While nail polish colors certainly play a role, you first have to figure out what nail shape you want to work with. If you have a little length to work with, can't go wrong with a stylish almond-shaped nail look. All almond-shaped nails require a touch of length to score the slightly pointed shape. However, if you prefer to keep your nails on the shorter side, you'll be glad to know that there are a bunch of short almond nail designs to copy on Instagram.
We rounded up 35 of our favorite nail designs for short almond nails. While some of these are a little longer than what you might consider as short, just remember that many almond nails can be quite long, so consider this our modest in-between.
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Blurry Airbrush
A blurry airbrush manicure with a touch of aura-inspired design, we love the peachy pink color of this gorgeous look. The white twinkle star designs are a nod to another famous trend: aura nails.
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Pink and Orange
The best part about these abstract pink and orange nails is that they don't require loads of effort to bring to life. Simply swipe on a couple of coats of color and finish with a few small black dots clustered throughout.
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Rainbow Tips
Two-toned rainbow tips? Talk about a bright way to embrace a modern French mani.
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Butterfly Beauties
Forever a fan of Instagram's butterfly filter? Show it some love by replicating the look on your almond-shaped nails.
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Dainty Florals
How pretty are these floral nails? We love how the base embraces the milky-white manicure trend.
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Opal Shell
This opalescent nail look is so versatile—it will look nude in some lights and magically reflective in others.
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Tortoiseshell Nails
Everyone's favorite hair accessory and glasses material is now fodder for your next nail look.
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Turquoise + Gold
Almond-shaped nails are the perfect shape for this gemstone-inspired manicure. The turquoise and gold detail is truly a work of art.
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Pale Pink Fade
A pretty pink nail look never goes out of style. In fact, we rounded up 40 pink nail designs to prove just that.
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Bold Abstract
Nails, like all beauty statements, are a way to express yourself. And, in case you forgot, you can do so with a handful of colors, shapes, and designs—all wrapped into one Insta-worthy abstract mani.
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Vampy
This polished, dark monochrome mani is giving all sorts of fall vibes.
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Negative Space Details
Peach, periwinkle, and pale pink come together for a pastel masterpiece we can't take our eyes off of. Of course, to recreate it you'll need French manicure stickers to section off your nails—or an expert's help to get the job done for you.
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Neon Jelly Hearts
The jelly manicure is still holding strong as a popular choice for nail design. If you look closely, you can see tiny hidden hearts throughout each nail.
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Mermaid-Inspired Teal Nails
These high-contrast teal nails make us think of mermaids and warm days spent by the sea.
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Metallic Mermaid
The way the light hits this cool metallic polish is giving a major mermaid moment. Is it blue? Green? Purple? Whatever the color, we're here for it this summer.
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Geometric French Tips
This minimalist manicure makes almond-shaped nails look like stilettos, all with a trick of sharp lines and dark black polish.
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Simple Dots
If you don't have a lot of space to work with, opting for a clear coat layered in colorful dots can draw attention to how much length you do have.
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Pastel Neons
These pastel neon nails are a cheery welcome to spring and summer. The colors are playful and bright, but the combinations are endless with a multi-colored mani like this.
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Rainbow Confetti
These rainbow confetti nails are perfect if you love the glitter vibe, but want more color. The almond shape is the perfect canvas for this show-stopping look.
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Siren Chrome
Holographic shimmer is a trendy look when you want a bit of shine. Chrome also gives a bit more edge than glitter. The chain detail gives this look even more of a rock-and-roll flavor.
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Tonal Wave
With its different shades of red, this tonal wave pattern gives a modern twist to a retro palette. In fact, any color will look great with this eye-catching wave pattern.
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Crystal Craze
From the blush pink base to the crisscrossing veins of white and the metallic gold details, these rose quartz nails are pure perfection. The gold and crystal details give this look just the right amount of sparkle.
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Thermal Nails
Can't decide on a color? Let the weather decide for you. Cirque Colors has an entire collection of thermal polish that changes colors based on the temperature outside, allowing for an ombré affect. How cool is that?
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Rose Gold Glitter
Almond-shaped nails work well with minimalist designs, such as this rosy gold-tipped Paintbox manicure. The New York City nail studio features manicurists who specialize in minimalist nail designs with bold colors and eye-catching shimmer. Weregularly peruse the studio's Instagram feed for inspiration.
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Baby Blues
This baby blue color is perfect for warmer weather. We love the most subtle design detail in the tiny black dot at the base of the nail for an added touch.
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Heart Tips
Nail stickers are a fun and easy way to spice up any almond-shaped DIY mani. These Olive & JuneHeart Stickers($15) come in four shades—white, blush, black, and lavender.Heads up, though, they often sell out.
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Peaches and Pearls
A pretty nude-peach manicure is accentuated with the sweetest pearl decals at the base of two nails.
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Glitter French Tips
This glittery French mani is another example proving that almond-shaped nails don't have to be long. This minimalist design is work-appropriate, yet also a fun look for vacation.
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Leopard Print
One bonus of short almond-shaped nails is that you can get away with a funky pattern, such as this leopard print design, without it looking overbearing. The neutral brown twist on this leopard print pattern is ultra-chic.
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Etched Lines
This ultra-cool almond mani is worthy of a modern art museum. The peach and blue colors with the black etched lines deserves a spot on your own Instagram feed.
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Red Drip
If you want an edgy look, but the True Crime talons were a bit too much...then consider this cool red drip mani. We plan to wear this design on our nails well in advance of Halloween. What can we say? We're always anticipating October 31.
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Purple Halo
You don't always need a complicated design or nail art for an amazing mani. In this case, perfectly shaped almond nails painted with a holographic deep purple shade are all you need to make a statement.
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Pressed Florals
The delicate hand-painted design on each nail gives us major springtime vibes. The shape of these nails sits somewhere between oval and almond, but that doesn't matter because we can't take our eyes off those pretty floral details.
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Pattern Mixing
Can't decide one pattern? You should consider combining them all! We love this almond-shaped nail design that comprises a collection of eclectic colors and funky patterns. It's maximalism at its finest.
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Retro Abstract
We are getting major Pucci vibes in this blue, green, and white mani with the chic abstract shapes. These abstract shapes can look too busy on longer nails, but look perfect on shorter, almond-shaped nails.
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