25 Simple Nail Designs for Minimalist Mani Lovers

and sometimes they get too complicated. And while we love a good French manicure, that’s not the only simple nail idea out there. If you’re a beginner, you can always try plugins for a quick and easy look, but if you’re dealing with a real polish, we’ve dug up an easy yet eye-catching mani inspo for you. Ahead, find 25 simple nail designs we love for 2023, whether you want to do it yourself or bring it to your salon.

Bored of the classic French mani? Try a reverse French using bold, alternating shades of polish.

Little Hearts

Even on otherwise naked nails, the tiny design shines. For a more unexpected take, try using black polish, as seen here.

Half and Half

You can use any two colors to do a two-tone look, but we’re smitten with this muted version from NYC nail salon Sundays.

Dip Dye

It looks fancy, but this dyed effect is deceptively easy: Add a few drops of polish to a small bowl of water, then dip your nail in, and clean up your cuticles with polish remover. Et voila!

Dainty Flowers

Florals can be as minimal or intricate as you want them to be. For something on the easy end of the spectrum, consider this design, created out of simple dots.

Negative-Space Neon

Swirls of highlighter-yellow polish are even more vibrant against a neutral background.

Glitter Tips

Don’t call it a French: Celebrity nail artist Tom Bachik deems this look on Jennifer Lopez “glitter liner.”

Berry Cute

Who knew? Paint a few little dots and flicks, and suddenly you’ll have a bushel of blueberries on your fingernails.

Marble Mani

This abstract look hardly takes any skill at all. Add a few drops of the colors of your choice—no more than three or four, or it could get muddled—to a clean surface (like a paper plate), then take a clean brush to just barely swirl them together. Then, drag the brush once across each nail.

Snow Leopard

Using a blot a bit of polish in haphazard “spots” across your nail for an animal-print effect. Side note: How cute is it in white?

Minimalist Dots

One dot, two dots, three dots, four: This look proves that even the smallest effort can be highly effective.

Rainbow Half-Moons

The half-moons are easy, especially with a guide like hole-punch stickers. The hard part will be choosing your fave polish shades.

Evil Eyes

Eye motifs don’t have to be super-intricate. As Betina Goldstein proves, you can keep the negative energy at bay with just strategically placed blue polish and sparkles.

Modern Art

Single Heart

All it takes to achieve this look is a Q-Tip and really good nail polish remover.

Tortoise Texture

Alternate drops of amber and black polish, and barely blend together. Boom! You have tortoise nails.

Subtle Aura

You may want to see a pro for results this consistent, but you can get a similar look using a makeup sponge.

Shiny Swoops

Once your base polish dries completely, use a contrasting nail shade to paint a curved line on top.