Are aura nails the new French manicure? This might be a bold statement, but this huge trend is so versatile that classic designs might be getting some serious competition.
Featuring a burst of color blooming from the center of the nail and seamlessly blending with the base, aura nails are simple, easy to recreate and allow for endless customization.
You’ve seen aura nails on celebrities and influencers, but you need more inspo? Read on for 25 of our favorite design ideas you can DIY or take with you to the salon.
1. Lavender Aura Nails With Stars
Pairing two tones of the same color is a subtle way to try out the trend. Here, bright purple contrasts the pale lavender base, but the end result is almost classic.
2. Starburst Green Aura Nails
Aura nails are a great base for nail art. Depending on the colors you choose, you can combine this technique with various stickers, hand-drawn art or other designs.
3. Brown And Pink Aura Nails
If you’re feeling vampy, try this dark aura design that has a hazy, moody vibe. To complete the supernaturally dramatic look, pair them with almond or stiletto nail shape.
4. Pale Pink Aura Nails With Pearls
The choice of colors has the greatest impact on the vibe of your aura mani. The barely-there blush color on the pale pink base looks delicate and pretty, and perfectly matches the pearl nail decorations.
5. Oil Slick Aura Nails
Prefer edgy over pretty? This dystopian look starts with a black base, with poisonous green spilling out of the center, coming to a point with muddy beige in the middle.
6. Fire And Ice Aura Nails
You can mix colors in various ways to spice up your aura nails, from different colors on each nail to high contrast blends. For example, this combo of cool icy blue on one hand and warm orange on the other with an eye-catching fire and ice effect.
7. Floral Aura Nails
Glitter aura was bound to happen, wasn’t it? This pale pink base with hot pink glitter aura paired with tiny hand-painted flowers is springtime glam summed up in a manicure.
8. Blue Aura Nails
Obsessed with this design! Dark chrome blue with light blue aura already has a look of stormy skies, but the white nail art representing lightning drives the point home.
9. Pink Aura Nails With Chrome Stars
Use contrast of color and shape to give your own stamp to your mani. Bubblegum pink on pearlescent white is cute and pretty, but when done on super-long, sharply square nails, the effect is surprising and cool.
10. Blue On White Aura Nails
Milky white is the perfect base for the bright blue center if you want a fresh and calm aura nails design. This soothing color combination is just simple enough to suit any style and vibrant enough to be a step beyond a minimalist nude mani.
11. Cherry Blossom Celestial Aura Nails
Aura nails mimicking the hues of cherry blossoms pairs surprisingly well with gold details. Moons and stars glittering over shades of pink bring an unexpected element to a classic design.
12. Pastel Blue Chrome Aura Nails
A dusting of chrome over your aura nails design combines two of the biggest nail trends as of late. Try this ultra-glossy look with different color combinations to create various effects.
13. Glow In The Dark Aura Nails
Simple and beautiful by day, shockingly bright by night! Glow-in-the-dark nails use special pigments that absorb light and glow in the dark like they’re illuminated from within. Eerie and so cool.
14. Cyan And Orange Chrome Aura Nails
This high-contrast color combination already has a futuristic vibe, but when topped with gleaming chrome, it’s a look straight out of science fiction.
15. Red Aura Nails
Red nails continue to be hot from one season to the next, but that doesn’t mean there are no ways to upgrade them. Try a burgundy-to-bright-red aura design for a decidedly modern look.
16. Transparent Black Aura Nails
There’s no shortage of black nail designs, and here’s one of the most extravagant sets out there. Transparent acrylics with black aura in the middle, topped with silver nail art—maximalist in a cool, edgy way.
17. Pink Jelly Aura Nails
Jelly pink aura nails have the dreamy look worthy of a fairy tale princess. Bright in the prettiest way, this beautiful manicure will keep you admiring your nails all day long.
18. Deep Purple Aura Nails
Chic, sultry and dramatic, this deep purple and black aura design fits the dark feminine aesthetic we love to revisit in the colder seasons.
19. Blue Sparkly Aura Nails
Underneath the silver branches and flowers, this white and blue mani combines aura and ombre nail design to create a uniform, but slightly different look on each nail.
20. Indigo Aura Nails
Short nails look especially cool with nail art. The indigo blue blob on top of a nude base is complemented with strokes of purple that bring out a dark and gloomy edge from this mani.
21. Aura Nails With Outline
The perfectly airbrushed bright blue aura on a dark base framed by a silver outline looks like a view of a galaxy from a spacecraft window. Mesmerizing!
22. Hot Pink Aura Nails
Hot pink on Barbie pink? Yes, please. If you have a favorite color, aura nails gives you a way to add more of it to your mani.
23. Silver Thread Aura Nails
When you want to combine lots of elements in your manicure but you’re not fond of maximalist designs, stick to a monochrome color palette. Case in point, this contrasting aura nails design topped with dramatic nail art that doesn’t look busy.
24. Sparkly Purple Aura Nails
Dark aura on a light base will leave a completely different impression than a light aura on a dark base. Keep the edges light and add a deeper color to the center of your nails if you want a bright, cheerful look like this sparkly purple mani.
25. Dark Aura Nails
If you’re into dark aesthetics, look no further for your next manicure: these dark aura nails are witchy perfection.