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Add rays of sunshine to your fingertips with these stunning yellow nails! From vibrant lemon hues to soft pastels, discover the perfect shade for your next manicure.
Is there anything better than yellow to brighten up your day? It’s the color of sunshine and happiness, making it the perfect hue to include in any summer outfit, and of course, your manicure.
Whether you prefer a bold and bright yellow or a more subtle shade, there are endless possibilities to create a nail design that feels truly you. From trendy half-and-half designs, to lemon-print manis and daisy details, we’ve featured 30 stunning nail art ideas that are perfect for warm weather.
The Best Yellow Nail Designs To Try
1. Yellow lightning
A misconception of yellow nails is that they can’t be minimal or chic, but a hint of pastel yellow like this is the perfect look. Keep the base color close to your natural color to tie the look together.
2. Sunset Nails
Pink and yellow are reminiscent of a summer sunset. Though summer may not be here yet, keep the vibrancy alive with statement nails like this yellow and pink ombre.
3. floral Fun
Get the nails on Etsy
Floral nails lend themselves to being an accent nail with nearly any nail color. For yellow nails, go for a daisy motif in tones of white and yellow for the perfect dainty manicure.
4. Life in yellow
Some of the best nail art motifs happen to be yellow: smiley faces, lightning bolts, lemons and stars. If you like a funky nail look, why not go for all of the above?
5. A Bug’s Life
Okay, not all bugs belong on a manicure, but the bold black and yellow stripes seen on bees are perfect for a statement yellow manicure.
6. Draped tips
This intricate manicure features a draped blend of yellows, whites, and golds in place of a traditional French manicure, and makes for the perfect vacation manicure.
7. Taste the rainbow
Rainbow manicures can be difficult to get right. Rather than going for every color in the rainbow, focus on your favorite colors, and go for a dainty design as opposed to something bold.
8. blank space
A hollow French manicure looks great if you have long nails, or are open to going for extensions. French manicures look great if you’re going on vacation as regrowth can be camouflaged easily.
9. pastel princess
Yellow and blue aren’t exactly a match made in manicure heaven, but somehow when both are in creamy pastel tones, it works!
10. a bold statement
In the same vein, if you’re open to making a statement, go for a bold mustard-yellow manicure. If not a whole yellow nail, go for a yellow accent on a neutral base color.
11. sunny safari
Black and yellow is a classic color combination. If you’re stuck for nail art inspiration, go for a black statement nail with accents of yellow – like the classic zebra print.
12. Yellow tips
For an easy statement nail, which you don’t need to think too much about, any bright color in replacement of a bright white French tip is sure to be a winner.
13. dainty daisy
Florals are great when paired with a yellow manicure, or yellow French tip. Rather than a bold flower motif, something dainty like this is the perfect in-between.
14. nature-inspired
A yellow and green combination feels authentic and natural, like sunshine and green fields. An ombre of both of these colors is perfect for a warm vacation.
15. minimal manicure
Adding a touch of yellow on top of a classic white French tip is another fantastic summery combination. If this feels too safe go for a floral accent nail like the above.
16. All the colors
The best color to combine with yellow is actually all of them. A combination of many colors like pastel pink and magenta, is a great way to add a statement without being too bold.
17. dusk ’til dawn
Orangy-yellow tones are perfect for the Halloween and fall seasons. Go for a chunky glitter accent nail like the above as the perfect festive season manicure.
18. neon nails
Neon yellow is an underrated manicure color, particularly if you like a bold look. Rather than a block of neon, you can go for hints in a dainty nail art design or a hollow neon French manicure for a funky vacation look.
19. subdued sunshine
A subdued yellow manicure works well alongside a nude or taupe manicure. Either add accents of pale yellow nail art or a mix like the above.
20. citrus chic
A vacation along the Amalfi Coast calls for a citrus manicure, and these make the perfect statement for a summer of La Dolce Vita!
21. a touch of fire
Red nails are the new biggest trend, thanks to Miss Kylie Jenner. If a fully red nail feels too mature, or not fun enough, a touch of red on any manicure color is the perfect option.
22. lemon drop
Much like the citrus manicure, this is a great European vacation nail art look, though this dainty version may be more appropriate for those who aren’t usually so experimental.
23. reverse french
Rather than a basic white and pink French manicure, you can break all the rules and go for two statement colors as your base and tip, creating a fun look like this!
24. DIY daisy
via @pippypolish
Some nail art designs are very easy to create at home, like this daisy floral manicure. Simply use the round end of a bobby pin to create a yellow circle and surround it with white round petals.
25. balloon pop
In the same tone, creating a fun balloon-esque design like this can be done easily with a bobby pin or a nail brush and all your favorite shades of nail polish. If layering up colors, be sure to let the first layer dry properly.
26. creme Brûlée
A burnt top creme brûlée not only makes for a yummy dessert but also a unique nail art design. It is a fun take on the new ‘aura’ nail art design taking over TikTok and Pinterest and can be recreated with any combination of colors.
27. creamy chrome
Yellow chrome is underrated, but the reflective tones in the color lend themselves to this metallic manicure.
28. Sparkle season
Gemstone nail art isn’t super popular as trends steer towards minimal ‘clean girl’ aesthetics. Multicolored stones are, however, returning in popularity when paired with neutral base colors.
29. cracked gold
This manicure is reminiscent of Kintsugi. This is a Japanese repair technique using gold to fill in cracks, giving a new lease of life to an otherwise useless item.
30. ice spice
Icy blue is going to be all the rage this winter, and paired with creamy tones of pastel yellow, it’s the perfect mix of hot and cold.
Did you find a few favorites in this post? We hope you did!
