Neon colors are intense, glowing, and ready for summer! But what is it about neon that makes them seem louder than their timid counterparts? And is it even possible for a neon color to look cold? These questions say something about the moods that neon colors typically evoke. Usually, that’s why neon nail art is popular during the summer. In this article, we’ll look at various styles of neon nails and designs to get inspired.

Neon Nails Video Tutorial

Learn how to do this bright neon nail style yourself in this easy step by step tutorial.

Neon Nail Designs

Neon colors emit more light than non-neon colors. Chrome and neon are the bright, light-infused version of the primary and secondary colors. That’s why neon green looks like it’s lit up like a light. Neon colors are the brighter shades of the primary colors which include blue, green, and red, as well as purple and yellow. And it seems like neon is the design flavor of the 2022 spring and summer seasons.

Neon Green Nails

Green nail polish is in style, and so is neon green. Neon gives colors a boost of energy just in time for summer and spring. The 2022 year in fashion is blazing with neon up and down the runways, and neon manicures have seen their share of solid neon nails, rainbow neon nails, and other neon nail designs.

Black And Neon Green Nails

Those cool, bright neon signs are rare these days. There’s a sense of nostalgia there but that doesn’t mean neon designs are dated. Trends have a way of coming back around looking a little newer and a little fresher. Keep reading to find out about trends and how to create cute neon nails inspired by the glowing neon signs.

Neon Green And Pink Nails

Neutral colors like khaki, white, gray, brown, and black look professional yet stylish next to bright, bold neon nails.

Neon Lime Green Nails

So, how do you pick the best color for neon nails? Consider your skin’s undertone. Dark and light skin can have any range of cool (pink or blue), warm (peach, yellow, or golden), or neutral undertones. Choosing nail polish with similar colors as your undertone can make the color pop instead of clash or fade.

Neon Green Chrome Nails

If you don’t feel like messing with chrome powder, try a chrome polish. Multichrome polish gives subtle hints of more than one color with each layer. Try KBShimmer’s liquid multi-chrome shade shifter multichrome nail polish in Blue. You can wear it over a clear base coat or try three layers of polish over a black basecoat for a darker chrome effect. The polish is free from Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate.

Neon Green And White Nails

Neon glows and illuminates and is known for its very bright appearance in the dark. You can create some very cute neon styles with a fun glowing effect. Try UR Sugar Glow in the Dark neon soak-off gel polish from Amazon. The six-color set includes pink, yellow, orange, blue, hot pink, and purple.

Neon Green French Nails

Try matching your neon nails with your accessories. Let your neon green polish give a shout-out to your neon green purse, earrings, or watch. Subtle matching highlights the neon in a surprising way.

Neon Green Nails With Diamonds

A neon diamond manicure will vary in cost depending on where you live. When it comes to diamond manicures, that often means using Swarovski crystals. You can ask for Swarovski crystals at the salon, or you can purchase them for at-home manicures.

Neon Green And Orange Nails

The neon in this design is subtle, with a slight glow within the amber color of the design. If this design looks familiar, then maybe you’ve used cups or mugs with the same vintage amber and black tortoiseshell design.

Neon Green Tips Nails

Neon nails are a hot trend, and there’s no limit to its style variations. If you want neon nails with a very specific design, like a pretty neon swirl, it helps to bring some photos to the manicurist. This ensures that your idea gets communicated clearly.

Neon Green And Silver Nails

Holographic nails are different from chrome nails. You can get a neon silverish-green holographic look with ILNP Cosmetics shimmery finish holographic nail polish from Amazon. The color is lime green to yellow, and the polish is non-toxic and cruelty-free.

Short Neon Green Nails

According to Popsugar, Miami nail salon Nail Witch Studios creates pretty designs that look just like the glowing neon signs you might spot on shop windows. And they have a creative way of making the design stand out. If you want to learn how you can create a cute neon green nail design, see the steps below.

But first, here’s what you’ll need.

1. Alcohol pads
2. White gel polish
3. Easy shape stencil (or you can free-hand)
4. Neon green gel polish
5. Gel polish thinner

Step 1	Ensure the nail bed is clean by wiping it down with a rubbing alcohol pad.
Step 2	Using your white gel polish, create a simple design like a heart or a star. Let it cure.
Step 3	Grab the neon gel polish and paint over the top of the white design. Let it cure.
Step 4	Mix the neon gel polish using a clear mixing gel like Glam Glitz’ Gel Polish Thinner from Amazon to dilute the neon color gel polish.
Step 5	Outline the edges of your design using the diluted shade, and let it cure once more.

Neon Orange Nails

 

Orange is the perfect color to wear during the summer, but neon orange is even better! Try some bright orange press-on nails or nail wraps for an easy neon fix.

Neon Orange Nails With Rhinestones

Diamonds aren’t the only way to add sparkle to your neon nails. If you don’t feel like maintaining tiny diamond crystals, rhinestones are a perfectly effective way to achieve that shine.

Neon Orange And Yellow Nails

Keith Sonnier was an artist who began experimenting with materials and textures such as latex and satin in the late 1960s, challenging popular art of the time. His last artworks used neon lights.

Neon Orange Almond Nails

Looking for the coolest almond shaped nails? Check out these nails inspired by artist Keith Sonnier. He created large-scale neon installations that are still showcased in art exhibits all around the world today. His work might be the coolest neon nail art inspo yet.

Neon Orange Stiletto Nails

Stiletto neon nails in orange are definitely vibrant. Stiletto nails are about as bold as you can get when it comes to nail shapes. All the more reason to make them stand out with a hot shade of neon orange. You can even try neon juicy peach nails for the ultimate summer look!

Neon Orange And White Nails

Neon orange with white swirls make you think of sherbert on a hot summer day. Try press-on nails for an easy alternative to perfecting a design. They’re perfect for impromptu summer outings when you want to glam up last-minute. Or try them for everyday wear. Why? Because:

1. They won’t break the bank
2. Your nails will look fabulous

Neon Yellow Nails

Bright, yellow neon nails give you an instant glow, paying tribute to sunny days during the summer and spring months. Yellow brings an energetic vibe.

Neon Yellow Nails With Glitter

When you’ve got a solid palette of neon color on your nails but you kind of want to add something extra, consider adding some glitter. There’s definitely no shortage of glitter options! Here are a few below.

Glitter	Type of Glitter
Holographic	Holographic glitter can come in the form of loose glitter, sometimes called chunky glitter. The holographic effect is a rainbow display of light, scattered via tiny particles that act as a prism from which the rainbows can form.
Shimmer	This type of glitter uses very fine particles of glitter to create a subtle twinkle most visible under light. This type of glitter makes a manicure “shimmer” rather than “sparkle.”
Iridescent	The color in this type of glitter changes depending on the way the light hits it, like when you move your hand. The light hits at various angles and appears to shift.
Metallic	The particles of glitter are very thin sheets of aluminum material, cut into tiny pieces and made to reflect light. That’s what gives this glitter a mirror-like sheen.

Neon Yellow And Black Nails

If you’re using neon powder, try experimenting with a black base coat, playing with layers for a darker neon design. Or, you can use simple lines over a sheer neon color instead.

Neon Yellow Green Nails

Yellow-green is in the same family as neon green and lime green.

Neon Yellow Nails With Diamonds

Ever heard of diamond dust? No, it’s not created by a unicorn, but it looks just as magical. Technically, diamond dust is what happens from cutting actual diamonds. It’s the fine shavings that collect as a result. Use it with rhinestones for even more sparkle.

Neon Yellow And White Nails

You can pair neon with non-neon colors. Yellow looks great paired with gray, brown, white, or black. Try thinking of textures, as well. For instance, a shiny neon yellow polish looks beautiful next to a matte white polish, or vice-versa.

Neon Pink Nails

Pretty in pink, or pretty in neon pink, either way, we agree that pink has blossomed into a hot summer color and a style that everyone can rock, whether it’s fashion or nail design!

Neon Pink And Black Nails

While you don’t have to go out and purchase actual diamond powder, you can purchase glitter that is extra fine to mimic that diamond-like sparkle. Try Glitties’ Diamond Dust glitter powder from Amazon. It’s a very fine glitter powder, .008″, and you can use it with gel nail polish or mix it with acrylic powder.

Neon Hot Pink Nails

Neon powder is used to create a lot of products from soap, makeup, lipstick, and of course, nail polish! Pigments are an easy and fun way to create solid neon nails that pop. You can create gorgeous neon pink nails by using a neon pink powder, too.

Neon Pink And White Nails

French tip ombre nails are sometimes referred to as pink and white nails. It features a nail palette that’s bright pink and tips that are bright white. But neon pink and white is an excellent color-combo all around and can be used to create any style.

Neon Pink French Nails

Substitute the bright white tip on a French tip nail style with neon pink for a summer version of the classic nail style!

Neon Pink Short Nails

Solid neon pink looks great even on short nails and also is a great color to use with sparkly diamonds or a minimalistic design.

Neon Hot Pink And Blue Nails

Neon hot pink and blue are a beautiful color combination. Hot pink and blue are often depicted as colors of a sunset against an ocean. Definitely has a summer vibe.

Neon Pink Nails With Diamonds

The cost to add rhinestones at a salon is typically about 25 to 50 cents per jewel. Of course, that can quickly add up if you’re going for an all-out long coffin baddie nail manicure 😜. But a few gems on a nail or two can give you the style you’re in the mood for.

Light Neon Pink Nails

We tend to associate neon pink with hot pink. However, there are various shades of neon pink, and not all of them are hot. Similar colors to neon pink have a high color saturation and greater brightness. That’s what ultimately makes a neon color look neon.

Neon Pink Nails With Rhinestones

Rhinestones are an alternative to diamonds. If you’re looking for more of a three-dimensional sparkle than glitter can offer, rhinestones are the next best thing! But if you’d prefer to try the diamond look, you’ll be delighted to know that Swarovski crystals are reusable. This can save you money in the long run. Removing crystals using an acetone nail polish remover will not cause damage to the crystals as it would to rhinestones.

Neon Pink Square Nails

Tapered square nails were big in the 90s, and they haven’t really lost their traction too much. If anything, they’ve only grown longer!

Neon Bright Summer Nails

Bright neon and summer go together almost like trends and TikTok. They’re popular, but they’re not the rule. Yes, neon colors are awesome for sunny days and hot weather because neon colors kind of give off that vibe. But that doesn’t mean you can’t throw in some earthy tones.

Summer Neon Green Nails

Neon green is the electrified version of any other shade of green. Bright greens that are closely related to neon green include:

• Lime green
• Yellow green
• Seafoam green

Summer Neon Orange Nails

Orange is actually much closer to the actual color of neon than the rest of the colors mentioned. Neon is an orange-red color, but when you see it in a transparent tube, like a neon sign, for instance, neon is a bright red. Anything else doesn’t actually contain any neon gas.

Summer Neon Pink Nails

Colors that are similar shades to neon pink include

• Bright magenta
• Purple pink

Summer Neon Acrylic Nails

If you’ve ever been to old Vegas, then you probably remember the yellow lights. Neon lights that is. Everywhere. In fact, Las Vegas has the most fitting nickname as the City of Neon Lights.

Summer Neon Green And Pink Nails

Summer and watermelon go together like yummy neon green and pink nails!

Summer Neon French Nails

Neon tips can be a combination of different neon shades. This design uses simple lime green and light pink stripes that meet in the middle to create the french tip.

Summer Trending Neon Star Nails

How do we know what nail trends are trending at any moment in time? Hashtags are one way.. The most popular nail style that was trending on Instagram in 2021 was the marble nail design, reaching number one with 1,832,896 hashtags, according to Scratch Magazine.Neon stars are kind of a thing in 2022, and we like it.

Acrylic Neon Nails

According to Statista, a full set of acrylic nails from 2009 to 2019 stayed at a steady cost of about $46. Getting acrylics filled every 2 to 3 weeks has, on average, cost just under $30.

There are benefits to getting an acrylic manicure:

• Smooth surface great for intricate nails art
• Durability
• Can add length

Acrylic Neon Green Nails

A full set can be worn for 6 to 8 weeks before the acrylics need to be removed. In other words, a manicure can get pricey but may be worth it, especially when you know how to care for your nails so they stay strong for the longest.

Neon Orange Acrylic Nails

There are different shades of neon orange, and all of them are an awesome look for the summer. Because of its association with the orange, the fruit, the color orange evokes flavors of citrus, which may also be reminiscent of summer days drinking OJ.

Neon Blue Acrylic Nails

When it feels right, experiment with neon colors to create the summer feel of your dreams (sea breeze blue acrylics, please?) Neon blue is a clear winner and a cool shade to wear for the summer if you need to cool off from the pinks, oranges, and yellows.

Acrylic Neon Purple Nails

Violet neon doesn’t actually exist. To make neon signs, for instance, the gas Argon is used. Don’t worry though; neon purple nail polish doesn’t actually contain any Argon gas of any sort.

Black And Neon Acrylic Nails

Speaking of purple neon, remember blacklights? If you were 12 or 13 years old during any part of the 90s, neon lava lamps and black light posters might have been your thing. Today perhaps its blacklight nails as thermal, black and neon, and grunge have stepped into the spotlight in 2022.

Neon Orange Ombre Acrylic Nails

Press-on nails are a great way to try on an endless variety of pretty styles, changing them out as you please. On the flip side, acrylic nails tend to stay on longer. If you want to commit to a style you love, acrylics are stronger for day-to-day wear.

Neon Blue Nails

It seems to be all about blue in 2022. Every shade of blue is fair game this year, including this summer. In fact, Pantone has named Periwinkle as the color of the year for 2022. Periwinkle is a whimsical shade of bluish purple with a bit of a red undertone.

Neon Light Blue Nails

According to TikTok, light blue nails mean that you’re no longer single. However, considering that the color has been around way longer than Tik Tok trends, we say go ahead and wear blue because you love it.

Neon Green And Blue Nails

We mentioned neon and its effects on mood at the beginning of this article. And blue is an interesting color because it can evoke moods that are more melancholy than some of the other, brighter neon colors. On the other hand, when you pair blue with lime green, it adds a dash of optimism. The color combination has a beachy vibe, and the ocean is anything but melancholy (usually)!

Aqua Neon Blue Nails

Besides a warm breeze and cool ocean water, blue is sometimes used as a color scheme in many films to represent the past.

Neon Yellow And Blue Nails

Yellow and blue are both primary colors. You often see this combination for kids’ toys or kid furniture. But it doesn’t have to be the case. Blue and yellow can look very trendy and sweet with a pretty floral design.

Rainbow Neon Nails

Rainbow nails are another trending nail design this year. It’s a style that you can wear for Pride month but also all year round. Neon adds another element to the rainbow design because you have more colors and shades to choose from.

Glitter Rainbow Neon Nails

Adding glitter to neon rainbow nails is like throwing in some spice to your favorite dish. Just add glitter! Glitter has been making a comeback for some time now, and we’ve seen it pair especially well with rainbow nail designs.

Neon Rainbow French Tip Nails

Glitter looks great with neon french tips too. But, solid neon tips aren’t missing anything on their own. So, get your neon nails ready and then head over to Vegas and visit the neon museum!

Neon Purple Nails

And hey, as long as you’re in Vegas, why not get purple chrome neon nails for Mardi Gras?

For easy chrome nails using chrome powder at home, check out the table below!

You’ll need the following:

1. Alcohol pads
2. Clear no-wipe gel top coat (doesn’t leave a sticky residue)
3. Dust brush
4. Chrome powder application brush (may use eyeshadow brush)
5. Chrome powder

Step 1	Prep nails to ensure a clean palette.
Step 2	Apply a thin layer of your no wipe top coat and allow it to cure.
Step 3	Pick up some chrome powder with your application brush and apply it by gently coating the entire nail.
Step 4	Use a dust brush to dust away any loose powder. Make sure any loose powder is removed; otherwise the top coat won’t stick properly.
Step 5	Finally, apply another layer of your no wipe top coat and allow it to cure for one minute.

Neon French Nails

There’s no doubt about it, neon french nails are popular and have been going strong since Kourtney Kardashian wore neon nails back in 2020. However, neon nails go back to the 80s when hot pink and cherry red were making waves.

Short Neon Nails

Chrome powder offers a stronger metallic sheen that you may not often get with chrome polish.

Try Beetles Chrome Nail Powder from Amazon for that cool holographic effect. It comes with eight jars of iridescent, pearly colors that include Laser Silver, Chrome Gold, Chrome Silver, Chrome Pink, Chrome Purple, Pearlescent Blue, Pearlescent Green, and Iridescent Powder.

It’s a non-toxic synthetic resin powder that lasts long and finishes with a smooth texture. The powder may be used on gel polish, acrylic, and natural nails and with gel or traditional nail polish. Note that different polishes may achieve slight variations in effect.

Summary

It’s easy to forget a neon nail design that caught your eye when there are so many neon styles that are also vying for your attention. It’s like wanting to try that sushi place you just discovered, only to never remember to remember it when you’re hungry. That’s why we gave you a mega list of neon nail ideas. It’s a convenient reference for your next bright manicure.