77 Crazy and Cool Ideas for Long Nail Designs to Embrace

Long nails may be intimidating to some people, but to us they’re just a fun blank canvas waiting to be turned into something gorgeous. Whether you currently have long nails, are thinking about growing them out, or considering nail extensions, we’ve rounded up some of the best nail designs for long nails that will turn your next manicure into a talking point and trending Instagram post. !

A traditional French manicure focuses on white tips or whatever color you prefer. But this reverse French manicure is ideal for long nails. After applying a base coat, you’ll need to use stickers to cover the moons on your cuticle and then paint the rest of your nails with the color of your choice.

The French manicure is a nail art classic for a reason: it’s relatively easy to do and has a timeless style. But show it off with this unique twist that combines long nail designs with a dizzying French manicure. Instead of drawing the tips in a straight line like you normally would, you’ll let the tips shoot out into something that looks like dripping paint.

If the idea of using only two colors of nail polish to create nail art sounds limiting, think again. This gorgeous long nail design manages to create three inverted floral nail designs and two marble effects with just two colors.

Seriously, if someone tells you that the French manicure concept is exhausted, tell them to take several seats. Here, long nails are painted with a neutral blush as a base color and then a variety of pastels are used to create a unique line art that mimics the same effect as a French manicure, but in a more modern concept.

If you prefer the idea of an accent nail, then this look is great to try out or for your favorite nail artist to replicate. While most long nails are left a single color (white in this case), the ring finger and thumb sport a design that relies on negative space. To create contrast, add nail stickers for added interest.

17. Playing with texture

There are many ways to have fun with long nail designs and one of them is to play with texture. While most nail polishes provide a nice glossy finish, using a matte top coat can help create visual interest, especially when not all nails come out shiny or matte. Here three of the four nails are matte and have a different shade to enhance that contrast.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few fashion seasons, you know that ferns and botanical-inspired designs are all the rage. With long nails, you can recreate that literal green thumb thanks to all that extra space you have. To make the leaves the stars of the show, use a neutral base color like soft pink, taupe, or beige. And if this seems too complicated to achieve as a freehand design, look for nail decals to recreate this look.

Marble and rose gold are two design schemes and concepts that have been in vogue for a while now and have shown no signs of cooling down. These gorgeous long nail designs combine a soft pink marble design with rose gold foil accents for a striking and unique manicure.

Ombre nails are still a hot trend, but we love the way they are created. First, long nails are filed into a stiletto shape. A neutral base is then applied before using the ombre effect to add a warm, sunny yellow to the ends. For the final effect, a matte top coat is applied.

If you love Marimekko’s designs and want to see them translated into the world of nail art, you can’t go wrong with this long nail design. While nail moons are left with just a base coat, bold artwork is painted on the rest of the nail for a unique effect.

We can’t have enough gold foil. While it takes some time to master (pun intended) the art of gold foiling as a step in a manicure, it’s worth the effort. Here, long acrylic stiletto nails are intentionally left clear and then gold foil is applied before setting them with a top coat.

While sharp designs are great, we also love long nails with abstract art. Here a range of earthy tones are layered for a cool ombre effect before additional outlines in a darker tone are added for visual interest.

This long nail design is a fun option that might be easier for people who aren’t as effective at freehand nail art. The nails are filed into an oval shape and a transparent base color is applied. The stickers are combined with drops of eye-catching neon hues to create a fun New Wave effect.

Just because you don’t like flashy shades on your long nails doesn’t mean you should do without a flashy manicure. Here, long stiletto nails are paired with a neutral base coat before simple black symbols are added to each nail. If drawing those symbols freehand sounds intimidating, opt for stickers.

Long matte nails are a cool concept and still attract attention because most of us are used to seeing high gloss nails. Here the almond-shaped nails are painted with a neutral base color such as off-white. Drops of color are then added in a range of pastel and jewel tones before small dots of black are painted with a fine tip brush.

You can’t go wrong with a diverse set of 10 long nails. And this is especially true if you’re the type who struggles to commit to one design for all of your nails. Go crazy, have fun and choose a variety of shades, patterns and designs, as seen here.

We love how this long nail manicure looks! While each finger reflects the design of the corresponding finger, on the other hand, we love what happens with the ring fingers. While a single eye dominates the right ring finger, a pair of patterned eyes sit on the left ring finger.

If you have a favorite hobby like a sport, why not declare it to the world? These long nails are shaped like a stiletto and then a marble effect is created with neon and pastel tones. But what sets it off is the fact that this manicure client has the world “golf” written all over her fingers.

Seriously, simply adding a matte top coat can often be enough to make your long nails stand out from everyone else’s. But if you want to go further, pair a neutral base color with some wavy nail art – the more abstract, the better. And then finish with that matte top coat for something that looks like it should be displayed in a museum.

This long nail manicure is giving us robin’s egg vibes, probably because of the ring finger and thumb. But this is another easy and fun manicure that you can do yourself. After laying down the base pastel shades, use stickers for the text art or brad strips for the lines. Then follow up with random black dots using a fine tip brush and finish with a matte top coat.

If you love the American Southwest, this interesting long nail design is perfect for you. The fun set relies on a matte top coat for the final effect, but combines warm, earthy tones with vivid designs that channel the indigenous people of the American Southwest.

Who says you can’t have fun with bold shades? In this fun long nail design, bold neon and tropical tones combine to create marbled and defined designs. We also love animal thumb art.

We can’t get enough of matte nail art because it stands out from the standard options. In this manicure, long nails are given an oval shape before individual colors are added to two nails on each hand. All of the other nails feature a bold design that looks like it came straight from MOMA.

For people who always need to be surrounded by greenery, this is the perfect manicure for them. Long nails are shaped into an almond shape before creating a negative space design to create contrast between the nail bed and the rest of the painted nail. Finish with a high gloss top coat.

If you love the idea of big floral designs on your nails, this is the look for you. Long nails are shaped into a stiletto shape and then a neutral base color is applied to the entire nail. Large floral designs are created on each nail and then soft yellow dots are added at the end, almost as if to imply that there are fireflies flying among the flowers!

If you love floral motifs for your nail art, you don’t necessarily have to do it on every nail. We like that this style creates visual interest by only adding floral designs on two of the long nails. The rest remains with the initial white base color.

You can’t go wrong with a pink manicure. Once again we are obsessed with the matte texture and the fact that two of the five nails are a single tone. Use stickers to replicate the nail art if you try it at home!

We can’t get enough of these fun 3D gummy bear inspired long nails. This cute design features word polka dots and even a 3D gummy bear accent on the thumb.

If life is a bowl of cherries, why not show it to the world through your manicure? Here, the long nails are oval shaped and painted with a neutral base color. Bunches of cherries are then painted on for a fun manicure that is sure to start a conversation.

French manicures will always be a hit, especially if you incorporate unique designs and colors. So of course this is one of our fan favorites. A neutral base is applied to all long nails before five unique neon shades are applied to the nails only as outlines for the tips. Tips are left open to put a new spin on a classic nail design.

Long nails give you plenty of room to be creative. We love this simple but cute floral option that combines warm tones like yellow and orange with two cute floral print accent nails.

Flowers and negative space pair perfectly with this long nail art. We love how only a base coat is added on select nails, while others are partially painted with a base coat of a calming mint green. But the stars of the show are those beautiful flowers that will make you feel like it’s spring every day.

If the thought of drawing intricate designs on your long nails overwhelms you, then nail wraps are the perfect alternative. We love the floral negative space design shown here with lots of warm, bold tones like red and yellow.

If what you like is to combine your long nail designs with the seasons, this is the perfect option for winter. A simple design combines negative space with a variety of snowflake shapes to create a look that will have everyone wishing for snow.

Who doesn’t love ice cream or a glass of cold lemonade? These long nails are divine with a fun tricolor design that combines a sky blue pinky and thumb with three accent nails. The details have a matte texture and feature a splatter paint design beneath easy-to-apply stickers.

Ferns are all the rage these days and you can find them on everything from clothing to home decor and even nails. We love that these long nails are treated with a white base coat before hand painting leaves on each one. And we love that some nails offer a double design with an outline leaf sticker on top of the vibrantly painted leaf.

If you’re obsessed with all things ballet, this is the manicure for you. The long nails are shaped into stiletto heels and then painted a soft pink. Beautiful scenes are hand painted on each nail and accented with black dots before a matte top coat is applied.

Who says you can’t mix nail shapes? This unique look will attract attention as most of the long nails are square shaped while the two middle fingers are almond shaped. Take advantage of the square shape by applying a French manicure, but then play with almond shapes with this original coconut nail art.

We’re really in love with the concept of double accent nails, which is why we’re showing you this fun kiwi-inspired look. Long nails are oval in shape. While the two accent nails feature funky kiwi art, the rest are painted a bold lime green with a matte finish.

If you love the concept of color block nail designs, this is the manicure for you. Long nails are shaped into ovals and then nail stickers and tape are used to create this fun varied design.

Who says you can’t have fun with colors? While this long nail design may take some time to do yourself, we like that the oval nails are paired with a neutral base coat and then finished off with a fun splatter paint design. Eye-catching neon yellow, orange, pink and purple are combined with stickers and set with a matte top coat.

Everyone loves fruit, but people also love a good color block. In this long nail manicure, bold teal and pink contrast with neutral nails accented with stickers in the same vibrant shades.

Nail art should be fun. We love the look of these long nails that are based on a simple color palette of neon yellow, black, and a neutral blush. Nail tape is used to create geometric shapes and then the nails are accented with fun stickers with text and images.

Creating a masterpiece from a single main color may seem like a challenge, but the manicure of these long nails proves that it is possible. A pink-toned manicure relies on a soft blush pink as a base and then uses pink-themed stickers and black accents to create the perfect manicure.

If you feel like your heart belongs to the 80s, this is the manicure you need. New Wave meets long, bold nail designs thanks to the stiletto shape, geometric design and fun decorative stickers.

Floral and botanical nail art is in trend. Here, long nails are given a square shape and then three nails are selected as accents. But while the pinky nail is painted a warm olive shade, the rest is painted white, and the two middle fingers have leaf stickers.

What’s not to love about this cute manicure that combines textures and artwork in one look? Here, the long nails are oval in shape and only the thumb and index finger are painted green. But the excitement is in the accent nails that look like grass growing on a neutral background. For a bold effect, limit accent nails to just one coat.

If you can’t choose between a non-traditional French manicure, floral or fruity nail art, why not go for all three? Here, long nails are given an oval shape with a plaid-style French manicure in a variety of shades on each finger. Flowers and cherries are then added to create an interesting combination of artwork.

Just because you get a French manicure doesn’t mean you have to limit your nail art. Here, long nails are given an oval shape and then a gold metallic glitter is applied to the tips only. Complete it with simple black eye stickers.

Non-traditional French manicure will never go out of style. We love the gingham check on these long nails and the pretty floral details on each one.

We’re not going to lie, gold foil can be difficult to apply on your nails. But once you get it (all puns intended), it’s worth the effort. Here, the long nails are shaped like stilettos and given a blush pink base color. A sheet of gold leaf is applied randomly and then set with a shiny top coat.

If you like art, then this manicure is perfect for you. Long nails are shaped into an oval and given a neutral base coat. Using a freehand approach, create a unique variety of faces and shapes that will look just like you pulled them from your favorite impressionist artist.

We’re obsessed with nail artists who can create bold, unique looks simply by using a small collection of colors. Here, blush pink works as a backdrop for long nail designs that are accented with a variety of browns and tans to create flowers, bees, hearts and dots.

We can’t get enough of the fun impressionist-style faces seen on these long nails. A blush pink background peeks out and contrasts with the black and white dots and the cute cactus on the index finger.

Everyone loves the way geodes look. And if you are obsessed with them, this nail art will be perfect for you. The long nails are shaped like ovals and unique geode shades are applied using a combination of gold leaf and even real crushed amethyst.

When you can’t choose just one color, a fun mosaic nail art like this one is the perfect option. Here, the long nails are shaped into ovals and then a mix of burgundy, pink, grey, navy and white are combined together with gold leaf accents for a truly unique manicure.

Not everyone has the patience to sit down and apply some of the more intricate long nail designs we’ve featured. So when in doubt, opt for a French manicure with a twist. Here black tips are applied on long nails that are oval shaped. Chunky glitter is then applied just to the tips for a fun touch to a classic manicure.

If you love playing with color but also enjoy the appeal of a neutral nail, this is the manicure for you. The nails are shaped into an oval and a neutral base color is applied. Bold tropical shades are then applied to each nail while mimicking brush strokes. Add additional black lines for accent.

Thanks to Coco Chanel, everyone knows that black and pink go together like peas and carrots. Here, long nails can be shaped into an oval and then given a soft pink base coat. Whether freehand or with stickers, create fun designs on each nail using black nail polish.

If you liked the Non-Mani manicure but not the added black details, then this will be perfect for you. Long nails are given an oval shape and a soft neutral base coat is applied. So this time, just add the neon tones and skip the black details.

These long nails give us total ’80s vibes with a color palette that looks straight from the set of The Golden Girls . Seafoam and pink combine with pops of bold gold to create a totally stunning, geometric-inspired manicure.

Neon nails are great, but they’re not always easy for everyone to wear. This neon variation shapes long nails into ovals and then applies a soft pink base coat. Then, the fun striped artwork is based on a neon gradient effect to create a fun and playful manicure.

We are in love with this fun botanical-inspired design. Long nails are given an oval shape and soft pastel base colors are applied. But the star of this manicure is the pretty aloe vera stems that are painted on select nails for a bold touch.

When freehand isn’t realistic for you, stamp art is definitely the way to go. Here, the nail artist shapes long nails into ovals and then uses art stamps to create an original manicure with a color palette made of white, neon yellow and black.

Thumbs typically don’t get a lot of love in nail art images. But this time, that’s not the case. Long nails are given an oval shape and painted in a variety of shades. The star of the show, the thumb, is given a neutral background and then a beautiful woman wearing sunglasses is painted over it. For maximum effect, opt for a matte top coat.

For the person who is obsessed with animals, this is a fun manicure to try. The long nails are given an oval shape and then the first three fingers are treated as decorative nails. Add some bold neon yellow doodles before creating a freehand drawing of animal outlines. Of course, if the freehand isn’t your friend, opt for stickers!

Long nail designs are gorgeous, but anyone who cares about their manicures knows that the longer your nails are, the more likely they are to crack, split, or break. So what can you do to make sure your perfect 10 stays pristine?

By default, the longer your nails are, the more likely they are to get dirt under them. We have all seen someone walking with dirty nails; It’s not pretty, it’s incredibly unhygienic, and a great way to introduce bacteria into your life.

In addition to washing your hands regularly (which everyone should do), don’t forget to clean under your nails to remove visible dirt. Whether you opt for a damp cotton swab or a dedicated toothbrush, be sure to gently scrub under your nails to remove stubborn dirt.

By default, we all use our hands for everything from typing and scrolling on our phones to opening items. Therefore, it is not surprising that with constant exposure to the elements, your nails can take a beating. Make it a point to routinely file and shape your nails. This not only helps improve the look of your long nails, but also protects you from accidentally scratching yourself with a sharp, broken nail.

Cutting cuticles also increases the risk of introducing bacteria and fungi. Therefore, it is best to avoid trimming them and opt to push the cuticles back with an orange stick or a stainless steel tool. Or, you can invest in a product designed to gently dissolve cuticles.

Whenever you’re going to push back your cuticles, be sure to soak your nails first to soften them. It is best to soak your nails for three to five minutes to soften them properly. And while we’re at it…

Mouth or picking your nails by hand is not a smart strategy for grooming your nails. When you use your mouth to bite your nails or cuticles, there’s a good chance you could increase your exposure to bacteria or fungi. Whether you get bacteria from your mouth onto your hands or the other way around, just don’t do it!

Be sure to sterilize your tools before each use. A good option is to use isopropyl alcohol that is at least 70% alcohol or more. Soak a cotton ball in isopropyl alcohol and thoroughly clean all surfaces of your manicure tools. Also, clean your tools after you finish grooming your nails.

Decide the type of shape you want to use for your nails. There are a few main nail shapes: almond, stiletto, square, rounded, rounded square and oval. Of course, there are variations of almond and stiletto, such as ballet or coffin nails. But consider your lifestyle and determine the shape that will be easiest for you to maintain and use regularly without inhibiting your activities.

Choose a nail file that has grit to shape your nails, but is not too harsh. Remember, the grit you use to file your toenails will be different than your fingernails.

Nail files come in a variety of options, including glass files, nail files, and metal files. Most manicurists recommend softer files instead of glass files because glass files can be too hard. Instead, opt for a soft grit to reduce the risk of tearing or splitting your nails.

Next, work on your filing technique. While a sawing action may seem like the obvious choice, don’t do it! Sawing can cause the nail to chip. Instead, file in one direction with long, quick, smooth strokes. However, if you are trying to file your nails to a significantly shorter length, start with a nail clipper to remove excess length and then refine the shape with a nail file.

Don’t forget to buff your nails to smooth out any dents or ridges that your nail file may not have been able to effectively remove.

Long, healthy nails require a two-part regimen. In addition to making sure they look aesthetically pleasing, you should maintain a nail care routine that focuses on external and internal habits.

Externally, invest in a good cuticle oil to keep your cuticles and nail beds hydrated. Use the oil daily for best results. And while you may be tempted to invest in an expensive cuticle oil, you can also use a simple option like jojoba oil or vitamin E every night before bed.

For the internal routine, look at your diet. Adding biotin or a daily hair, skin, and nails vitamin can be a great way to keep those claws looking great, especially if you find your nails are brittle or break or peel frequently. But also review your diet to include vitamin B9, which is beneficial for nails. You can find B9 in folic acid, a nutrient that is naturally available in foods like beans and whole grains.

And consider adding nutrient-dense foods like leafy green vegetables, oily fish like salmon, as well as lean meats, avocados, and eggs.

If you have brittle nails that crack or peel, then you should invest in a keratin nail treatment like a nail strengthener. These brush-on clear coat polishes can give your nails the strengthening they need to go the distance.

A beautiful chip-free manicure may be your goal, but you need to think deeper. Polishes full of harsh ingredients could contribute to thin, brittle or weak nails. Look for brighteners that are specifically labeled “free from.” Common options include 10 free, 3 free, and even 13 free. What does “free from” mean? It means that many of the common harsh chemical ingredients of the past, such as formaldehyde, are not included.

Just as you should think about the ingredients in your nail polish, be careful with the nail polish remover you use. Your long nails will thank you for avoiding removers that contain high amounts of acetone. While acetone is incredibly effective at quickly removing stubborn polish, it can also dry out your nails and cause them to peel, flake, and split.

Whether you’re sporting the latest manicure trend or simply want to preserve the length of your nails, avoid exposing them to situations that could cause damage. This includes washing dishes with bare hands.

Also, invest in a good hand cream and moisturize your hands regularly throughout the day. Don’t forget to pay special attention to your cuticles while applying the moisturizer to your skin.

Photos via @overglowedit, @buffcsjen, Instagram