Prepare Yourself: These Will Be the Biggest Nail Trends of 2022 (2024)

You've gotta admit: There was no shortage of great, screenshot-worthy nail trends in 2021. Even though 2022 is still months away, we can already sense the direction things are heading in, and (spoiler!) you're gonna love the nail trends 2022 will bring just as much. If you're not quite ready to part ways with your favorites from 2021, don't! You know the saying: If it ain't broke, don't fix it—just update it slightly with a 2022 twist.

Thanks to the fashion month runways, we got a preview of what's to come for spring 2022 nail trends, but we also searched through TikTok and Instagram to find all the best clues for what else might be trending next year, so you can start wearing them now. From popular nail colors to updates on classic favorites, these will be the nine biggest nail trends comin' at ya in 2022.

From chartreuse to Bottega green, 2021 was allll about green, but don't be surprised if you start seeing more and more shades of blue popping up on manis all around you. Out of Pantone's list of standout colors for NYFW spring/summer 2022, four of the 10 were shades of blue, just sayin'. This deep ocean blue nail polish feels perfect for the early 2022 winter months, but expect lighter, brighter versions for spring and summer.

For those who think a mani is incomplete without embellishments, this trend goes out to you. Combine your love of sparkles with trendy graphic lines to make your mani feel more modern but still your style. And hey, both crystal-covered nails and minimalist nail art were big trends from the spring 2022 runways, so marry the two with a mani like this. Start with a thin line of black nail polish, and then trace over the top with glitter nail polish to finish the look.

Silver and gold aren't just being worn as jewelry and rings on fingers these days. You might have noticed many a mani featuring metal details, too. It could be something as simple as a strip of silver along your cuticle or bold as chain embellishments, but metallic manis are def having a moment. And with so many ways to wear a version of the look (for instance, with chrome nail polish, foil flakes, transfer foils, or metal embellishments) you have no reason to sit this trend out.

A major trend of the moment that will be just as popular in 2022? Mismatched nails with a different color, design, or pattern placement on each nail. With endless options and combinations, the look never gets old, which is why you'll be seeing this versatile style for many seasons to come. If you're the person who can never choose a nail color, has way too many ideas, and thinks one accent nail is never enough, this is the mani for you.

Two words: French manis. Whether you make 'em chunky, super-thin, traditional, abstract, or something in between, definitely make French manicures of all different types a go-to of yours for 2022. So popular you'll even see the manicure type mixed with other trends on this list, French tips of all shapes, thicknesses, and colors will be everywhere come 2022, just you wait.

Don't you for a second think that swirls are going anywhere next year—they're just getting started! We all experimented with the water cup and nail polish drips for marble nails back in 2014, right? Well, I hope you've been perfecting the technique and nail hack over the last few years because you'll be seeing a lot of cool swirls just like this in 2022 (and you've probably already started seeing it in 2021). Try it on the tips of your nails or all over your nails or switch it up with seasonal shades—your options are endless for wearing the look and making it your own.

If TikTok is any indication (and it usually is), everybody's searching for THE perfect pastel pink nail polish right now, which means by the time 2022 rolls around, everyone will be wearing it. Did I mention it was also a popular color on the spring/summer 2022 runways, too? If you have yet to find the right shade for your skin tone, this popular TikTok makes a good case for one coat of OPI Funny Bunny and two coats of OPI Bubble Bath.

If you have yet to experience the magic of manicure stickers, make 2022 the year you finally do. Whether you want to add an intricate design to an accent nail with a tiny nail sticker or cover your whole fingernail with a wrap made of gel polish, you have the option for either. And these days, you can even find patterns created by your favorite nail artists, like this swoop mani (see? Told you French tips were big) designed by @nailsbymimi in collaboration with ManiMe.

Press-on nails (like the ones shown here) are hardly a new concept, but as more and more people discover just how simple and quick it can be to achieve whatever nail shape, length, and design you want (and switch it up whenever you want), reusable luxury press-on nails are just gonna keep growing in popularity for years to come.