Blue Nail Art Is So Hot Right Now

Nail polish preference is subjective. So is your choice of whether or not to add nail art. You pick a color and design based on a myriad of factors: your mood, the amount of time you feel is appropriate to peruse the color wall at the salon, the color you've had on most recently (which I tend to avoid repeating). The great part: It's objectively low stakes. There's always nail polish remover. Or, worst case scenario, in a gel situation, you live with it for two to three weeks until your next manicure.

Still, if you have the time to put forethought into your nails, figuring out exactly what designs you want can give you, well, exactly what you want. The trends are constantly changing and evolving and building on top of each other, but one that's on the rise is simple: the color blue. You've probably seen it, thought about it, maybe. Here are seven ways to wear blue nail polish that feel refreshing and comfortable at the same time.

If you love press-on nails, this one's for you. Chillhouse, the SoHo-flagship nail brand, just added a new design in their reusable, press-on collection: Checked Out 2.0. As modeled by Chillhouse founder Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton, you can see the blue checkerboard tip is cool, and potentially the best $16 you'll spent this month.

If you're going to the nail salon, ask for a French manicure with a blue tip. It's that simple. Most nail salons will charge the same as they would a regular French manicure, they just have to switch out the white polish for a colored option. Next time, make it cobalt blue.

Another fun design: asymmetrical art. This requires a bit more communication with your artist to create the aesthetic that you're looking for. But the key here — to emulate Danish content creator Amaka Hamelijnck's nails — is to choose a pale shade of blue and have each nail be a different interpretation of a 'drop.'

Nail artist Queenie Nguyen confirms that blue is this year's color trend to play with. "2022 is all about 50 shades of blues," she captioned one of her recent nail-art Instagrams. This particular nail-art look uses an OPI blue to polish almost the entire nail, leaving a crescent moon at the cuticle bare, then adding an accent dot.

Sometimes, the best nail art is the most pared down. This design, by Betina Goldstein (she works with celebs like Zoë Kravtiz and Olivia Rodrigo), uses a royal blue nail polish, the shade Rhythm by Chanel, with a super-skinny metallic trim around the tip. Chic.

If and when you're looking to level-up a French manicure, make it two toned. This example uses two different shade of blue by Paintbox, Like Rain and Like Wonder. But really any shade of blue, light plus dark, will give you the vibe. With a striping brush, you could even give this a whirl at home.

OPI recently collaborated with XBox on a collection of nail polish that speaks to the gaming community. Nail artist Gina Edwards used polish from the collection to create this blue swirled design, and recommends the powder blue Can't Ctrl Me to anyone who needs a polish rec.