Bright Lines
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.
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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.
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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.
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Snow Leopard
Using a dotting tool, 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.
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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
If you can draw a straight line, you can do this look in minutes.
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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.
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Loose Lines
Calling all doodlers: All you need is a couple of nail polish pens to draw on this fun design.
Sequin Dream
Yours don’t have to be this perfectly placed (glitter polish exists, after all). But if you have the patience, it looks pretty fantastic.
Lindy Segal is a beauty writer and editor. In addition to regularly contributing to BAZAAR.COM, she also writes for Glamour, People, WhoWhatWear, and Fashionista, among other publications. She lives in New York City with her Chihuahua mix, Barney.
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