieved with a high-shine top coat layered over the top of a neutral shade. Mimicking the jammy glisten of the makeup classic, lip gloss nails work with your natural nails as the base, featuring a semi-sheer pink tint.

Spring florals? Hardly ground-breaking, as fictional fashion royalty Miranda Priestly rightly pointed out, but perhaps the milk bath trend can convince you otherwise. According to Beauty Pie's annual trend report, search interest in this particular nail design, defined by a creamy translucence, often with a floral element, is up by +286%.

Mesmerising chrome finishes are also having a moment with searches for lavender and nude colourways having risen by +369% and +128% respectively. Chrome powder, made up of ultra-fine glass, metal and pigment, is still a super popular add-on salon request. It is extremely versatile as it can be buffed into a wealth of shades for instant impact, and the level of subtlety can either be amped up or dialled down, in line with your preferences.

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Hello! Fashion shares the best spring nail ideas to recreate this season:

Daisy Nails

Whimsical and distinctly spring-appropriate, a daisy-inspired mani is a great choice if you're into pretty, classic blooms. Trend forecasters at discount platform Wethrift analysed Pinterest search volume data and found that interest in this look is up by +1750%.

Daisy nails feel in line with the mood of the season, but there's also scope for experimentation. The flower head can be combined with verdant stem detailing or featured in a half design, with a focus on the delicacy of the petals.

Aura Nails

Inspired by energy fields and spirituality, aura nails are definitely the most vibey nail trend of 2024. With a hazy, diffused appearance, the look features a base shade with a blurred orb of colour in the centre.

The effect can be achieved either via an airbrush or a sponge to achieve the soft-focus coloured edges.

Lavender Chrome

Chrome is one of those nail trends that is still building momentum at the moment, despite having been huge last year. The brilliant thing about a beautiful, iridescent powder that is can be super subtle, appreciated fully only when held up to the light.

Lavender consistently creeps back up on our shade radar around this time of year, but when paired with chrome, it presents a slightly more futuristic, fantastical feel than classic pearly pink.

Spring Florals

Basic? Perhaps a little. But there's no need to apologise. This spring we're utterly spoilt for choice when it comes to super cute floral designs, meaning there are heaps of bloom-inspired options that feel fresh and modern rather than twee and overdone.

Lean into slender stems and pretty tulip motifs, otherwise if you don't want to limit your look to one particular type of flower, a pastel assortment with metallic framing can look really lovely.

Milk Bath Nails

Another vote for a muted colour palette comes in the form of milk bath nails. The translucent effect is minimalist and often finished with floral detailing – richly reminiscent of a dried petal-strewn bath, hence the name.

For low-maintenance girlies, this super forgiving trend is a godsend – especially if you choose a base shade that is similar to your natural nail plate so that growth will be virtually imperceptible.

Pastel Tips

Pastels are a bona fide spring classic, and for "good reason", according to Swiss nailcare brand Mavala's nail expert Lynn Mason. "After wearing dark shades all winter long, a lighter hue is sure to make your hands feel fresher for spring." She predicts minty blue and pale purple will be popular this year, as well as soft, baby pink, "a winner for the clean, feminine feel".

As for pastel designs, slim-line versions of the French mani are set to be huge. "The classic white will be switched for a pop of colour for spring/summer – the perfect way of transitioning into the brighter months," Herefordshire-based manicurist and content creator Amy Burvill previously told Hello! Fashion.

Nude Chrome

Luxe minimalism was all over the agenda last year, both in fashion and beauty, and that extends to our nail game.

Manicurists are jazzing up skin tone-adjacent hues – milky brown, powdery pink, earthy olive and the like – with iridescent chrome for pretty luminosity.

Strawberry Nails

Juicy and super sweet, strawberry nails are the fruity nail trend you didn't even know you needed in your life. Hailey Bieber, poster girl for last summer's stratospheric 'Strawberry Girl' aesthetic, championed the berry motif mani, and the look is set to make a reappearance for SS24.

From three-dimensional seeded texture and impossibly accurate naturalistic takes to micro strawbs, there's an option to suit all tastes.

Coquette

The hyper-feminine coquette aesthetic took TikTok by storm, and going hand in hand with fluttery lashes and a blush overload are the super saccharine nail looks.

Bows, hearts and pearls aplenty, this trend lends itself to a three-dimensional aspect. Maximalists, go wild.

Red

Energising scarlet hues were spotted all over the SS24 runways, and this season's hottest hue has now infiltrated the salons. "Red is having a major moment right now and it’s only going to continue," nail tastemaker Julia Diogo previously told Hello! Fashion.

Pure, unsaturated colour works beautifully both with neat, unfussy lengths and longer almond shapes.

Spring Texture

A spring-themed tactile element can be super striking if you're looking to make a statement. Raised dots and petals in pastel hues give the classic seasonal colour palette a whole new dimension, literally.

Alternatively, take your cues from the runways and opt for three-dimensional blooms, perhaps even with dew-soaked detailing.

Lip Gloss Nails

Ultra-shiny top coats layered over neutral base shades to create the ultimate gleamy effect are still high up on the agenda for SS24.

Manicurist Dian Mitchell finds that among her clientele, the juicy, high-shine finish reigns supreme. "Super glossy nails – the lip gloss manicure for example – will continue to be popular, along with 'Blush Nails', a very popular aesthetic in Korean and Japanese manicures," she previously told Hello! Fashion.

Olive

Categorically chic, olive brings more warmth than some of its other green shade counterparts. It's earthy, but not too subdued that it feels out of place for spring.

Block olive is versatile, a stellar choice if you're after a non-showy, luxe mani that can seamlessly align with a variety of dress codes.

Oyster Nails

Off the back of the mermaidcore trend comes a different manicure look, inspired by another area of marine life, though no less fanciful.

Oyster nails give you freedom to choose – no rules, you can lean into maximalist embellishment with micro pearls and metallic beads, or simply let a splash of iridescence act as the focal point.

Balletcore

Raise the barre and hop on the balletcore trend this spring with blush pinks, opalescent white and pearl accents.

But for the main event, bows are key. Statement takes have much in common with the coquette trend, but the distinction lies in the fact that balletcore feels daintier, and the inclusion of slipper motifs, complete with lace-up ties.