After months of holiday-specific nail art inspo (think: New Year’s nails, Valentine’s Day manicures, and St. Patrick’s Day nail art ideas), April offers more room for interpretation. If you celebrate Easter or Ramadan, you may want to adopt a manicure designed with fitting colors. However, if you simply want to embrace the fresh feel of spring, opting for a softer, more pastel palette is a great place to start. From there, you can determine if you’re craving all-over color, classic French tips, or a trendy negative space design. While you’re at it, you may consider incorporating elements from other 2023 nail trends, such as retro-inspired swirls or emoji accents. And in April, flowers are always welcome. The point is: There are so many ways to paint your nails in April. Ahead, you’ll find over two dozen ways to do so.
01of 32Viva Magenta Florals
@BAHNANNANAILS
The Pantone color of the year is Viva Magenta—which means this floral manicure is especially perfect for April. Nail Artist Anna Bahn used Holo Taco Nail Polish ($12) in the shades What Do You Pink?, High Tea Hibiscus, Not Milky White, Laven-Duh, and Work Bestie to create the look.
02of 32April Showers
@PEACHINAILS
Blue is a popular April color, thanks to the bright blue skies and frequent rain showers that fill the month. Consider copying this graphic two-tone blue, mirrored color block nail art idea to embrace the hue.
03of 32Breezy Blooms
@HEYGREATNAILS
Flowers begin to bloom in April, even if it’s still a bit chilly out. We love how this iridescent nail art idea captures that concept with cool-toned shimmer and cornflower blue blooms. While nail artist Aistė Haas kindly shared all the products and tools she used to create this look, considering the intricacy of this design, you’ll likely want to bring the picture as inspo and let your nail artist do the painting.
04of 32Monochrome Lines
@PEACHINAILS
Prefer all-over color on your nails? We love the look of this multi-color monochrome mani. Each finger sticks to one color family and highlights a spring-friendly contrast.
05of 32Spring Houndstooth
@NAILS_AND_SOUL
How fun is this colorful houndstooth mani? Created with a mix of bold and pastel colors, it’s a cheerful nail look that works well for April and the other warmer months of the year.
06of 32Pastel Lava Lamp Nails
@PEACHINAILS
Here we have another vivid April-friendly nail art idea. Crafted with pastel neons, this nail look has a retro lava lamp vibe that we can’t get enough of.
07of 32Dainty Florals
@NAILS_AND_SOUL
Prefer a more intricate, minimalist nail look? This periwinkle blue French manicure with floral accents is a beautiful option.
08of 32Pastel Ombré Nails
@PEACHINAILS
Here’s another example of how pastel neons can work as a spring nail art idea.
09of 32Funky Florals
@PEACHINAILS
Shades of green are popular in April, which means this funky floral nail look is a great idea for the month. Believe it or not, it’s actually pretty easy to recreate, too. All you’ll need is a dotting tool to create the flowers. Simply dab five dots in pale pink with a hot pink dot layered on top. Seal it all in with a top coat.
10of 32Springtime Blues
@SASSNAILARTISTRY
We love how easily DIY flowers transform any nail art idea into an April-ready mani. While the flowers and checkers of this nail look are relatively simple to recreate, the swirls take a bit more precision. Give it a try by using a fine-lining nail art brush, like those found in the Beetles Nail Art Liner Brush 5-Piece Kit ($10).
11of 32Studded Blooms
@GELPOLISH_BAR
Easily one of our favorite April nail art ideas, this manicure features studded flowers, French tips, and swirls—checking multiple 2023 nail art trend boxes.
12of 32Chartreuse Art Deco Nails
@NAILSBYLINDSEYLU
This tricolor green nail art idea perfectly captures the freshness of growing grass and blooming flowers in April.
13of 32Floral Doodles
@NAILSBYLINDSEYLU
Remember: You can never go wrong with floral nail art accents in April. This particular design is quite intricate, so you’ll likely need a pro’s help to recreate it.
14of 32Pastel Negative Space Nails
@PEACHINAILS
A pastel swirl mani with white outlines and negative space feels preppy and retro, making it totally perfect for spring.
15of 32Butterfly Accents
@HEYGREATNAILS
These shimmery pastel butterfly nails are so whimsical. (And we love the velvet nail details, too.)
16of 32Yellow Squiggles
@PEACHINAILS
While many swirly nail art ideas require the precision of a pro artist, these purple and pale yellow nails might just be DIY-friendly. To recreate the look, choose similar purple and yellow polishes and use a fine-lining brush to create the swirls. Finish with a top coat.
17of 32Pastel Groove
@BRUSHEDBYB_
We don’t know about you, but we’re so glad retro nail art is in this year. These multicolor pastel swirl nails are simply too cute to pass up.
18of 32Lavender Watercolor
@HEYGREATNAILS
For a daintier April nail art look, consider copying this lavender watercolor manicure. Haas kindly shared every product she used to create this mani here; however, given the intricate nature of the floral design, you may want to book a nail appointment for a perfect recreation.
19of 32Mix-and-Match French
@BRUSHEDBYB_
Two-tone French manicures are having a major moment in 2023, which means this pastel nail art idea is especially on-trend for April. For this look, the artist used Lights Lacquer Nail Polish ($11) in the shades Order Up!, Easy as Pie, ‘52 Chevy, Juke Box Baby, Frenchy, and Banana Split.
20of 32Two-Tone Purple French Tips
@NAILS_AND_SOUL
Another way to get in on the two-tone French mani trend is with multicolor tips. Here, you can see how pretty contrasting purple shades look.
21of 32Spring Mashup
@AMYLE.NAILS
We love mismatched nail designs, so this flower, squiggle, and yin-yang mani is a must in our book.
22of 32Spring Mix-and-Match
@BRUSHEDBYB_
Speaking of mismatch manis, here’s another mix-and-match design we’re swooning over. The cloud nail, the checkers, the smiley French tip—we’re swooning.
23of 32Emoji Checker Nails
@SASSNAILARTISTRY
While there’s a lot going on with this pastel mani, it’s actually pretty easy to DIY. To perfect the French tips, use the Orly Half Moon Nail Guides ($6); to recreate the flowers, use dotting tools and fine-lining brushes, like those found in the FULINJOY 5-Piece Dotting Pen and Brush Set ($6).
24of 32Coral Contrast
@BRUSHEDBYB_
Bright orange shades are very popular in 2023, which means this coral and 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 blue contrast nail art idea is perfect for April.
25of 32Happy Mushroom Nails
@YO_KESHH
Hey, hi, hello, here’s more mismatched mani inspo. That smiley mushroom? One-of-a-kind.
26of 32Pastel Gradient
@BRUSHEDBYB_
As you know, squiggle frames have been popular for years. But squiggle frames over a pastel gradient base? Now that’s one nail art idea we’re copying ASAP this April.
27of 32Spring Abstract
@DISSEYNAILS
If you love the idea of framing your nails in color but want to leave your base blank, this negative space idea is for you. Nail artist Dayanna Sapiens created the look using DND Gel ($12) in the shades U Shine I Shine, Sweet Yam, Voodoo, Pastel Orange, Blue River, Velvet, Pink Bubblegum, Sheer in the City, and Sunset Suede.
28of 32Spring Swirl
@BRUSHEDBYB_
A colorful wavy manicure is another way to style pastel colors on your nails. Here, nail artist Brittney Ellen used Lights Lacquer Nail Polish ($11) in the shade Strawberry Frosting, Harmon Polish Nail Polish ($12) in the shade Be Calm, OPI Nail Lacquer ($12) in the shade You’re Such A BudaPest, and Essie Nail Polish ($10) in the shade All Fun & Games.
29of 32Flower Power
@DISSEYNAILS
By now you should realize just how popular florals are for April nail looks—not to mention how easy they are to recreate. We love how they look over this classic white French mani.
30of 32Cornflower Blooms
@POP_POLISHED
Of course, little flowers look even prettier with gemstone centers (not to mention dotted over the dantiest blue French tips).
31of 32Negative Space French Mani
@BRUSHEDBYB_
If you love the idea of a two-tone French mani but prefer to let your natural nail shine through, this look by Ellen will fit your fancy. She used Mooncat Nail Polish ($13) in the shades Eternal Sunshine, Euphoric, Sweet Nightmare, Neverland, and Sinking Feeling to create the look.
32of 32Butterfly Blush
@HEYGREATNAILS
Last but not least, we have the trending blush nail art trend, featuring butterfly stencils surrounded by gems. This technique requires careful precision, so your best bet is to bring this picture as inspo for your pro nail artist.
