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13 Pretty Minimalist Nail Ideas You'll Actually Want to Try

Good luck deciding on which one.

By Chloe Metzger

Aug 4, 2017

Nail, Finger, Hand, Skin, Nail care, Manicure, Cosmetics, Material property, Flesh, Nail polish,

Some nail art screams "HEY, I'm your nail art!" announcing your love of pumpkins, flowers, and pizza to the world. Others, though, like the 13 manicures ahead, are more of a quiet whisper, existing only in barely-there nudes, skinny lines, and soft, geometric shapes—all incredibly pretty, yet minimalistic enough to try on yourself.

...Or, you know, to take to a nail salon as inspiration, because who are you, a wizard? So keep reading to find your new go-to mani lineup, and get ready for a barrage of compliments from strangers.

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1 These ultra-thin pastel lines

#minimal #unistella

A post shared by Park Eunkyung (@nail_unistella) on Jun 19, 2017 at 11:04pm PDT

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2 These subtly-graduated watercolors

That blush coral O&J palate... 🙌 #OliveYourMani Color Match: Tiramisu for Two, Let Me Bayou a Drink, I Think in Pink, Is Mai Tai Crooked?, and Makes Men Blush by @opi_products

A post shared by Olive & June (@oliveandjune) on Apr 22, 2017 at 5:15pm PDT

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3 These fine, black hash marks

l l Just lining my half moons l l . . . #Opi : black onyx #handdrawn #gethang #ipsy #obsessee #potd #abstract #nails #nailswag #weekendvibes #potd #instanails #photography #pasadena #la #beauty #manimonday #nailblogger #nailsmag #nailitdaily #halfmoonnails

A post shared by ❤ Hang Nguyen ❤ (@flowidity108) on Jul 8, 2017 at 6:06pm PDT

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4 These matte-black eclipse nails

We used the head of a nail 🔨 to paint these nails 💅🏽 @adamselman using "dark hue-mor" by @sally_hansen @sallyhansenca #SHNYFW #nyfw

A post shared by Madeline Poole (@mpnails) on Sep 10, 2015 at 7:43pm PDT

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5 This milky, negative-space manicure

Moody minimalism via @sarakoonar. Happy #ManiMonday! 💅🏻 #nailart #minimalnailart #nailswag #whiteout

A post shared by Her Majesty's Pleasure (@hermajestyspleasure) on Apr 18, 2016 at 9:05am PDT

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6 These checkered, blue-and-white nails

Minimalist geometry nail art 💅🏻 . . . . . #nailextension #style #nailextensionjakarta #pamper #treatyourself #nailsalon #nailsalonjakarta #nailsalonsunter #nailarts #salonkuku #salonjakarta #salonsunter #salonkukusunter #pedicure #manicure #gorgeous #beauty #fashion #nailindonesia #fashionjakarta #nailart #nailartsunter #nailartsjakarta #nailjunkie #monochrome #monochromenails #geometricnails

A post shared by Miloff Beauty Bar (@miloffbeautybar) on Jul 27, 2017 at 1:45am PDT

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7 This black line-tipped manicure

➖The French Line ➖ . . . #Handpainted #potd #manimonday #nudenails #gelnails #nails #notd #nailswag #oliveandjune #art #instamood #obsessee #ipsy #evileye #evileyenails #weekendvibes #minimal #minimalnails #pinterestinspo

A post shared by ❤ Hang Nguyen ❤ (@flowidity108) on May 22, 2017 at 6:02pm PDT

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8 These sleepy-eyed lash nails

All lashes on board ! Happy Friday ! 💫 . #handpainted #nudenails #gelnails #nails #notd #fashion #fashionblogger #nailstagram #like4like #friday #illustration #art #instanails #pasadena #nailart #naildesign #instalove #instalike #follow4follow #nailswag #oliveandjune #art #instamood #photography #glendale #love #instanails #photography #beauty #girly

A post shared by ❤ Hang Nguyen ❤ (@flowidity108) on Feb 17, 2017 at 7:21pm PST

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9 These white starburst nails

#NewWork for @instylemagazine ✨ See my tutorial for this look on InStyle.com 💅🏼

A post shared by Jessica Washick (@jessicawashick) on Mar 6, 2017 at 12:47pm PST

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10 These single black-and-white lines

@aliciatnails inspired b&w lines on Angelique's nails. #rgbcosmetics White, #tenoverten Bond, base color #essiepolish Sugar Daddy & RGB #jenniferfisher Taken. #longnailbeds #aliciatorello

A post shared by Frances Liang (@purplenailbox) on Jan 20, 2017 at 4:22am PST

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11 These XOXO nails

French Kisses / Understated cool for #vday using @deborahlippmann naked for the base, Like a Virgin for the French tip and Fade to Black for the kisses ✖️🔘✖️🔘

A post shared by Jessica Washick (@jessicawashick) on Jan 30, 2015 at 7:22am PST

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12 These gold-striped, cut-out nails

Bands of gold 💫 . . . #valleynyc #nailart #nails #gel #gelnails #negativespace #negativespacenails #stripingtape #stripingtapenails #gold #summer #summernails #summerstyle #accessories #jewelry #nyc

A post shared by Valley (@valleynyc) on Aug 2, 2017 at 7:38am PDT

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13 This classic evil-eye manicure

👀👀👀👀 I'm looking at u !! #naildesigns #nailart #nailart #nails #wahnails #evileyenails #evileye #nailartaddict @wahnails

A post shared by IZZY (@izabellebellamy) on Apr 13, 2017 at 11:42am PDT

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Chloe Metzger Deputy Beauty Director Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, obsessively writing about new makeup launches, the best hair products (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare formulas that really work for every skin type (follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life).

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