Long nails are having a major moment right now in fashion.
Long nails make a bold style statement and allow you to get creative with your manicure.
If you’re looking to switch up your look, consider rocking some lengthy claws!
Long nails completely transform your hands and take any outfit to the next level.
In this article, we will explore 13 different fabulous long nail inspirations perfect for powering up your style.
For each nail idea, we will go in-depth on how to achieve the look, recommended products and tips, and celebrity or runway inspiration.
Let’s get started!
Cherry Blossom Nails
First up is a delicate and romantic cherry blossom nail design that is ideal for spring. Paint your long nails a soft pink or nude color as a base.
Next, use a tiny brush to hand-paint miniature cherry blossom flowers and branches. Add lighter pink for accents and shadows to make the blooms look 3D and lifelike.
You can also sprinkle on tiny pearl decals for an extra girly touch. Finish with a glossy topcoat to seal in the design.
Cherry blossoms are a lovely choice for long nails because they look beautiful cascading down the length of the nail. The soft colors and dainty flowers create a very feminine vibe.
To really make this nail art pop, keep the rest of your look minimal – avoid flashy rings or chunky bracelets. A pale pink pedicure would complement these nails perfectly.
Go for a fluttery mascara and soft pink lip as well.
Celebrity Inspiration: Taylor Swift often wears intricate floral designs on her long nails, with cherry blossoms being one of her go-to motifs.
Her custom nail art is frequently painted by New York-based manicurist Kimmie Kyees.
Wispy Chrome Nails
The next amazing long nail inspiration is wispy chrome nails.
This unique look offers dimensionality and shine. Start by painting your nails with a charcoal gray or black polish.
Once dry, use a makeup sponge to dab on silver chrome powder randomly along the nail so it looks almost smokey and faded. Build up the intensity towards the tip.
The uneven chrome effect is what gives these nails their cool wispy look.
To really make the chrome gleam, finish with a glossy top coat.
The hint of silver will catch the light beautifully on your lengthy claws. Wispy chrome nails have an edgy and glam vibe that pairs perfectly with evening looks.
For added drama, opt for winged liner and a bold red lip with this manicure.
Runway Inspiration: At New York Fashion Week Fall 2020, chrome nails were spotted on models at LaQuan Smith. The glossy silver lent an avant-garde feel to the collection.
Green Ombre Stiletto Nails
Ready to power up your style even more?
This next long nail inspiration is sure to do the trick. Start with a rich emerald green polish at the cuticle and ombre down to black towards the tip.
The striking green to black gradient is eye catching and so sexy against long stiletto shapes.
Make sure to use a makeup sponge to seamlessly blend the two colors together so there is no harsh line.
Top with a mega shiny top coat for mirror-like finish.
Matte top coat would also look amazing with this manicure and give it a velvet effect.
This green ombre is ideal for your next night out or special event. Pair with a black dress, green jewels, and a smoky eye for a coordinated look.
Celebrity Inspiration: Khloe Kardashian recently rocked sexy long stiletto nails with dark green ombre that complemented her curve-hugging dress to perfection.
Her manicure was done by celebrity nail artist, Chaun Legend.
Abstract Watercolor Nails
If you’re looking for something bright and artistic for your next manicure, give abstract watercolor nails a try!
Use a base color like white or nude so the colors really pop.
Next, randomly paint on stripes, spots, and squiggles using a rainbow of different polishes – try bold shades like orange, purple, yellow and blue.
Before it dries, take a brush dipped in acetone to blur and blend the colors together for a true watercolor effect. The messier, the better!
Let your creativity run wild with the colors and designs. Top with matte top coat and you’ve got yourself a fun abstract work of art for your nails.
Watercolor looks especially cool on long coffin or square shapes. The longer your nails, the more room you have to get creative with the paint splatters.
This manicure is perfect for summer music festivals or anytime you want to infuse color into your look.
Marble & Gold Stiletto Nails
If it’s high-drama glam you’re after, this marble and gold nail idea is just the thing. Paint your long stiletto nails black as the base color.
Once dry, use a makeup sponge to dab on shimmery gold, white and grey polish. Blend together using quick strokes for a textured, marbled look.
Next, accent with gold striping tape and metallic gold studs – place near the cuticle for maximum impact. Finish with a glossy top coat to really make the marble and gold details shine against the black.
This manicure brings major style benefits for your long nails. The mix of patterns and textures is so interesting to look at and the dark color palette screams glamour.
Runway Inspiration: At the Blonds Fall 2021 runway show, models wore slick black nails decorated with gold studs and striping tape for an edgy glam twist.
Rainbow Almond Nails
Sometimes you just need some serious color in your life! Long almond nails are the perfect canvas for rocking every shade of the rainbow. Start by painting each nail a different bright hue like red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
Once dry, embellish each colorful almond tip with a row of mini silver studs – this helps tie the rainbow together. Finish with a shine boosting top coat. You’ll have a fun, eye-catching manicure that looks amazing on long almond shapes.
Take this look over the top by pairing it with coordinating colorful makeup. Try a bright blue cat-eye, purple blush and pink lips.
Rainbow nails are also great for pride events, music festivals or anytime you want to spread a little more light and color.
Celebrity Inspiration: Pop star Dua Lipa recently wore super long almond nails painted in candy-colored rainbow shades, with each nail decorated with silver charms.
Galaxy Nails
Now let’s blast off with outer space-inspired galaxy nails! They look utterly cosmic against long coffin shapes. Begin with a base of black polish.
Once dry, use makeup sponges to randomly dab on shades of purple, blue, pink and silver – this will create a nebula-like background.
Next, stick on various sizes of silver star and moon decals. You can find galaxy nail stickers online or at beauty supply stores.
Make sure to focus the galactic decals more on the tip of the long nail for the best view of the design. Top with a clear glossy top coat to get that space-like shine.
To take your galaxy nails to the next level, paint your ring finger black and recreate Saturn with a silver foil decal for the ring and a glitter top coat to mimic stardust.
This intergalactic manicure is perfect for music festivals or sci-fi conventions – or anytime you want to feel cosmic glam!
Celebrity Inspiration: Celebrity nail artist Steph Stone created intricate galaxy and constellation designs on Gabrielle Union’s lengthy stiletto nails.
Gilded Florals
What’s more fabulous than gilded florals?
This elegant nail inspiration is perfect for your next glam occasion. Begin with a shiny nude base to complement all skin tones.
Next, paint on delicate metallic rose gold floral designs like vines, leaves and flowers using a thin brush. Concentrate the floral art towards the tip of the long nails.
Once complete, seal in the design with a subtle sparkling top coat for extra pop. The gilded florals will really stand out against the nude background on your lengthy manicure. Gilded floral nails have vintage glamour appeal and pair perfectly with rose gold jewelry. For added romance, wear your hair in soft curls and opt for a bold red lip.
Celebrity Inspiration: Lily Collins wore romantic rose gold floral designs on her lengthy almond nails for the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Her manicure perfectly matched her elegant beaded gown.
Geometric Chrome Nails
If you love high-impact nail art, this next long nail inspiration is for you. Start with a black base and let dry completely.
Next, use striping tape to create geometric shapes and lines down the nail in silver chrome. You can make simple designs like rectangles and triangles or get creative with diamonds, zigzags or lattices.
Focus the graphic designs more towards your tips to really elongate the long nails. Once you remove the striping tape, seal in the design with a shiny top coat.
The contrast of the matte black and shiny silver chrome makes these nails a true showstopper. Pair your geo chrome claws with an LBD and minimal accessories for maximum effect.
Runway Inspiration: At the Mark Fast Spring 2022 show in London, models rocked abstract chrome graphics and striping tape on long black nails for a futuristic feel.
Gold Foil Snakeskin Nails
Unleash your inner femme fatale with these bold gold foil snakeskin nails!
Paint your long coffin nails black first. Then use scissors to cut snakeskin patterned foil paper into pointy shapes that extend just past the tip of each nail.
Brush clear gel glue onto the underside of the foil pieces and fix them onto the black base.
Finish with a glossy top coat to smooth everything down. The gold foil snakeskin effect looks so luxe and textured against the dark nails.
This manicure is ideal for a night out, photo shoot, or anytime you want to add some exotic glamour to your nails.
To make this look extra sultry, pair it with winged liner, red lips and big wild hair for a modern twist on old Hollywood allure.
Celebrity Inspiration: Beyonce wore sexy extra-long gold snakeskin foil nails for the launch of her Adidas x Ivy Park collection, accentuating her curve-hugging burgundy suit.
Embellished Nude Stilettos
Amp up your style with these blinged-out embellished nails!
They are perfect for elongating and complimenting your hands. Start with a neutral nude or pale pink polish on long stiletto shapes. Next, glue on flat back crystals of any shape near the base of the nail and on the tip for dimension.
Play around with different sizes – try larger crystals on the accent fingers. For extra sparkle, sprinkle various shapes of iridescent glitter on the wet polish while it’s still tacky.
The crystals and glitter will adhere as the polish dries. Finish with a shiny top coat for maximum glitz against the neutrals.
This embellished manicure is lovely on its own or can complement more ornate jewelry and outfits for a special event. Pair with crystal drop earrings, an embellished clutch and strappy heels.
Celebrity Inspiration: Zendaya recently wore elegant long nude nails embellished with crystals and glittering jewelry decals by celebrity manicurist Chaun Legend.
Negative Space Chrome Nails
Ready for a really eye-grabbing modern nail look?
Negative space nails are so cool and look especially edgy in chrome. Start by painting your long coffin nails black.
Once dry, use striping tape to create geometric shapes down the nail, keeping more negative space at the tip. Next, fill in these shapes with silver chrome polish and quickly remove the tape before it dries.
The resulting negative space chrome effect is so sleek and futuristic.
It’s almost like a chic metallic nail art puzzle against the black background. For extra dimension, try mixing up the shapes on each nail – some angular, some curved and some linear. Top with a glossy top coat for major shine.
This negative space chrome manicure pairs perfectly with monochrome black and white outfits. It’s an awesome choice for photoshoots, fashion shows or a night out with your squad.
Runway Inspiration: At the LaQuan Smith Spring 2020 show, models rocked slick negative space chrome nails in stark shapes against black polish – so edgy yet elegant.
Tie Dye Swirls
No nail roundup would be complete without tie dye, one of the biggest trends right now! To create this colorful look, start with a base of white polish on your long square nails.
Next, drop different colors of nail polish like pink, yellow and blue onto the base and use a skewer to swirl them in circular patterns.
Once you’re happy with the swirled effect, finish with a glossy top coat to let the tie dye shine. Keep your other accessories minimal to let the rainbow swirls stand out on your white manicure.
The longer your nails, the more room you have to get trippy with the tie dye patterns!
Celebrity Inspiration: For a V Magazine shoot, Dua Lipa rocked wildly long tie dye swirl nails that extended several inches past her fingertips! The rainbow manicure was the work of celebrity nail artist Mei Kawajiri.
There you have it – 13 fabulous long nail inspirations to completely transform your style!
So many options : it can be a minimalist design, ombre colors, chrome effects, abstract art or bold embellishments, lengthy nails offer the ideal canvas to show off your favorite looks.
So pick your favorite idea from this list, grab your nail glue and get ready to power up your personal style with some trendy claws!
Which design are you most excited to try on your next manicure?
Do you have any other favorite long nail inspirations?
Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments! And be sure to have fun getting creative with your nails.
