18 Fruit Nails Designs to Give Your Summer Manicure a Juicy Refresh

Finding the perfect summer manicure can be a struggle—there are so! many! options! Whether it's an Italian summer manicure or a multi-color aura look, there are seemingly endless options when you're picking the right shade and design. My favorite trend of the season? Fruit nails, baby. This cute and juicy look can technically be worn year-round, but there's just something about the summer time (likely the fact that so many of your favorite fruits are actually in season) that really makes this trend pop off.

“Fruit nails tend to trend in the summer because the designs are fun and colorful, and fruits themselves are hydrating—perfectly reflecting a summer vibe,” says celebrity manicurist Sarah Chue. “Personally, I love kiwi, grapes, watermelon, and oranges—by the slice!”

Nails INC. founder Thea Green echoes this sentiment. “Summer is all about bright, fun, and bold colors, and fruit designs naturally fit this aesthetic,” she says. “Think of the vivid reds of strawberries, the sunny yellows of lemons, and the refreshing greens of kiwis. These colors pop against the typical summer wardrobe of lighter, more colorful clothing.”

The great thing about a fruit manicure is that you can really take it in any direction you want. Love strawberries? Grab a bottle of red nail polish and turn your entire nail bed into one. If you're a big fan of cherries, you (or your nail tech) can use 3D gel to sculpt one onto an accent nail. And if you're indecisive, you can always take the maximalist route and paint a different type of fruit on each finger.

To guide your decision making, I did a little research and found over a dozen fruit nail designs to add to your summer manicure queue. Keep reading to see the products and shades you'll need to pull them off.

Pink Grapefruit

Lemons and oranges are more typical additions to most fruit manicures depicting citrus. Deviate from that and get creative by drawing a design inspired by the equally refreshing pink grapefruit.

Strawberry Reverse French Manicure

If there's any fruit that goes hand in hand with summer, it's a strawberry. "The bright red of strawberries is bold and eye-catching, making it perfect for summer," Green says. "Pairing it with green for the leaves and white for the seeds creates a playful contrast." You can keep your design simple by adding a strawberry on an accent nail, or you can get really playful and add one to every finger.

Blue Gingham with Strawberries & Blueberries

Bring the energy of a summer picnic to your nails by layering fruits like blueberries and strawberries over a blue and white striped gingham design.

Olives & Tomatoes

Lots of fruit nail designs include the usual suspects like blueberries, cherries, and watermelons. If you really want to mix things up, throw in a few olives or a tomato (technically, they're both fruits!) to give your manicure a savory spin.

Watermelon with Gold Details

"Watermelon is iconic for summer, with its vibrant green exterior and pink-red interior which creates a fun, fresh vibe," Green says. "Plus, the black seeds are great for adding small details to the design." Of course, you can get really creative here by adding different accents to each finger the way this manicure does with a flower decal, a gradient French tip, and some gold chrome.

Invisible French Manicure with Lemons

The "invisible" trend already brings a unique twist to the French manicure with soft lines painted just around the tips of your nails. Add a bit more flair (and color!) with a few accent nails featuring lemon slices.

Strawberries & Kiwi

This manicure puts strawberries and kiwis at the center and gives them a fresh, glassy look.

3D Blueberries & Cherries

With 3D gel blueberries, magnetic gel polish as the base, and chrome details on select fingers, this manicure is about as maximalist as you can get.

Glassy Guava

Have you heard? Guava beauty is everywhere, and if you're looking for a way to get in on the trend, this manicure is the perfect way to do so. It adds the refreshing pink and green colors of a guava fruit to a glassy, cat-eye design that's created using magnetic gel polish.

Pink & Red Gradient with Cherries

A cherry nail design can be minimal or maximal, depending on what you're after. This one happens to be the latter of the two, combining gradient pink and red colors with a French manicure and 3D elements on each finger.

3D Blueberries

If you love the idea of wearing blueberry nails, but you're also someone who prefers to have a different design on each nail, here's some great inspiration for you to bring to your next salon appointment.

White French Tips & A Cherry

Per Green, cherries are a common theme in fruit nail designs because they're small enough to keep designs simple yet effective. "A minimalist cherry design on accent nails, or alternating nails with a solid red and cherry design, can give a playful, balanced look," she adds. This looks takes a classic, rounded French manicure and adds a bit of playfulness with a cherry on two accent fingers.

Fruit Over Colorful French Tips

Remember: French tips don't always have to be white. This look combines the fruit nail trend with a bright and colorful French manicure, making it the perfect look if you're hoping to make a summer statement.

Cherries & Pink Gingham

If you want a cherry design that's a bit more complex, add a few stripes to give your look a picnic basket vibe.

Mango & Flowers

This sweet manicure uses a mixture of airbrush, 3D gel, and a flower decal to showcase a mango in three iterations: sliced, whole, and peeled.

Tips with Pastel Flames

Forego traditional French tips and switch things up by painting the tips of your nails a mixture of pastel colors (each inspired by a different fruit) in the shape of a flame.

Fruit On Every Finger

Can't settle on just one fruit? No problem! Individualize each nail by adding a different option to every finger. This manicure does it over a light pink base and adds a dotted black border around each fruit for some extra flair.

Papaya, Dragronfruit, and Watermelon

Again, a great fruit manicure doesn't have to be restricted to just berries and citrus. Throw in a papaya or dragonfruit to add some uniqueness to the fruit nail trend.

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