21 Cute Acrylic Nails That Will Turn Heads
The taboos about acrylic nails are long gone, and you can find professional-grade press-on designs all over the web and in stores.
These products are so easy to apply and a cinch to remove. Plus, they’re affordable, so you can build out an impressive rotation of styles and freshen up your look every week!
Let’s check out 21 of the most head-turning acrylic nail styles we’re seeing right now.
1. Super-Subtle Sparkles
Are we moving past the full-fledged sparkle nails of the past few years? Not exactly, we’re just shifting gears toward a more subtle style.
Rather than blasting nails 100% with sparkles, designers are using them more sparsely and allowing negative space to make a statement.
Sometimes less is more, and that’s fine with us. StyleCaster said it’s one of the year’s biggest nail art trends, so it must be true!
2. Minimal French
The French manicure will never die, but it's morphing with the times.
We’re seeing smaller stripes, asymmetrical patterns, and color variations that are a welcome update to this old classic.
Some minimal French manis are also coloring the bottom of the nail. Very cool!
3. Tie-Dye Vibes
The hippie-chic trend is still going strong in 2020, with tie-dye styles saturating the scene.
We love to see these psychedelic swirls in action, especially when they go off the beaten path with new color schemes, glitter, and extra gloss.
4. Rad Plaid
If you still think plaid is drab, it’s time to update your taste! Criss-crossing lines and sultry colors are totally in vogue this fall, and they make the perfect accent nail on an autumn lineup.
These designs may be tough to pull off by hand, so pick up a pack of press-on nails that do the hard work for you.
5. Nails Go Moo?
With all the craziness we’ve seen 2020 serve up, it makes sense that cow print nails are one of the most popular trends of the year.
We can thank Kendall Jenner for bringing us this unusual yet charming take on the classic animal print design. It didn’t take long for the craze to catch on.
Can we expect more barnyard animals in the mix next year? We won’t be shocked to see it.
6. Hear Me Roar
If you aren’t ready to embrace cowhide on your fingertips, we understand. You can always revert to the standard animal prints like leopard spots and tiger stripes to feed your wild side.
You can get these designs done at any legit nail salon, or if you just want to rock a few accent nails for a crazy night out, pick up some acrylic nails that you can pop on and off with ease.
7. Space, the Final Frontier
Fascinated by the stars above? You can bring your love of outer space back down to earth by adorning your nails with stars, moons, and comet designs.
These patterns are a certified classic in the nail art scene and look awesome on pretty much any dark color base.
If you choose to go with press-on acrylics, definitely opt for a big canvas like coffins or stilettos to showcase your otherworldly style!
8. Juicy Fruit
We’re not gonna lie, some of the fruit designs we see from pro nail artists get our mouths watering! These images evoke a tropical, fun vibe that everyone can appreciate.
Vibrant reds and greens for watermelons and bright oranges for clementines, it’s all good. Draw them yourself, use some stickers, or take the press-on approach.
9. Pastel Swirls
Branching off the tie-dye trends while embracing pastel color schemes, this is a 2020 trend that is turning heads.
Why settle for just one pastel color on each finger when you can step it up with a super-cool swirl? Perfect for a late summer party, or when festival season rolls around.
We’ve embraced the trend big time, and our Miss Chella glitter press-ons are some of the top sellers of the year so far.
10. Chess & Checkers
Feeling rebellious? Black and white checker accent nails are here to let you indulge in those sassy, punk-rock vibes.
In our opinion, these nails look best when contrasted with a bold, bright yellow or green. This is the right call for a night at a funky nightclub or cocktail lounge.
11. Back to Black
What is more striking than a sleek, all-black nail style? Get ready for some jealous double-takes.
Go for gloss or lay low with a matte finish that oozes class.
These best-selling “High Maintenance” nails are super easy to put on, despite their name. Plus with some jewels on the accent nails, you will look stone-cold stunning!
12. Glitter Goals
A lot of us have been cooped up at home for a long time, and any opportunity to party seems like a huge deal. Seize the moment, and go big with some glitter-bomb nail styles!
These are a ton of fun to make at home if you’re feeling crafty, and you can easily take them on and off if you pick the right press-on acrylic nail products.
13. Cool Clouds
There is something so soothing and inspirational about watching clouds, which is why we love to see more people painting little clouds on their nails.
According to Trend Spotter, light blue backgrounds are the best to show off your cloud art, but you can also replicate the night sky by going a bit darker.
Practice makes perfect to master these tricky designs, so keep trying!
14. Low-Key Jewels
We aren’t huge fans of overloading our nails with big, brash gems. That’s just not on-trend.
Instead, nail artists are using tiny little jewels to create smart and subtle accents throughout their sets, creating a far more compelling look.
You should grab a pack of stick-on mini gems and experiment with various arrangements to catch some eyes out there.
15. Mega Metallics
If you love to rock flashy necklaces, earrings, and rings, there’s no better way to complete your glistening aura than with some metallic-finish nails.
These treatments are gaining a ton of popularity in nail salons around the world, and there are plenty of press-on versions if you just want to give them a test run.
Ready to take the leap? Our top-rated Bad Barbie nail set combines a stiletto shape with a chrome finish for maximum attitude.
16. Radiant Gradients
We are in love with nails that gradually change color from top to bottom, creating a super cool cohesive look.
These gradient styles are on-trend right now, and we’re barely able to keep them in stock. Purple to black, red to pink, blue to white, it’s all fair game!
17. Just a Little Gold
There’s been a bit of a gold overload in the nail scene recently, which is why people are dialing it back at the moment.
Instead of all gold everything, we’re seeing subtle accents and stripes that offer just a slight golden touch where you need it most.
If you are wearing real(ish) gold on your wrists and fingers already, this is the perfect solution.
18. Heart-Stopping Stilettos
It’s exciting to see bold shapes like coffins and stilettos go mainstream, now that press-on nails are fully embraced!
With these styles, you get a ton of surface area to create killer designs, or just play it cool with a classy matte finish and neutral colors. You can’t go wrong. Just don’t scratch anyone.
19. Throwbacks
Polka dots? Big stripes? Smiley faces? Yes, please! There’s been a resurgence of old-school nail art in 2020, and we’re thrilled to see our favorite styles from back in the day.
It’s not the most groundbreaking trend, and nobody is taking themselves very seriously with smiley face nails, but that’s the whole point!
You can’t be a stone-faced fashionista 100% of the time, and we all need to let ourselves relax with some throwbacks now and then.
20. Jellies and Gels
There will always be a place in our hearts for the gel-coated manicure look. It’s so clean, so simple, and looks any day of the week.
It used to be quite costly to get the gel treatment done regularly, but now that press-on nails have improved, everyone’s getting in on the action!
21. Abstract Thinking
Want to push your artistic abilities to the limit? The top-tier nail artists are creating works of modern art these days, with angular geometrics and perfectly-imperfect splatters.
You can pay top dollar to get one of these designs done by the pros or try to master the technique at home by painting on some blank canvas acrylics. Good luck!
Conclusion
With so many killer styles to choose from, you’re going to lose track of how many compliments you get about your nails this year.
Now get out there and start turning heads!
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