Ombré Eyeshadow Nails Are The Perfect Mani Trend To End The Summer

This summer has been chock-full of nail trends. There’s been fashion-inspired mani moments like the jelly look, designs that replicate fruits, watercolor patterns, and fierce crocodile print. But, as the end of summer approaches, your nail art choice should be inspired by something that really embodies the season before it comes to a close. To capture the energy, why not replicate a summer sunset or a bright tie-dye top with the ombré eyeshadow nails trend that’s been popping up on your TikTok FYP and Instagram explore feed. This design features a gradient between your chosen colors and is created using powder eyeshadow pigments. Bonus: It’s super easy to replicate on your own at home.

According to a TikTok posted by @nailsxnella, after you have applied a clear gel top coat and cured it under the UV light, all you have to do is grab your favorite palette and use a eyeshadow brush or makeup sponge to dab on colors in your preferred placement. Finish off by re-applying the clear top coat and set for 30 seconds under the lamp. Voilà! You are left with salon-quality nail art that is sure to get you tons of compliments.

Ahead, you’ll find 10 ombré eyeshadow nail ideas to DIY or to serve as inspo at the salon.

Experiment With Placement

Since creating this pattern is super easy to control and manipulate using an eyeshadow brush or sponge, you can have a lot of fun with placement of the design. This nail artist used sunset-inspired shades to create a gradient in the middle, top, bottom, and corners of the nail. This makes the style way more eye-catching.

Multi-Toned

Who said your hands have to match? As your last hurrah of the summer season, go bold by trying out two different multi-toned combos on each hand. This nail artist used a peachy orange and pink in combination with a blue, green, and purple mix.

Technicolor

Reminisce the summer camp vibes you might have experienced growing up by going full-on tie-dye with this technicolor ombré mani. Using a mix of cool and warm toned eyeshadows, UK nail artist Nataszija formed this seamless blend of colors. Because they’re more muted, this makes for a great fall transitional look. It’s perfect for someone who’s doesn’t want to let go of bold hues while not leaning too much into summer.

Accent Nails

Accent nails were super popular during the 2010s and it’s time to bring them back. For just a pop of pattern, try adding the ombré to only a few nails instead of the whole hand. Pair this with a solid color that matches your color scheme.

Aura Nails

The aura nail trend, which features a swash of color fading out from the middle of the nail, is still alive and well. If you never thought you could copy the look on your own, the easiest method is to take an eyeshadow pigment and dab the powder in the middle. UK nail content creator Phoebe Cascarina created a light pink and magenta look using this method, and added adorable star accents.

French Tips

Ombré eyeshadow nails don’t have to be intense. For the simple girlies, create a gradient by using a darker eyeshadow color as French tips over a contrasting lighter nail polish as the base.

Chrome Details

Don’t be afraid to mix media. This nail artist created an orange-toned ombré effect, but elevated it with silver chrome details.

Play With Texture

Adding texture to your manicure seems to be a trendy way to upgrade your look, and the ombré eyeshadow trend is no exception. Trying asking your nail artist to incorporate the finish in the form of stripes or shapes on top of your color mix.

Gold Flecks

For the ultimate sunset effect, place a few gold leaf flecks on top of each nail. Whenever they catch the light, you’ll have the cutest hint of sparkle.

The Glazed Donut Effect

Hailey Bieber popularized the chrome glazed donut effect two summers ago, but the viral look hasn’t gone out of style. Add that shine over top of your design to enhance the colors.