30 Nail Designs for Short Nails: Summer Trends

There are a lot of nail art designs for long nails. But someone did think why fun is the prerogative of long nails? Then came the nail designs for short nails.

Nails are a girl’s best friend. When we look at our colorful nails, it reminds us that our lives need to be colorful. It brings those memories of the rainbow after a storm and reminds us that our lives are not at an impasse- that life will be colorful again. Like a summer’s day. A shot of positivity, happiness, and fashion- that is what colorful nails are for girls. Nails change our rating in the fashion quotient too! 

Summer Nail Designs for Short Nails: Minimal Non-Fussy Designs!

Trendy short nail designs in 2022 and 2023 combine different styles of nail painting. Some are just as simple as a bold monochrome, French tips, bi-chrome in halves, etc. Some trendy short nail designs are minimal, floral, starry, blingy, glittery, etc. It is all about the choice of colors, fingers, and styles that make the short nail design eye candy. Those who choose to wear short nails are practical and handy, hence their choice of short nail design also will be oscillating between minimal-non fussy and artistic-easy. They may prefer an at-home manicure with a short nail design they can do at home by themselves. Some girls wear their nails short because:

1. It is practical. 
2. Some nails are brittle(1) and break off fast.
3. It is hygienic. 
4. It is cumbersome to maintain long nails. 
5. They have a nail-biting habit
6. They work more with their hands and they cannot grow nails.
7. They are taking a break from long nails.

But short nails do not need to be plain and lackluster.

30 Nail Designs for Short Nails That You Can Try on for A Splash of Color on Your Nails!

Short nails can hold art too. Nail designs for short nails are trending faster now with Demi Lovato, the famous singer, showing her butterfly mani on short nails via Instagram.
Demi made her choice, now it’s your turn to make your pick!

1. Bi-Chrome Short Nail Designs

These are cute designs for short nails that have used different pastel nail colors on nails in half-half mode- vertically and horizontally. This is a short nail design that you can easily do at home all by yourself.

2. Marble Nail Designs For Short Nails

This is peeled off from the house construction department to add the coolness and stability of the marble design on the nails. This green marble design is in line with golden glittery nail paint. Green is always cool on the eyes. Other marble designs also can be recreated with ease. All the nails have similar marble tips for strength in this short nail design.

3. Cheerful Summer Yellow Short Nail Designs

This is for the cheery optimistic lot! A perfect summer style! Yellow is the color of optimism and cheer! Now these are nail designs for short nails that house both yellow monochrome and yellow nail florals in one go! This is a sure reminder for us to be cheery and stay in touch with nature for a flowery life!

4. Black Nail Designs For Short Nails

These black nails cannot be called goth as they do not look vampy on short nails. This looks cute for a change. To add to the cuteness of this cute short nail design one nail is reserved for small black hearts.

5. Starry Short Nail Designs

These are cute and doable at-home simple nail designs for short nails. Stars of different hues are painted on plain nails reminding us that we are stars too! Monochrome black adorns the rest of the fingers.

6. Red-Tip French Manicure Short Nail Design

French manicure is versatile and can be used on short nails as well. These nail designs for short nails are cute, red-colored tips make it trendy. This is an easy short nail design you can paint yourself without any fuss or extra effort. This minimal nail design is one that can be done by a nail stamper or hand!

7. Elegant Short Nail Design In Pink Monochrome 

Pink or baby pink- pink has its allure and is a signature artwork in itself. These are nail designs for short nails that have been on for ages. This is an easy short nail design that can be done without any tools but just one nail polish.

8. Red Trendy Nail Designs For Short Nails

This red short nail design combines different styles. It has a full-on Red in monochrome style, a Red French tip, and a red heart artwork presented in a low key on a  plain nail. Leos and Scorpios will surely give this red short nail design a try, you bet!

9. Minimal Dotted Flowers Short Nail Designs

This is a minimal design with a dotted floral design on plain nails. These are minimal-effort, simple nail designs for short nails which you can do with a small brush yourself. This sure is an elegant design any girl boss would choose! Taureans and Libras will love this Venusian elegance and beauty of white-pastel dotted flowers.

10. Shimmery Green Nail Designs For Short Nails

This green shimmery monochrome short nail design is for those who are artistic but cannot paint designs. The shimmer doubles as an artwork and this is minimal in the efforts department. Shimmery short nails sure bring out the glam element in a subtle way.

11. Colorful Swirls On Short Nails Design

These beautiful swirl nail designs for short nails remind us of the anti-art of Salvador Dali. These formless swirls may convey a formless happy emotion judging by the colors, you think? 

12. Minimalistic Thoughts Short Nail Design 

Want to keep it simple this summer? This is an utterly personal expression of thoughts in a minimalistic way. The artist knows the meaning. We can guess! These are nail designs for short nails with a simple design that can be scribbled at home. It has an exclamation mark, arrow, hash, and smiley. A Gen Z short nail design!

13. Green And Cow-print Mix Nail Designs For Short Nails

There is green monochrome on three nails and a cow print on two. I would interpret it as a pasture design, as the greens and cow co-exist. You may have to infer that the artist meant to state that the cows eat grass only- hence this is foodie nail art as well!  Minimalistic and easy-to-paint short nail design this!

14. Star Fish Short Nail Designs

Typical summer beach nail designs for short nails. It brings in the oceanic energy every time you check out your fingers. This is done on plain nails which makes it look more like starfish on beach sands. Easy design and minimal for sure!

15. Hearty Short Nail Designs

These are very minimal heart nail designs for short nails. The hearts are placed at different places on different fingernails. Is this called wearing your heart on your fingertips? Easy to draw and maintain. This is a no-fuss, just art short nail design. Even nail art amateurs can give this a shot.

16. Transitioning Blue Short Nail Designs

These are nail designs for short nails with a message- that everything has a life span. The jeans, food products, coffee powder, and life! The transition of life may be a reminder with this beautiful monochrome transitioning Blue Short nail design. This is great for the beach lovers as well. From a different perspective, this reminds us of the waves crashing on the shore with the blue color getting diluted at every stage.

17. Leather Print Nail Designs For Short Nails

This leather print nail art is placed on one side of the nails to ensure that it is not overdone. Choosing lavender as a base for the prints and leaving the other half plain makes this short nail design ultra feminine.

18. Milky Swirls Short Nail Designs

The Milky swirls go well on & the best nail designs for short nails, making it a minimal yet artistic nail do.

19. Pink Short Nail Design

The pink confectionery nail designs for short nails and pink doughnuts on the nails make it a subtle short design that is unique and quirky! 

20. Floral Magic Short Nail Designs 

These colorful flower nail designs for short nails are cute. Anyone with a dotter or small paintbrush can accomplish this. Flowers are pretty and pastel flowers are prettier! This brings in the girly vibes big time!

21. Blotchy Yellow Short Nail Designs

This is an ideal design for the non-artistic artists among us and also the cutest nail designs for short nails. The only task is to bring in blotches to nude nails and you can be a proud nail artist! Simple and doable at-home short nail design this is. 

22. Rainbow Tipped Short Nail Designs

This is a colorful French Manicure variant! This brings in different hues and colorful nail designs for short nails. It makes it a funky short nail design. You can choose the colors. Some associate colors related to the planets according to palmistry, like the red for the ring finger as it denotes the sun, and the yellow for the index finger as it is Jupiter’s finger. You can activate the energy of different planets too by painting the nails or their tips with planet colors.

23. Cute Hearts On Baby Pink Nail Designs For Short Nails

This is for the inner child inside you who loves everything. This reminds us to be childlike and loves more. Small hearts are placed on all fingers uniformly painted baby pink.

24. Two-Sided French Twist Short Nail Designs

These are unique nail designs for short nails that paint both tips of the fingers in a French Manicure twist. It does justice to the French minimalistic and classy style!

25. White Summer Daisy Short Nail Designs

Cute floral nail designs for short nails painted on plain nails. These remind anyone of a beautiful summer morning. The understated plain nails make the daisies pop out in a regal way. Floral nail arts are feminine and classy. They There is some artwork involved in this nail-do. Beginner-level nail artists can nail this.

26. Pastel Shell Short Nail Designs

Another one of the vibing beach nail designs for short nails that you can rock this summer. The design is not intricate as such, but the pastel colors up its artistic quotient.

27. Smileys In Black And White Short Nail Designs

nail designs for short nails with some smileys are trendy. Black and white is trendier. Smileys on black and white nails are versatile. Each hand is assigned a color and Smileys are painted on them. The uniformity of the base color and the different Smileys painted to make this funky nail art.

28. Fiery Short Nail Design 

Nail designs for short nails with the fire could mean your creative or sexual fire. It could be a symbol of warmth in cold climes. The fire element is painted at the tips in deep orange and black. It is a short nail art that any nail artist at the beginner’s level could paint.

29. Monochrome Orange Short Nail Design 

Orange is a rage and a trend. It is so fashionable that even monochrome nail designs for short nails with orange are deemed to be nail art. This is an example of a color that is an art all by itself. Orange represents the creative juices in us. It is a mark of optimism and happiness.

30. Flower Decals Short Nail Designs

If you are not an artist, then you can get these flower nail stencils on Etsy or Amazon and stick them to your nails painted with the base coat of your choice. No wonder why this is considered one of the best artistic Nail designs for short nails.

Nail Designs For Short Nails: How To Get It Done?

If you can paint or choose colors, you can do short nail designs yourself. There are a lot of monochrome, minimal designs which you can replicate easily. The French manicure improvs, ones with hearts, flower decals, or dotted flowers are easy short nail designs for summer. If you are craving those intricate designs, you can consult a skilled manicurist.

1. First decide on the styles, pattern, and backdrop color. Get your tools, nail lacquer, and get to work.
2. Remove nail polish residues from your previous manicure and buff your nails right. Shape your nails as well.
3. Now, apply the base coat.
4. The next step is the application of the background hue. If you are going on plain nails, the base coat you have already applied will suffice.
5. Now we come to the nail art. Dots, blotches, flowers, stars, butterflies, shells, aliens nail art– it could be anything. 
6. Clean the edges and apply the top coat. The top coat seals everything in.
7. The last step is admiring your nails. Show off your artwork!

FAQ

What Did We Learn

We learned that nail designs for short nails can make nails fun. That some colors are art in themselves. That even amateurs can make artwork out of nails. That the choice of colors, styles, and fingers can make a difference in nail art! That nail art is a reflection of the personality- that our likes, fears, ambition, and cravings take a place in the choice of short nail designs. We also learned that colors are reflective of our personalities and mindsets. Certain styles of short nail designs are universally appealing and will remain in circulation in perpetuity.

On a personal note, I am going to paint my nails yellow. I need to stay cheery, optimistic and inspired looking at my nails when I type many more articles on beauty for you. I am curious to know what color you are going to choose! Leave a comment! Cheers to short nails!