31 Modern French Manicure Ideas for 2024

Fruity French

Fruit nail art is popular for spring and summer, making this French mani especially fitting for the months ahead. Nailing Hollywood celebrity nail artist Rachel Joseph created it by hand with Bio Seaweed Gel Nail Polish ($18). While she didn’t share the exact shades she used, you can get a similar look with the brand’s Unity All-in-One Gel Polish in the shades Pink-a-Boo, Chase the Sun, Meet Me By the Garden, Candy Apple and Snow White.

Maximalist Orange Tips

Nailing Hollywood nail artist LaTara Haye created these funky maximalist orange tips. They remind us of Dalmatians and Yayoi Kusama. 

Reflective Glittery Pink French

For a show-stopping modern French mani, swap out white polish for Barbie pink glitter on your tips. To get the look, use the shade 1357 from the ICEGEL Neon On Off Gel Set ($15). 

Mismatched French

The beauty of modern French manis is that there are no rules. Can’t decide which design you want to move forward with? You can display a different one on each nail. Here, Haye went with smiley faces, cow print, clouds and trendy ice cream drips.

Green Aura 3D French Mani

Joseph loves to get creative with her French manicure creations. For this nail look, she opted for a green airbrushed aura effect complete with silver chrome details and 3D builder gel wave accents.

Inverted Color Block French Tips

French manicures typically featured arched tips with the convex shape pointing outward. Here, you can see how an inverted approach to the classic nail look can appear. Nailing Hollywood artist Hang Nguyen—the creator of the look—says it’s super simple to DIY. Just pick your colors, then use the included brush to create a curved shape on each nail. Let it dry (or cure it if it’s gel), then paint a shorter curved shape on top for the layered look. 

Barbie French Tips

For a Barbie-themed French mani, opt for metallic hot pink tips paired with silver chrome stars to illustrate the twinkly appeal of the picture-perfect doll. Nailing Hollywood artist Morgan A. Dixon created this nail look using Aprés Gel-X Nail Extension Kit ($117) with Round Tips. 

Skittle Heart French Tips

A Skittle manicure is one in which every nail is painted in a different color. For this Skittle French, Joseph opted to keep it tonal with different shades of pink and made it even more eye-catching with heart-shaped tips. 

Pink and Red Mismatch Nails 

Pink and red is the quintessential Valentine’s Day color combo, but it can work all year round, depending on how you rock it. While heart nail art is definitely more Cupid coded, if you opt for dots, squiggles and grid patterns as Dixon did for most of the nails here, it can look less holiday-themed.

Dewy Cherry Tips

How adorable are these cherry French tips? They pack three trends into one: a modern French, cherry details and 3D dewdrop accents. They’re perfect for summer!

Flame Frenchies

Flame nail art is on the rise in 2024, and it’s often added to manicures in the form of reimagined French tips. Here, Joseph opted to pair the hot nail look with classic French tips for an undeniably head-turning mani. 

Mermaidy Mint French Tips

Headed on a beach vacation? Opt for minty iridescent French tips for a mystical mermaid-y appeal. You can DIY this look using The Gel Bottle Inc. Gel Nail Polish ($19) in the shade Aqua.

Cute Cobalt French

For an unexpected twist on a classic French, alter not only the color of your tips but the shape, too. Here, Nguyen went with squiggly asymmetrical accent tips in cobalt blue for a striking spring nail look that stopped us in our tracks. 

Summery Abstract French

Pale pink and bright orange pair particularly well together for a summer nail look that’s both bright and coquettish. Meanwhile, the wavy application gives it an almost mod appeal. 

Flower French Tips

This adorable flower French mani can work well for any season—it just depends on which colors you choose to design it with. You can DIY the look at home by starting with a Skittle base manicure, then using dotting tools to create the flower tips. By using a larger tool, you can place the dots closely together for the petaled look. If you notice any gaps, simply use a nail art brush to combine the dots. 

Cow Print French

With Western emblems on the rise, you can’t go wrong with a cow-print French. To DIY the look, start with wavy white French tips, then use a dotting tool—like the Le Mini Macaron Le Dottie Dotting Tool ($5)—to dot black polish onto each tip. Use a nail brush to slightly drag the dots around for a more natural-looking cow print. 

Color-Block Micro French

Remember how we mentioned the micro French? Nguyen created this color-block version, and it might just be our favorite slim French mani. To DIY the look, use a fine-lining nail art brush and have another one on hand with a bottle of acetone to use for touch-ups. 

Two-Tone Wavy French Tips

We love the look of these two-tone wavy French tips. Joseph created them with Bio Seaweed Gel Nail Polish, opting for two shades of the same color on each nail. To create the look, she used a fine-lining nail art brush. Admittedly, creating this pattern on yourself will likely be challenging. To make it easy on yourself, book a nail appointment stat.

Colorful Cow Print French

Love the idea of cow print but prefer bright nail looks? Check out this colorful cow print French manicure by Nguyen. We love the match cuticle half-moon accents. 

Soft French manicure

Kandalec gave trendsetter Selena Gomez a soft French manicure. It’s a bit more muted than a standard French manicure and looks gorgeous on long nails.

Chrome French manicure

“Chromecore is everywhere, from Zendaya’s skirt at the 2022 Oscars to all the makeup you see on Euphoria,” says celebrity nail artist Sonya Belakhlef. Chrome is one of Belakhlef’s favorite nail looks, and “of course, chrome will lend itself seamlessly to French manicures with its highly reflective metal finish that’s bold and eye-catching.”

She notes that the chrome color could be either the accent of the base color, but she prefers it on the tips. “There are pro powders that nail artists apply to create the chrome finish, but you can use a super metallic eyeshadow pigment or fake it with a metallic polish like ORLY x Kwame Onwuachi’s Saute ($13),” says Belakhlef.

Angular French manicure

“One popular French style is angular, where the tip of the nail features a ‘V’ rather than the standard curve around the edge,” says Emily H. Rudman, founder of Emilie Heathe.

Galactic French manicure

Ahead of a photo shoot, Kandalec graced Zoe Saldana with this galactic French manicure. The funky look is sure to stand out in a sea of standard French manicures.

Reverse French manicure

“A reverse French is not only a fresh take on the classic French mani, but it’s also my pro tip for anyone who can’t stand new growth but has to wait for their next appointment,” says Belakhlef. “I love to extend my manicure’s life by adding a glitter reverse French to new growth!” Belakhlef did this look for Kiki Layne ahead of the Met Gala using Orly Builder in a Bottle ($40).

Double French manicure

Rudman says double French manicures are fairly popular right now. The look features “two lines that essentially outline the area that would normally be completely filled in with polish at the tip of the nail,” she explains.

Five different ways French manicure

Kandalec says this is a fun look any time of year but tends to be popular during the festive season. Around the holidays, people love getting a glittery iteration of this look. It’s a super fun option because you don’t have to pick just one style of French, you can have a different one on each finger.

Glazed donut French manicure

Glazed donut everything has been trending this year, thanks to one Hailey Bieber, so of course, the glazed donut manicure has been a hit. Kandalec recommends trying the iridescent manicure.

Optical illusion French manicure

Belakhlef says this trend made a huge splash on TikTok recently. “It’s incredibly intricate, chic, and most of all, super trippy. Both glossy and matte finishes look amazing with this design,” she says. “You can even combine the optical illusion French mani with chrome for a unique, otherworldly look.” If you’re endeavoring to do this at home, Belakhlef recommends using half Moon Guides.

Holiday French manicure

“During the holidays, the trendiest and most popular French manicure style is pretty simple but features a bright red tip instead of the traditional white,” says Rudman. Hailey Bieber recently posted a photo of her sporting this look, which sent the internet into a frenzy.

Color block French manicure

If you can’t pick a color or want to go for a more dynamic look, try a color block French. Any two colors will do. This one even has a peppermint pattern peeking out from under the nail.

Barbie core French manicure

Kandalec notes that we’ll start to see a lot of Barbie core trends, including in the manicure space, as we get closer to the release of Barbie. It’s a full-throttle look and so much fun.