Blue Nails: 12 Blue Nail Designs, from Light Blue to Navy

Blue nails suit every season and every skin tone, as long as you choose the right blue. Pale sky blue feels fresh in spring, turquoise belongs on the beach, and navy is a gentler alternative to black once the winter coats come out.

This guide sorts the blue family by season and outfit, then gives 12 blue nail designs with the shades we'd use, plus advice on skin tone and streak-free application.

Shades of blue nails and when to wear them

Baby blue and powder blue are milky pastels, and powder blue is the greyer of the two. Sky blue and azure are clearer, turquoise leans towards green and periwinkle towards violet. Royal blue, cobalt and sapphire are the most saturated blues, and navy can pass for black in dim light.

12 blue nail designs to try

The first six are simple blue nail designs in a single shade, from baby blue to navy; the rest get gradually harder, up to a cat eye and chrome.

1. Baby blue nails

Baby blue is the palest of the blues, so regrowth and small chips barely show against it. For a plain baby blue, we'd use 109 Sky, a soft, airy blue, in two or three thin coats.

If your nails are thin or bend easily, B032 Opaline, a light blue builder gel with fine glitter, adds strength along with the colour. Like any builder gel, it's filed off rather than soaked off.

2. Periwinkle blue nails

Periwinkle is a blue with a violet undertone, between baby blue and lilac, and worth trying if you like lilac but want something bluer. It flatters fair and cool-toned skin and is a natural choice for spring. Wear it in 112 Royal Blue, which is lighter than its name suggests.

3. Light blue nails for summer

Clear light blues seem brighter against a tan, and they come into their own on holiday. Our holiday pick is 091 Azure, a soft, luminous blue, and we'd paint the toes to match. A gel pedicure often outlasts the manicure, as toenails grow more slowly than fingernails.

4. Turquoise nails

Halfway between blue and green, a vibrant turquoise such as 092 Lagoon flatters warm, olive and deep skin tones. Warm indoor bulbs can make turquoise appear greener than it is, so judge it in daylight. Alternating Lagoon and Azure from nail to nail makes an easy two-tone manicure.

5. Royal blue nails

Royal blue and cobalt are bright enough to replace red at a party or a wedding. The truest royal blue in our range is 113 Sapphire, a saturated blue that goes with silver or gold jewellery.

It's at its boldest on long almond nails, where there's more colour on show. Paint it a day or two before the occasion, because regrowth shows sooner on a saturated blue than on a pale one.

6. Short navy blue nails

Navy is the easiest dark blue to wear to work, especially on short nails. File them square with slightly rounded corners, which don't catch on tights or knitwear. Dark polish outlines every nail and shows up even a small difference in length.

Keep to two thin coats: dark, heavily pigmented shades let less light through, so a thick coat can cure on top but stay soft underneath, then wrinkle or lift. For more cold-weather shades, see our winter nail colours and ideas.

7. A blue accent nail with nude

One blue nail among nudes is a low-risk way to try the colour, and for a bride it makes a discreet "something blue". Paint both ring fingers in blue and the other nails in a sheer nude close to your skin tone. Sky or Azure keeps the effect light; Sapphire makes the accent stand out.

8. Sky blue French tip nails

Over a cured sheer nude base, paint the tip in Sky with a fine liner brush, following your smile line. Then run the brush along the free edge to cap it. The curve is easier if you hold the brush still and turn the finger.

Pale blue may need a second coat to turn opaque: cure the first, then trace the same line again. On short nails, keep the tip to a millimetre or two. There are a dozen more variations in our modern French manicure ideas.

9. Blue and white nails

Blue and white is the palette of Delft tiles and Japanese porcelain. Start with two or three cured coats of white, then paint small motifs in 110 Ocean, a vivid, deep blue. A dotting tool makes tiny dot flowers, and a liner brush handles a swirl or a small check. Motifs need room: on short nails, keep to one on the ring finger.

Breton stripes are simpler: two or three horizontal blue lines across the white. Cure each nail as soon as its lines are done, before the gel spreads. Clean the brush on a lint-free wipe before switching colours, as a trace of blue will tint white gel.

10. Blue ombre nails

The simplest blue ombre runs across the hand, from the palest blue on the thumb to the deepest on the little finger. It needs no blending and works on short nails, which makes it a good first attempt.

A gradient on each nail takes more practice and some length. Cure one coat of Sky over the whole nail, then paint Sky near the cuticle and Sapphire over the tip. Dab across the join with a clean flat brush, wiping it every few strokes, then cure and repeat for a smoother fade. The full method is in our guide to ombre nails with gel.

11. Blue cat eye nails

A silver cat eye gives blue a band of light that shifts as you move your hands. Paint two coats of Sapphire, curing each, then apply a thin coat of 006 Silver Moon, a magnetic gel polish with a cool silver beam.

Work one nail at a time. Hold the magnet just above the wet gel, without touching it, for a few seconds, then cure straight away, before the line blurs. Seal with top coat; our cat eye nails guide shows other magnet positions.

12. Icy blue chrome nails

Chrome powder over a pale blue base gives an icy, metallic shine for winter. Because chrome shows every bump, brush the base coat on evenly before two thin coats of Sky. Apply Diamond Top Coat, a no-wipe top coat, and cure it. While it's still warm, rub in silver chrome powder with a silicone applicator until the nail turns mirror-bright; pearl powder gives a glazed finish instead.

Brush off the loose powder and wipe the tip and sidewalls clean so the top coat grips there. Seal with a second layer of Diamond Top Coat, capping the free edge, and cure. Our chrome nails guide explains how to avoid patchy chrome.

Which blue nails suit your skin tone?

Every skin tone can wear blue. What changes is the depth of the shade and whether it leans green or violet.

• Fair skin. Baby blue, periwinkle and icy shades blend in gently; navy and royal blue give a sharper, more graphic finish.
• Medium and olive skin. Azure, turquoise and royal blue are the most flattering. Greyish powder blues can make olive skin appear sallow.
• Deep skin. Cobalt, royal blue and turquoise are rich against deep skin, and pale baby blue makes a bold contrast. Navy reads almost as black.

Jewellery is a guide to undertone: if gold suits you best, lean towards greener blues such as turquoise and azure; if silver does, towards periwinkle and icy blues. Navy and royal blue work with both.

How to apply blue gel polish without streaks

Pale blues take the most care: their white pigment settles in the bottle and streaks on the nail.

1. Prep, then base. Push back the cuticle and remove it from the nail plate, lightly buff off the shine, then cleanse and dehydrate, adding an acid-free primer on oily nails. Apply a thin base coat and cure it: with dark blues, it also helps stop the pigment tinting your natural nail.
2. Mix the colour. Roll the bottle between your palms to remix settled pigment, as shaking adds air bubbles.
3. Build the colour in thin coats. Wipe one side of the brush on the bottle neck so it carries little gel: a thick coat won't hide streaks and may not cure through. Most blues need two coats and pale ones three, each cured for the time given in your gel's instructions.
4. Keep gel off the skin. Leave a hairline gap at the cuticle and sidewalls, and lift away any gel that touches the skin before you cure. Uncured gel on skin is the main cause of gel allergy.
5. Cap the free edge. Run the brush along the tip with every layer to reduce chipping.
6. Finish with a high-shine top coat. Diamond Top Coat gives a flexible, glossy finish and needs no wiping after curing.

Frequently asked questions

Are blue nails in style?

Yes, all year round. Pale blues and turquoise suit spring and holidays, while navy and jewel blues such as sapphire make a smart alternative to black and burgundy in autumn and winter.

What is the most popular blue nail colour?

Light blue and navy are the most popular blues: light blue in spring and summer, navy in autumn and winter. If you want one blue for the whole year, a royal blue such as Sapphire sits between the two.

What colours go with blue nails?

On the nails, white, silver and nude are the safest partners: white for stripes and French tips, silver for chrome or a cat eye, nude for an accent manicure. With clothes, blue sits well with denim, white, grey and camel.

Are dark blue nails a good alternative to black?

Yes. Navy, the darkest blue, has almost the same depth as black, but its blue shows in daylight and softens the contrast with fair skin. By evening it can pass for black, so one manicure works for the office and a night out.

To see these blues side by side, start with our gel polish collection; Silver Moon is among the cat eye shades and Opaline among the builder gels.