Did you know that the average woman spends over $1,300 on manicures every year?

There's no denying that we Americans love our nails! From cute french tips to long, witchy acrylics, there seems to be a style for everyone, too.

But, with so many options knowing what to pick can be hard. If you're looking to start creating your own mini works of art on your nails or are looking for inspiration to take to your manicurist, you're in the right place!

Here are our best nail art picks for 2021. 

Branded Nails

A growing trend today in nail art design is paying tribute to luxury brands using their iconic logos. In doing this, you can choose a simple or neutral color palette using non-toxic nail polish. You can then decorate the nail tips with a French manicure and add logo decals. With limited space, you may consider using small logos such as Louis Vuitton’s ‘LV’ or short designer names like Gucci.

Gold in Natural Nails

Another sophisticated way to do nail art is to add gold designs to a neutral base. If you’re skilled enough, you can draw the designs. Alternatively, you can use decals to create interesting patterns. Consider Aztec-inspired designs, hearts, stars, or flowers.

Metallic Dots

This look is for all the minimalistic nail art lovers out there, and we think you'll be impressed! The style blends a cute design, simple colors, and metallics for a look that's totally chic.

To start, choose a simple, understated base color - something a little sheer is a great option. If you're stuck, opt for a sheer pink that'll just give your nails a dash of color and plenty of shine. Then, grab a black and a white polish, as well as a metallic polish.

The metallic color could be anything, but make sure it goes with your base color! For a fashionable, sophisticated look opt for a gold or silver. For something a little more fun, why not choose a girly rose gold?

Use the colors to create three small dots on the top left corner of your nails, one dot in each color. Do the same on the bottom right. Finish with a slick of topcoat for a glossy finish, and you're good to go!

Modern Color Palette

This option is great for those who aren’t so confident with their nail polish brush skills. To do a modern color palette art design on your nails, choose at least three colors to paint on different nails. To avoid choosing clashing colors, you can select colors from one side of the color-wheel. 

Bold Colors and Negative Space

If you're looking for super modern nail art designs, start playing around with negative space. This is when your natural nail is used as part of the design, breaking up areas of color. It's a super cool look that's very on-trend right now!

To create yours, pick a bold color, like a deep red or duck egg blue. Create an idea for your negative space look, like one block of color on the top half of your nail, and one thin strip on the bottom half that leaves your natural nail showing through. Paint your look, finish with a topcoat, and instantly create runway-worthy nails at home. 

Marbled Pastels

When it comes to the best nail art of 2021, how could we not mention marble? Marble nails have been a style staple of the past few years such as much as clip-in hair extensions and nude lips have been, and they're definitely here to stay! To create your marble look, pick a muted pastel color and dip your nail brush in acetone before applying.

But, we're all about fun nails, and there are ways you can make your marble nails stand out even more. One idea that we love is mattifying your marbles with a matte topcoat. You could also embellish your nails with gold leaf, adding a super luxe feel to your finished look. 

Cute Daisies

If you prefer nails that are more cute than killer, there are plenty of designs out there for you! One that's going to be all the rage in 2021 is the daisy design, which is incredibly adorable and very girly.

Start with a muted beige nude that's super soft and milky; this will be your base color. Then, use a bold white polish to create petals coming in at the edge of your nails. These should be at most half of a full flower to maintain a stylish look while keeping that cuteness.

Once the petals are dry, use a dotting tool to add a little gold dot to the center of each flower. Adorable!

Slanted French Tips

When it comes to nail art ideas, anything that's a variation on the classic french tip is bound to become a winner. This year, it's all about slanting the iconic look.

This style looks best on longer nails, so consider adding acrylic nails over your own before applying polish. Nails with a larger tip, like coffin style, also work better than pointed tips. 

Add your base color - if you're in need of inspiration, opt for a brown-hued nude. Wait for it to dry before creating a line from the top left corner to just below the right corner, creating a vertical slant like a ski slope. Fill in the space between this line and the edge of your nail for a fun yet sophisticated french tip!

Color Palette Tips

Another way to add some life to the tips of your nails is with this color palette gradient look. Start by painting your tips in one color, like a grassy green. Below, paint a thin line in a darker green, and one below that in white. It's a super-easy way to create instantly stylish nails!

You can also tie this look into the negative space trend by leaving the rest of your nail polish-free (apart from a topcoat, of course). Play around with abstract tips, too, creating different shapes on each nail for a fun look. This style works with a range of colors; simply start with a light tone, add the same color in a darker tone beneath, and finish with white!

Colorful Nails

This kind of nail art will remind you of art class. Simply add paint splatter on the corners of your nails. You can use a rainbow of colors to your design. Using different colors on a natural or nude base will make it look balanced. You can use a fine nail polish brush to create these paint splatters. This design is both easy and fun!

Make 2021 the Best Nail Art Year

The best nail art doesn't have to be incredibly complicated, covered in gems, or super bold and bright; sometimes, the simplest styles are actually the best. Simple nail art looks chic and works for everyday life, making it far easier to pull off. The next time you sit down to paint your nails, why not try one of these looks and see what you think?

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