Once upon a time, black nails were considered to be a grunge beauty choice. Now, we’re shown just how beautiful and chic they can be. When the polish choice is combined with trendy designs like French manicures and swirls, or when it’s transformed with unexpected finishes, the end result is always eye-catching. To prove it, we rounded up nearly two dozen black nail designs currently trending on social media. No matter your manicure preference, you’ll soon learn that black is one polish color that should never be off the table.
Matte Black Leopard Nails
Animal print nails are a popular pick, and they’re even more alluring when paired with colorblocking and a black, matte finish. Best of all, this type of nail art is pretty simple to DIY. Start by dotting your nails (no need to be super neat with it), then use a fine-lining nail art brush to outline partial edges of the spots. Finish with matte topcoat et voila!
Minimalist Black and Silver Nails
If you prefer more minimalist nail art, consider a glossy micro French manicure interspersed with floral accent nails. This is yet another easy-to-DIY nail look. Where Orly Half Moon Guides ($7) can help create perfectly crisp French tips, dotting tools can make painting flowers easier than ever.
Gold Lightning Bolt Nails
For a rocker chic mani, opt for a black and gold color palette. If you don’t have a steady hand, you may want to enlist the help of a professional nail artist to recreate this nail art. Another option? Use nail decals—Etsy sells a bunch.
Black and White Pastel Gradient Grid Nails
Grid nails had a moment earlier this year so if you’d like to keep the trend rolling, opting for a black base is a way to go. Then, if you love color, too, you can add a gradient stripe here and there for a fun, ’90s-inspired pop.
Matte Black Crystal Nails
While the solid black nails in this set will be easy to recreate, the magical accents will require notable skill, so go ahead and dial up your nail artist.
Black Mix-n-Match Nails
How fun are these black-and-white mix-n-match nails? With French tips, aura accents, and shimmering rhinestones, they’re trendy in more ways than one.
Matte Black Smiley Nails
These matte black nails remind us of a chalkboard. The happy smiley faces will become a bright spot in your day, trust us.
Dual-Finish Black French Tips
Dual-finish French manicures are stunning, no matter what color you craft them with. Here, you can see how going darker doesn’t take away from the nail look; it adds to it.
Black Glitter Swirl Nails
Swirl nails remain a popular request this year. When opting for black swirls, consider glamming it up with glitter while you’re at it.
Black Opal Heart Nails
Black nail designs don’t always require black bases. Sometimes, a sheer, shimmery base with black nail art is the way to go. Case in point? These pretty heart-dotted nails.
Translucent Black Heart Nails
Speaking of hearts and sheer nails, this jelly mani is cute, moody, and romantic all at once (the perfect gothic Valentine’s look). Nail artist Dayanna I. Sapiens created the manicure using Cirque Colours Nail Polish ($13) in the shades Memento Mori and NSFW Jelly.
Black Star Nails
If you’re not one for hearts, there’s also the option of glossy black stars. We love that these are dotted with shiny rhinestones, too.
Black Moon and Star Nails
These long almond-shaped nails are even more magical with their black base and white astrology nail art. Nail artist Brittney Boyce created them for Megan Fox.
Matte Black and White Scratch Nails
Looking for a manicure that’s easy to DIY? This matte black and white scratch nail idea is worth giving a whirl. Simply stick to solid coats for the black nails, then top off neutral nails with swatches of color as you see fit.
Black Glitch Checker Nails
How trippy are these black and white checker nails? Just looking at them makes us have to refocus, so we’d guess that you may want to book a nail appointment to bring these tips to life.
Black and White Aura Nails
Aura nails remain one of the most popular nail trends of the year. Here, you can see how black and white aura nails look. Dig it? You can recreate the look with a black base sponged with a white center.
Black Grid Nails
Grid nails don’t require a solid base. With a clear base, the black lines can almost look like fishnets. If you add rhinestones, it only amps up the sex appeal.
Black Jelly Nails
A black jelly base topped off with solid black criss-cross stripes makes for a manicure that looks like a gift. You’ll need a steady hand and a fine-lining nail art brush to DIY the look. You can also use thin nail tape as a guide for each stripe.
Glossy Black and Gold Nails
These ultra-glossy black and gold nails are nothing short of show-stopping. The trick to achieving such a stellar finish is to use a high-shine top coat, like the OPI Infinite Shine 3 ProStay Gloss ($14).
Black Grunge Ombre Nails
We love an easy yet gorgeous nail look, and this black grunge ombre mani is just that. All you’ll need to recreate it is a sponge, black polish, a sheer neutral base, and a glossy top coat. You may also want a touch-up brush to clean up the edges of your nails for a picture-perfect end look.
