10 Stylish Nail Designs for Short Nails
Not everyone likes, can maintain, or even can have long nails. Short nails are easier to manage and easier to hide a chip or break, as well as easier to keep healthy. Just because someone prefers short nails doesn’t mean that they can’t have gorgeous nail art anyway.
Not to mention, it’s a fun pastime with visible results worth showing off to design nice nails. They can also really tie together a look or help keep a little bit of personality and joy in an otherwise drab workday. Keep reading for ideas on designing short, stylish nails.
Which Nail Design is Ideal for Short Nails?
Long nails get the perk of having a lot of workable space on each finger. This in turn means that they can do some really wild and crazy things. Trying to do that on short nails will simply overpower them. This doesn’t mean that all short nails have to be boring and flat, just that they can’t have as much.
Style is a personal thing. Too much or too little of anything that isn’t really owned by the person wearing it is going to look awkward no matter what anyone tried to say otherwise. Therefore, the most important part of finding what nail design is best is to find what sparks joy to their owners.
Get the full scoop on Kylie Jenner’s nails in this article and find the perfect design and shape to make your nails look longer!
How Do You Make Designs on Your Nails?
Designs on nails can be done with a variety of methods. Each style is likely to have its own method to accomplish and will take some practice to get it looking good. Just give it patience and have fun with it and the designs will fall into place.
Here are some ways designs can be made on short fingernails:
- Tiny paint brushes
- Press-on nail stickers
- Acrylic nails
- Sponges
- Water dips
- Blending of styles
This doesn’t have to be done alone or cost a lot either. It makes for a great time with friends and family to sit back and try to relax. Bonus to the fact that it ends up with some really fun nails to show off later.
How Long Does it Take to Get Certified in Brow Lamination?
Designs on nails can be done with a variety of methods. Each style is likely to have its own method to accomplish and will take some practice to get it looking good. Just give it patience and have fun with it and the designs will fall into place.
Here are some ways designs can be made on short fingernails:
- Tiny paint brushes
- Press-on nail stickers
- Acrylic nails
- Sponges
- Water dips
- Blending of styles
This doesn’t have to be done alone or cost a lot either. It makes for a great time with friends and family to sit back and try to relax. Bonus to the fact that it ends up with some really fun nails to show off later.
Are Short Nails in Style?
Short nails are always in style. Not everyone can manage the care it takes to maintain long nails either due to work, fragility, or simply personal preference. Thankfully, that doesn’t stop someone from being able to rock stylish nails.
They help with personal expression in otherwise drab environments, give a creative outlet, and can even help in the overall health of the nails themselves. Not to mention, anyone who takes care of their nails will ultimately look more like they’re taking care of themselves than someone who doesn’t, and that’s good for just about any situation.
Get some nail design ideas for short nails before you start your adventure here!
10 Stylish Nail Designs for Short Nails
While it’s tempting to think that short nails can’t be as stylish as that person with the gloriously long nails, it can’t be further from the truth. They might not have as much workable space, but that also means that there isn’t as much space to maintain, worry about chipping, or scuffing during normal activities. Here are ten awesome ideas for super stylish short nails.
1.
Water Marble
Water marbling nails is a fun way to paint them, as long as a mess and inconsistencies are alright. It can take a few tries to get right, but when they’re done, they are sure to attract attention.
Here’s a quick rundown of how to water marble fingernails:
- Fill a shallow bowl with lukewarm water
- Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the fingers to keep the polish from sticking
- Avoid the nail
- Go further up the finger than might be expected
- Make sure to get the bottom of the finger too
- Get enough polish on the brush so that it will drip
- Drip polish into the water
- Alternate colors
- Make it wide enough that 3-4 fingers theoretically would fit in at once
- Take a toothpick or other thin utensil to slightly swirl, blend, or push the colors in on themselves
- Be quick but not enough to disturb too much of the water otherwise the polish will get bubbly.
- Wait a few seconds
- Slightly dip fingernails into the floating polish
- This part is the hardest part and may take a few tries to figure it out.
- Don’t go too deep into the water or the polish won’t stick to the nail.
- Do one finger at a time, no matter how tempting multiples are.
- If the polish has become slightly filmy, flip fingers over so that it lays flat across the nail. It will be fine once it dries.
- Go quickly but not so much that it will disturb the water too much.
- It should be possible to do an entire hand before needing to redo the polish for the other hand.
- Wipe off the polish from skin
- It should be really easy to do with a cotton swab if petroleum jelly was on the spot first.
Using higher quality polish typically works better than lower quality as it has more substance to it. If wanting to use a glittery polish, try to use ones with small flecks. The bigger ones tend to be pretty heavy in practice.
2.
Accent Nail
One of the most classic designs which works great for short nails is to have a single accent nail. This can be on one hand or both, but the point is that one nail is different than the others.
Here are some ideas for that accent nail:
- Glitter
- Jewel
- Sticker
- Ribbon
- Complex design
- Animal print
- Something seasonal
- Flower
The best part about only doing an accent nail is that it won’t become tiresome after getting through every finger. Only one or two have to be done so they can be as over the top or complex as desired without worrying if the other 8-9 fingers are going to match.
3.
Press-on Nail Stickers
Stickers exist for nails that can add a little jewel or little designs without needing a ton of artistic talent. These can be used to create an accent nail or to put more complex designs than would otherwise be possible and are about as simple to apply as a package of false nails. They’re easiest to apply with a pair of tweezers, not to mention it keeps skin oils away from the adhesive, so they’ll stick better and longer.
4.
Polka Dot
Polka dot designs are simple and easy to do. All it takes is the preferred color of polish and to dab little dots across the nail. This can usually even be done with the built-in brush, but for different styles, a paintbrush might need to be used.
Here are some ideas for some killer polka dot nails:
- Have a contrasting color solid background
- Vary the sizes of the dots
- Multicolored dots
- Many colors on one finger
- Each finger a different color
- Sparkly dots on a matte background
- Matte dots on a sparkly background
This is a pretty classic style all around and makes for such a fun little design without a lot of effort or skill. Covering them at the end with some clear polish can really help if the texture is an issue too.
5.
Floral
Floral designs on nails are almost as classic as a simple French Dip. Not to mention they can be really simple to make with a tiny brush and a few colors. Simply dab dots into a flower shape and voila! Cute little flowers adorning the fingernails. This trick can also be used to make a snowflake effect too.
Alternatively, for someone with a lot of skill, florals can be delicately painted onto fingernails. They can be anywhere from super realistic to minimalist, but no matter what a floral design is definitely worth a try.
6.
Ombre
Ombre nails are also referred to as gradient nails. These typically are done with a sponge and shifts between one color to another, with as many as can fit or is desired. Some really interesting ones even start out nude and gradate into a bold color at the ends. It can take a few tries for a nice, seamless blending but even blotchy, patchy looking bits can really have some fun effects too. Play around with it, have fun, and it will definitely be something to show off.
7.
Mismatched Hands
Having each and every finger a different color or even each hand being a different style is something currently in vogue. That is definitely a perk for anyone who is not confident in making extreme designs using their offhand. Some people even put really complex designs on just a few fingers and make the rest plain colors which can be extremely interesting.
The awesome thing about having mismatched hands is that all of the colors wanted can be used. No need to decide what to do if all is an option! Plus, it’s a pretty fun effect overall or helps get rid of the last bits of a few different bottles.
8.
Graphic Edge
Graphic edges are common with French Dips and classic manicures. However, there are more edges than just the tip of the nail. Some graphic edges only put a design, sparkles, or some other bit of color along the cuticle or base of the nail. There are also some graphic edges people have done where there are multiple colors right on the tip of the nail.
The biggest tip with this sort of design is to use tape. Stick some tape, cut or straight depending on the design, and use that to ensure perfect edges. All that needs to be done is to wait until the polish is almost dry and then slowly pull the tape off. Waiting too long risks tearing the polish left on the nail and doing it too early risks it running to the wrong places. As with most things, it works best with higher quality polish for best results.
9.
Galaxy
Galaxy nails are deceptively complex. While they are a little more effort than some other options, they’re shockingly easy to achieve and are always breathtaking. They utilize a lot of different design methods in order to achieve, so a lot of techniques and favorite systems can be put together.
Here’s a quick reference to making some stunning galaxy nails:
- Paint a solid dark background
- Dab on the first color with a sponge, leaving some of the background visible
- Dab a second, lighter color over the first one leaving some edges visible
- Use a clear glitter polish, preferably with differently sized sparkles over the top
Cooler colors tend to be the most successful with these ones, but anything can work. Just be sure to let each layer dry completely before adding another layer or risk them bleeding into each other. Also consider some nail stickers for some wild designs or to use a paintbrush to make shooting stars. The sky really is the limit with these ones.
10.
Animal Print
There is nothing like a good animal print. Thankfully, they’re also really easy to make too, even on short fingernails. Zebra print tends to be the easiest, but a cheetah print isn’t too difficult either. The trick with those is to not worry about being too perfect with the dots or the vague outlines otherwise they won’t look quite right. Let everything dry in between color shifts and they can be anywhere from realistic rosettes to something worthy of a Lisa Frank design.
Final Thoughts
Short nails can be absolutely stunning. While they might not be able to do some of the wildest things, they are still tiny pieces of personal expression that deserve some love and attention. While some styles take a little bit of skill to pull off, others are really simple and help show off style, self-care, and are fun to do as well.
A simple tip to remember is to coat any design with a nice clear coat in order to preserve the nail art. This can also help smooth out the texture if that’s a problem. Another tip is to remember that this is supposed to be fun, so don’t make it a chore if it doesn’t have to be.
Don’t forget to complement your new short nails with a simple makeup look inspired by this article!
