The summer heat has finally made its exit, allowing a cool breeze to come through and remind us that fall is on its way. As we bring out the cozy knitted sweaters & get excited of pumpkin spiced lattes, I couldn’t help but wonder, what fall & winter 2024 minimalist nail trends should I be pairing my outfits with?
Fall is my favorite time of year, with crisp weather and cozy sweaters. Once upon a time, anyone looking for a simple manicure would have likely chosen between the classics: a French manicure or basic nude color. In 2024, we’ve taken nail design and nail art up a notch.
Simple? Yes. Boring? Never. In other words, these aren’t your basic fall nail trends. If you love a subdued mani that’ll give your hands a lil oomph without completely overtaking your look – you now have endless options to choose from.
You know I love a good mani and I’m constantly on the hunt for the trendiest and viral manis – you should see my screenshots folder! I source the majority of my fall minimalist nail inspo from Pinterest & Instagram. For more nail inspo, make sure to follow me on Pinterest!
Whether you’re feeling neutrals, a hint of color, or abstract minimal line art, I’m sure one of these nail ideas will suit your ~vibe~ and give your nail artist some guidance.
TBH, though, a lot of these can be DIYed with a few simple tools (see: a this incredible gel nail set, gorgeous nail chrome powder, & the most bought nail polish color this season).
Without further ado, though, see all of the minimalist nail trends to save to your Pinterest I’ll be copying these through March, JSYK.
Cuticle Trimmer with Cuticle Pusher and Cutter
Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover
Semi Cured Gel Nail Strips (27 different colors)
1. Vanilla Girl Milky Nails
The nail equivalent of ‘no make-up make-up’, the semi-transparent creamy-neutral polish has elevated our manicures to read high-end yet low maintenance. For a manicure that looks expensive and elevated try adding a white or creme nail lacquer to your nail polish collection.
To recreate this look at home, I recommend following my milky nails tutorial explaining which nail polishes you need to achieve this look. Or try any of the nail polishes linked below.
MEMEDA Milky White Gel Nail Polish
Beetles Neutral Gel Nail Polish
MEMEDA Gel Nail Polish, Neutral Gel Polish
2. Jelly Nails
For a nail idea that is guaranteed to turn heads, make sure to try the insanely viral jelly nail trend. To recreate this look, I recommend following this step-by-step guide to DIY Jelly Nails at home on a budget.
3. Ombré French manicure
There are endless ways to update the classic French manicure. This fall we’ll be seeing many ombre french manicures, & I love how this ombre effect truly elevates the look. This manicure works for anyone who loves the classic French manicure but wants to try something new.
The ombré technique can work with any color, but true minimalists will love how it looks using this pale pink polish that gradually fades to white.
Vishine Nude Gel Polish Kit
KISS Bare But Better Nude Jelly Nails
Essie Sheer Pale Pink, Ballet Slippers Nail Polish
4. The Skinny French
Most recently, the design I can’t stop saving is this take on the french manicure, but instead of a thick white strip across the top, the white tip is razor thin and almost undetectable.
For more french manicure ideas, check out my article, 60 Cute French Tip Nails That Are Anything but Basic
6. Gold Tips
If you want to stay away from overly bejeweled nails but still like a little bit of sparkle, you don’t have the ditch the shine completely with this molten gold-on-nude mani
7. Emerald Green
If you’re itching to try a statement mani this fall, emerald green is for you. It’s bold, statement-making, and will make everyone around you green with envy (*wink wink*). For this look I recommend this Essie nails polish:
8. Glazed Donut
I’m sure we definitely agree that the glazed donut trend is going to be around for a long time. To recreate the look, I recommend following my tutorial:
Here’s How To Create Hailey Bieber Glazed Donut Nails At Home
9. Tonal Gradient
No wonder gradient nails are so huge this year: Not only are they crazy easy to do, they’re also so much more fun than a single colour.
10. Pretty in Pink
Channel a little Barbie power with these hot pink fall minimalist nails.
11. Modern Art
Adding some black swirls to a nude base allows you to keep your nails understated with just a bit of abstract flare. The simplicity of this design works for those who prefer to keep their nail art more subdued but still want to have a bit of fun with it all.
12. Rosy Blush
Blush tones are great for fall and look great as a gloss or matte. Polishes that fall into this shade family complement all skin tones well, existing as a universal nude that can be worn year-round but looks particularly stylish in the fall. In other words, you can never go wrong with a deep, rosy hue.
13. Gold dust cuffs
My Pinterest feed is popping off with this gorgeous and simple-yet-dramatic manicure.
Cuffed nails are definitely on trend this season so painting both the tip and around the cuticle gives this classic look an updated feel. You can stick with the traditional white tips or get adventurous and choose a different color, or colors, for this manicure.
14. Mixed Signals
This mani would pair perfectly with a pumpkin-spiced latte, no? One of my favorite fall minimalist nail trends that I’m seeing is this mixed fall foliage French and I’m completely obsessed!
15. Aura Nails
Radiate good vibes with aura fall minimalist nails! If you want something a little more complex than an all-over colorful manicure, ask for aura nails, which combine two or three colors in a gradient.
Got any fall minimalist nails inspo you’d like to share? Make sure to leave a comment below.
