You may have heard that April showers bring May flowers, but the month that inspires endless springtime sayings also delivers inspiration for nail polish shades that capture the joy of the season. Whether you prefer to keep your nails clean and minimal or decorate them with eye-catching nail art and 3D details, the right nail polish shade can serve as a springboard for spring nail inspiration. We’re halfway through the month of April, and we’re keeping tabs on the polish colors that will define it.
Now, with the help of a celebrity nail artist, the trends have earned their names (and a spot on our spring-manicure inspiration board). Below, we’re sharing our findings with you, as well as several of the nail looks that have us scrambling to schedule our monthly manicure appointments. Scroll ahead to see every nail color for April worth trying before the month has reached its end.
Which Nail Colors Are Trending for April?
What better way to celebrate blooming florals, bright blue skies, and the return of whimsy in our wardrobes than by wearing manicures that are just as colorful and eye-catching? This April, celebrity nail artist for Sally Hansen Stephanie Stone tells us the month will be all about getting playful with nails. “We’ve seen so much adventurous nail art coming out of Coachella, and I have a feeling these dopamine nails are going to be embraced well through the summer,” she says. While creamy, neutral shades will still be on the scene as we head into the warmer months, you can fully expect to see an uptick in lively, energetic hues combined with the season’s best nail art trends like rainbow French tips, berry polka dots, and lavender chrome.
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According to Stone, the rainbow-French-tip trend combines the classic with the experimental. “You can achieve it with a micro-French to be more discreet or wear it on long square tips to get a look that really makes a statement. The key is using bright colors that really pop!” says Stone. Her favorite polishes for this are from Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri Electric Feels collection: Neon Nitro ($6), a creamy neon green, and Peachy Flare ($6), a coral-peach color. Micro polka-dot manicures will also be making the rounds in April. “Last year’s inverted color polka dots on each hand swept over the internet faster than Dubai chocolate. However, polka dots have stood the test of time and still resonated with the nail art lovers, this time in the color choices of a rich berry and soft cream,” Stone continues.
To pull off berry polka-dot nails, she recommends using two polishes from the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Flower Powder collection, Dragon Fruit Crush ($6), for a fuchsia flush of color, and Vanilla Bean Vibe ($6), a shimmering white. Additionally, Stone shares that the lavender chrome manicure is the ideal choice for the individuals who like wearing a simple statement nail and that Sally Hansen’s Ube-Delicious ($6), a shimmering purple, is “art in a bottle.” For a subtler lavender finish, Stone likes Whirlway Wildflower ($6) for matte dry-down and a chic satin look.
Pure Honey
Sunny manicures are on the rise this spring, and honeyed polish shades that reflect the rising temperatures are inspiring a shift from the butter-yellow tones we’ve seen in the last year. While many of the viral yellow manicures in our feeds recently have been creamy and opaque, honey-colored nails have a splash of orange for added warmth that’s highly complementary of all skin tones.
Get the look:
DND
Gel Polish Set in Honey
Leafy Green
Year after year, we notice creamy green nails emerge just as the world around us begins to bloom once again. This April, our nails will evoke everything from the dew-tipped blades of grass after a spring storm to delicate buds just before they bloom with muted green nail polish with white undertones. The finished look is light, airy, and energetic.
Get the look:
OPI
Nature Strong Nail Polish in Sage It for Later
Essie
Nail Polish in Turquoise and Caicos
Cloud White
The opaque cream manicures we fell in love with at the beginning of winter are returning for this season with additional warmth for a milky finish on nails of all shapes and lengths. This fashion-forward manicure by Milan-based creative nail artist Oksana Zavora is short and clean with a shiny, milky white hue and small chrome details that give these nails a minimalist, futuristic feel.
Get the look:
Essie
Nail Polish in Marshmallow
OPI
Nail Polish in Funny Bunny
Petal Pink
Pink manicures feel particularly romantic in April with the flowers in bloom and velvet petals met with rainfall, so it’s no surprise to us that pink nails are once again taking the beauty world by storm. These glowy, elegant nails by London- and Barcelona-based nail artist Mateja Novakovic are the epitome of a clean manicure with a semi-sheer pink polish that brings on the gloss. It’s delicate and timeless—perfect for springtime.
Get the look:
Dr’s Remedy
Enriched Nail Polish in Perfect Petal Pink
CND
Vinylux Long Wear Polish in Negligee
Lovely Lavender
Playful pastel shades have been on our minds (and our Instagram feeds) lately, and lavender polish shades like the one above have officially caught our attention for April. Nail artist and lifestyle content creator Iram Shelton drew inspiration from Tom Ford‘s fall/winter 2024 collection when creating these nails. They’ll be on our mind as we head into the latter half of the season.
Get the look:
Essie
Nail Polish in Cool and Collected
OPI
Nail Polish in I Am What I Amethyst
Muted Berry
We first began noticing rumblings of cool berry manicures at the end of winter, spotting the moody, romantic shade on fashion people from New York to Amsterdam. To create this chic manicure look, Novakovic used Bio Sculpture’s Gemini Nourishing Nail Polish in Chipped Bark ($10). Juicy nail polish colors like this one are on track to become a new neutral for year-round wear, just as we’ve seen from the oxblood and burgundy shades that were once widely reserved for fall.
Get the look:
Nailberry
L’Oxygéné Nail Polish in Fashionista
Essie
Nail Polish in Mismatch to Match
Blue Crème
In the caption of an Instagram post, celebrity nail artist Queenie Nguyen wrote that she’ll be reaching for blue polish more frequently this season. “Blue feels soft enough for spring, but still has that clean, put-together look I always come back to,” she shared with an image of a dual-toned manicure. The contrasting blues offer a gorgeous option for transitioning between the winter and spring months, as they’re within the same palette.
Get the look:
Duri
Nail Polish in Cloud True Blue
OPI
Nail Polish in It’s a Boy
Buttercup Yellow
If you’re still completely enamored by the butter nail trend and aren’t ready to let it go, rest assured that this April is celebrating bright and sunny shades of yellow. At the same time, a more pared-back and creamy version of the trend is experiencing its renaissance just in time for all your lively springtime plans: buttercup yellow. The shade is playful and dopamine-inducing with a whisper of white to deliver a diffused yellow color.
Get the look:
OPI
Nail Polish in Blinded by the Ring Light
Londontown
Enhanced Colour in Buttercup
Misty Blue
Another blue shade we’ll be dreaming about throughout April and well into May is this soft stormy-blue shade. The color offers an opaque and shiny finish with a blue-gray tone that’s neutral enough for rainy late-spring days. It’s the manicure equivalent to the coziness a steaming cup of London Fog brings.
Get the look:
Zoya
Nail Polish in Kristen
Butter London
Nail Polish in London Fog
Chantilly Cream
If pearlescent white manicures aren’t what you naturally gravitate toward for mid-spring, consider requesting this warm, cream nail polish for upcoming April nail appointments. The elegant shade offers a versatile and neutral option for manicures that feel modern and clean. Nail artist Julia Diogo used Bio Sculpture’s Gemini Nourishing Nail Polish in Creme ($10) to create these screenshot-worthy nails.
Get the look:
Essie
Expressie Quick-Dry Nail Polish in Daily Grind
Olive & June
Quick Dry Nail Polish in Swan
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