Pastel Nails: 12 Ideas and How to Paint Pastels Without Streaks

Pastel nails are painted in pale shades with plenty of white in them, such as lilac, mint, powder blue, butter yellow, peach and ballet pink. The white gives a creamy finish but also makes pastels streak more easily than deeper shades.

This guide starts with the streak-free method, then gives 12 pastel nail ideas and the best pastels for each skin tone.

How to paint pastel nails without streaks

A pastel is lighter and more opaque where the gel is thicker, and the nail bed shows through where it's thinner, so every uneven stroke leaves a stripe. Extra gel won't hide the stripes: a heavy coat may wrinkle as it cures, stay soft underneath and lift.

Start from prepped nails and a cured base coat.

1. Warm the bottle. Roll it in your hands for a minute to remix the settled white pigment; shaking would add bubbles that can cure into pinholes. In a cold room, the warmth also loosens thickened gel.
2. Load one side of the brush. Wipe just the back against the bottle neck, keeping a small bead on the front: a brush wiped on both sides drags, and an overloaded one floods the cuticle. Keep the open bottle away from the lamp, which can harden gel on the bristles.
3. Use three strokes and light pressure. Place the bead a hairline from the cuticle and nudge it closer without reaching the skin, then draw the brush down the centre and once down each side. Let the brush glide, as pressing carves grooves, and leave gel that has begun to settle.
4. Clean the edges and cure each coat. Cap the free edge and lift any stray gel from the skin with a small brush dipped in cleanser. Hold the finger level for a few seconds while the gel settles, then cure for the time in your gel's instructions.
5. Make the second coat a little fuller. Use slightly more gel, enough to flow level while staying thin, to fill the first coat's patches.
6. Check, then seal. Top coat can't hide patchy colour, so check each nail in daylight and add a third thin coat wherever the nail bed shows through. Seal with Diamond Top Coat, a high-shine top coat, capping the free edge again.

Gel left on the skin causes lifting, and uncured gel on skin is the main cause of gel allergy. If redness, itching, swelling or blisters appear around the nails, stop using the product and see a doctor.

How to make pastel gel polish opaque

Under the palest shades, a cured coat of opaque white gel polish hides the nail bed, so you need fewer pastel coats. Pastel builder gels such as B018 Lilas Vendôme, a pale lilac, level themselves as they settle, and two layers usually give even colour and extra strength. They're removed by filing rather than soaking; our step-by-step builder gel guide covers the method.

Pastel nail colours: 6 shades and who they suit

Ballet pink and peach, close to the colour of the bare nail, keep regrowth discreet; mint, powder blue and lilac show it sooner.

1. Lilac and lavender nails

Lilac and lavender sit easily with grey, navy and silver, so they work at the office all year. For cool and neutral undertones, choose 107 Lavender, a radiant lavender purple, in two or three thin coats. Warm and olive skin is usually better with a pinker lilac, as our purple nail ideas explain.

2. Mint green nails

Mint carries more colour than most pastels: it stays crisp on deep skin, bright against a tan and fresh on fair, cool-toned skin. Wear 100 Mint, a velvety green, with white linen and denim on holiday. A trace of pink or peach turns green pastels murky, so clean your correction brush before touching a mint nail.

3. Powder blue nails

In winter, powder blue matches white knitwear, grey wool and silver rings. Choose 109 Sky, a clear pale blue, for cool undertones on fair and medium skin; on deep skin it makes a sharp contrast once fully opaque. For January, paint a white snowflake on each ring finger with a fine liner brush: three crossed lines with a dot at each end, then cure.

4. Butter yellow and golden yellow nails

Butter yellow is one of the hardest pastels to wear, as it can make fair hands seem drained. Our nearest shade, 033 Honey, is a golden, mustard-leaning yellow, deeper and warmer than butter yellow. It flatters warm undertones on medium, tan and deep skin, while fair skin often wears it better on the toes. Yellows tend to be sheer, so allow a third coat.

5. Peach nails (pastel orange)

Peach, the pastel version of orange, suits you if lilac and blue feel too cold beside gold jewellery. A hint of pink makes 186 Peach kinder to fair skin than apricot, and on warm-toned fair hands it blends in like a nude. Against a tan or deep skin, it stands out as a fresh, warm colour.

6. Ballet pink nails

Ballet pink, a pale, slightly milky pink, is the safest pastel to buy untried: it sits between warm and cool and passes the strictest dress code. For thin or bendy nails, wear it as B009 Rose Ballerine, a builder gel that adds strength. Cure a thin first layer, then float a bead over the middle of the nail, away from the cuticle, and let it level before curing.

Pastel nail designs: 6 ideas to try

7. Pastel rainbow nails

Pastel rainbow nails, or skittle nails, give each finger a different shade in rainbow order. From thumb to little finger, paint Peach, Honey, Mint, Sky and 022 Lilac, then repeat the sequence on the other hand. Honey and Mint are deeper than the rest, so those nails stand out a little. With one shade per nail, there's nothing to draw.

8. Pastel nails with white dots

White dots suit any pastel and any length. Over cured Sky or Peach, scatter five to seven dots per nail with a dotting tool or toothpick, re-dipping in opaque white each time so they match. Let one or two run off the free edge, as if the pattern carried on past the nail, then cure before the dots spread. Our simple nail designs show more patterns.

9. Pastel French tips

Pastel French tips swap white for a pale colour, and a double French adds a thinner line in a second pastel just below. Over a cured base of Rose Ballerine, paint the tip in Lavender with a liner brush, working from each side towards the middle. Build it in two thin coats, capping the free edge and curing each, then add a line of Sky a millimetre below and cure. The double version needs medium or long nails.

10. Pastel nails with a gold line

A fine gold line hides any wobble where two pastels meet. Paint the whole nail in Peach and cure, then fill one diagonal half with Lavender in two thin coats, curing each. Draw the line over the join with gold gel paint and a long liner brush, then cure; use silver if you wear silver jewellery. Beginners can use gold striping tape, trimmed just short of the free edge so the top coat seals its end.

11. Pastel ombre nails

A builder gel ombre strengthens the nail, and the gel's thick texture stops the colours running together as you blend. Over a thin cured layer of Rose Ballerine, place a bead of Rose Ballerine near the cuticle and one of Lilas Vendôme near the tip. Pat where they meet with a clean brush, wiping the bristles between strokes, until no line shows, then let the gel level and cure. It takes practice and shows best on longer nails.

12. Shimmer pastel nails, an alternative to cat eye

Cat eye gel needs a magnet and quick timing, because the shimmer drifts until it's cured. For a glimmer without either, try B032 Opaline, a light blue builder gel with fine glitter that flatters cool undertones. Mix it gently, as glitter can sink, then apply two layers, curing each, and seal with Diamond Top Coat. Our spring nail designs include a magnetic lavender cat eye.

Which pastel nail colours suit your skin tone?

Pastels follow the same undertone rule as deeper colours: lavender, powder blue and mint are cool, peach and golden yellow warm, and ballet pink works on almost everyone. Our guide to nail colours for your skin tone shows how to find your undertone.

On olive skin, icy pastels, very pale cool pinks and all yellows can turn greyish or muddy. On deep skin, build every pastel to full opacity, as sheer or chalky coats turn ashy.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best pastel nail ideas for short nails?

Single shades, skittle nails and white dots suit short nails best, since none needs length to show. Keep pastel French tips narrow, and save the double French, ombre and gold line for longer nails.

How many coats of pastel gel polish do you need?

Most pastels need two or three thin coats, each cured for the time in your gel's instructions. Add a third only if the nail bed or free edge still shows through after two.

Can you wear pastel nails in winter?

Yes, cool pastels such as lavender and powder blue go well with winter knitwear and silver jewellery. A white snowflake accent or Opaline's glitter makes them feel seasonal.

Which pastel colours work best on toes?

Mint, peach and powder blue are the easiest, especially against tanned feet in open sandals. Toenails grow slowly, so the gap at the cuticle appears later.

Choose a first shade from our gel polish collection, or from our builder gel range if your nails need strength too.