30 Easy Summer Pastel Nails Designs for Beginners

The easiest thing is to refresh your beauty look: switch up your mani. Maybe you’re loyal to those glazed donut nails, a maximalist who loves 3D appliqués, or anything in between—there’s always a new way to change up those pastel nails.

And although we love trends as much as the next person, there’s something sweet about sticking to the classics. Case in point: pastel nail polish. While the soft hues are great for the spring and summer months, they can brighten a look at any time of year. Plus, trendy nail art can easily be adapted to fit a pastel color scheme.

Up next: 30 of our favorite pastel nail designs ideas. You’ll find anything from simple monotone manis and minimalistic nail designs to groovy patterns and ombré tips in a look for every aesthetic.

Refresh Your Beauty Look with Pastel Nails

Creative Pastel Nails Art Ideas for Every Style

01-Pastel Nail Color Blocks

Pastel nails designs with a two-tone design

Bold, bright, and easy to recreate, we just adore this pastel color-blocking manicure.

02-Apricot Groove

This design is a pastel nail art in peach tones with the use of negative space.

Stay inside the comforts of a color scheme, painting two complimentary semicircles per nail. Negative space gives this mani a mod flair while the peach hued colors make it sunny.

03-Pastel Nails Heart

Manicure francese con puntine a cuore viola chair

Think all the way pastel purple to the tips of the nails with pretty, heart-shaped tips. To re-create the look, you can use a thin striping brush to trace the heart-shaped arches.

04-Pastel Lava Lamp

pastel lava lamp mani

Our favorite ’90s home accessory goes in for a beauty makeover with this very beautiful look. While this can be accomplished with just one color for a monochrome mani, we sort of really like the pastel mix.

05-Pastel Swoops

Negative space pastel swooping design on the nails

This is such a dreamy negative-space mani. With two contrasting colors on each nail, it’s a pastel nail art idea that will be sure to catch everyone’s attention.

06-Pastel Tips

A different pastel nail designs shade on each tip of a French manicure

French manicures will always be on point. Take this timeless look to an entirely new level with pints in every tip colored different pastels nail designs for a touch of delight and freshness.

07-Pastel Purple Accents

Get yourself a french nail with varied patterned tips of pastel purple and white

Not set on a single design but know which pastel color you want? Then check out this monochrome nail art idea set on a white base.

08-Bright pastel

Abstract nails in pastel colors.

Pastels can be bold. Case in point? This pale-yet-powerful abstract mani.

09- Arched Diagonals

pastel purple, gold, and negative space-detail nail art

You just don’t need to cover all over the nails with color to get a really pretty pastel nail look. Look how diagonal pastel details, negative space, and metallic gold accents combine in this delightful manicure in the following image.

10-Pastel Neon

Pastel neon rainbow swirl nail design

Pastel and neon seem like a contradiction, but pastel neon is a real thing, like in this very pale yet super-bright nail look. Megawatt, no?

11-Pastel Minimalism

Light pastel nail designs

A slim brush for nail art and a bit of your imagination and you’re all set to have a load of fun. Copy this design by drawing on minimalistic squiggles and topping with a matte.

12-Pastel Melt

An ombre look on a pastel manicure

If you do not find it easy to choose one color, worry not. With the ombré technique, a soft pastel transition occurs between selected hues.

13-Tutti Frutti Nails

pastel rainbow swirl nails

One of the biggest manicure trends for the summer are tutti frutti nails. You guessed it: done with pastel polish. Of course, these nails are so tricky that you might want to have a professional do them. Unless, of course, you’re OK with some imperfect swirls; then at least a thin striping brush can help you get close.

14-Pastel Swirls

Soft pastel purple and latte nude nail art

We totally adore this pale purple swirl manicure. Whether you offset it with clear-coated negative space or go for pale peach in the background, the mani is sure to look groovy.

15-Pastel Leopard Nails

A colorful pastel animal print nail design Who says leopard-print nails have to come in neutrals? We’re crazy in love with this pastel iteration.

16-Pastel Dots

Dusty rose nails with small pastel polka dots

Below is a pastel nail art idea that you can easily do at home. Take clear polish or a neutral base; then, with the help of a dotting tool, take your favorite shades from a pastel palette and place specks of them on each nail. Don’t forget to top it off with a layer of top coat for sealing your design.

17-Pastel Diagonals

Soft diagonal tan and pastel nails

Another easy at-home nail art idea? Clean, simple diagonal lines. Whether you take each nail with the same pastel shade or do all five shades and rotate through them, you’re sure to enjoy the end look. Best of all, it’s easy: Just section off your nails with striping tape and start painting.

18-Pastel Peach Accents

Such a pastel-coloured chess manicure

Pale purple and peach just make the perfect couple. With only one complicated nail in this mani, we bet you can make it come to life yourself. Just arm yourself with striping tape and a touch-up brush and you’ll be well on your way.

19-Abstract Pastel Nails

An abstract pastel-colored nail design.

These pastel abstract nails are a reminder of the ’80s and ’90s prints, with the ’80s craze and ’90s—needless to say,.

20-Pastel Dream

Soft pastels for your nails

There’s a cute, dreamy quality to this hazy pastel combination, which comes adorned with miniscule crystal appliqu.

21-Pastel Stiletto Nails

A pastel manicure with Bauhaus-inspired details

Here is another pastel neon nail look that’s perfect for summer. With mainly warm shades, this mani idea is hot and so worth the ‘gram.

22-Two-Toned Pastel Tips

Blue and white diagonal tip

Love the idea of diagonal nails, but just want to put a little movement in them? Here’s your two-tone wavy manicure idea. Fun, eh?

23-Wavy Pastel Nails

pastel rainbow wavy drip nail art

Speaking of wavy nails, how funky is this pastel neon nail art idea? It’s a must for summer.

24-Cool-Toned Pastels

Cool Negatives Space Mani

Want something cooler in your pastel manicure? That’s precisely the case for this idea of cool-tone nail art.

25-Pastel Summer Nails

Multi-Design Pastel Nails Art It is also, of course, if you prefer a little more variety, the Mani Hot and Cool in Pastel—available with playful pastel colors to jump onto trends.

26-Negative Space Pastel Nails

Multicolor abstract negative space pastel nail art. Pink, purple, blue, yellow, and green always look pretty—especially in pastels. If you agree, recreate these wavy, negative space nails with a thin striping brush.

27-Pastel Gradient Nails

Gradient pastel nails Point blank: These are gorgeous pastel gradient nails. Plus, they’re going to allow you to reveal loads of color.

28-Pastel Aqua Nails

Soft teal nail art combining several patterns Robin’s egg blue, anyone? You are armed with a striping brush or a two-ended dotting tool; you can easily recreate this mismatched nail-art look.

29-Pastel Lavender Nails

Soft pastel gradient lavender squiggle nail art For some reason, these nails make us think of the underwater squiggles in SpongeBob. With pop culture’s obsession on everything Y2K right now, we dare say this set is kinda on-trend.

30-Pastel Hearts

Swirl pastel mani with heart accent

Whether you’re rocking these pastel rainbow nails for pride or any other time of the year, they’ll be sure to give you a reason to look down and smile.