If You're A Nail Queen Like Me, Here Are Nine Summer Nail Trends You Should Try, Immediately

Long live my cow-print nails.

Hey y'all, if you didn't know, I'm Jamé! If you meet me, there are a few things you'll notice: I have bright, blonde locs, and I always have a poppin' nail color or design.

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Nail art is the easiest way to give your nails a little extra uumph, especially for the summer! But what's the first thing you need to remember when getting into nail art? TAKE CARE OF YO NAILS, SIS. "Cuticle oil is key to optimal nail health," Gracie J, celebrity nail artist, tells BuzzFeed.

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"I can’t stress enough how important this step is as a part of your at-home maintenance. Cuticle oils can be hydrating for the nails and skin, promotes healthy nail growth, and keeps your nails and skin super moisturized while refreshing your mani!"

What are some trends we're loving that you can do at home? Here's a few options:

1. Cow print, because, duh:

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I love cow nails so much, and they are super easy to achieve. Paint your nails with a white base, and once it dries, take your favorite stipple brush and dot black dots on. When you finish, use a clear topcoat on top.

Pro tip: Don't worry about making things perfect or uniform in size. Cows don't have perfect spots!

2. Other animal print, like the tortoise shell:

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The tortoiseshell nail trend still feels like it's everywhere, and honestly I love seeing a nail art that's not really perfect, but more abstract. So to create the pattern, you would start out with a shade that's more of a brown (or whatever you want!) as a base. As it's drying, take your second color (the darker color, like a darker brown or black) and dabble shapes onto the nail. You WANT it to be a little wet so that the two colors sort of blend into each other. When you're finished, clear top coat!

Pro tip: Don't feel the need to make them perfect or even to paint every nail. Play around with your own personal style!

3. Marble:

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"Marble is so easy to do at home" says Gracie J. "The beauty of it is how imperfect it is. There doesn’t need to be any definite structure or style. You just go with the flow and do what feels right. Sometimes what you feel is a slip up is what makes your art more appealing."

To check out a super easy DIY for marble nails, check out this post.

4. Chrome:

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As someone who currently has chrome on her nails, I can say that this is SUPER easy to do at home. You'll need to get your color in a chrome powder, which they sell on Amazon or your nail shop. Then, you'll want to paint your nails black and let them dry. Once dry, take a makeup sponge (or those generic eyeshadow sponges that come with makeup) and dip it into your chrome powder. Then push and sweep it across the nail. Make sure you get around the edges and the end of your nail so it doesn't fade off. Top coat your new stunners, and you're all set!

5. Elevated French

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Who says a French mani has to be boring? It seems like the classic look is now being swapped out with alternative colors and textures for the tip. You can go in with a different color or even some glitter for added pizzazz. If you're feeling really bold, you can even swoop your tip to create a different pattern on the nail. It's your world, have fun with it!

6. Neons

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Neon and brightly-colored nails are my Achilles' heel, I have to admit. The great part about this nail trend is that you can choose how wild you want to go — paint the whole nail if you want to shine bright, or just do some accents like the picture above for a subtle fabulous moment.

Pro tip: Neons are sometimes hard to pull off on a bare nail, so prep your nail with a white or black base coat so the color has something to pop against.

7. Florals:

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This design is a little harder to pull off for amateurs, but where there's a will, there's a way! On a clear base (or whatever color of your choosing), you'll want to start with the inside of the flower, which really just requires a few stipples of the brush. From there, you can draw out the petals for the flower with a small nail brush (or even a pencil, TBH).

Pro tip: If you're lazy like me, draw flowers on only a few nails and add a bright color to the rest of them. We've got thangs to do!

8. Elevated polka dots:

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Even a chick like me with zero DIY ability can pull this nail look off. Paint your nails with a base color you like, and then once it dries, take a stipple brush and create a dot pattern on your nail. Okay, you may think this is super boring, but you can get really creative with this trend. You can do patterns, spell out words, create a cool gradient effect, etc. The sky is the limit!

Pro tip: If you're using multiple colors for the dots, I recommend waiting until each layer dries before adding a new one so no blending or smudging happens.

9. And lastly, a glass French:

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"Glass French is still in," Gracie says. "Color at the base and a crystal clear tip. This is a must try."

Pro tip: Feel free to play with this trend however you see fit! As long as you show some "negative" space around the tips, you can achieve the look! Take your favorite color (or colors) and create whatever pattern you want. Oh, and then finish with a clear topcoat.

So what nail trend are you trying out this summer? Leave your photos in the DropBox section below!