9 Fabulous Yellow Nail Designs

9 Fabulous Yellow Nail Designs


‘Tis the season for yellow manis! Out of all the bright, luminous hues associated with the summer, none shout fun-in-the-sun quite like a gorgeous yellow. This primary-color instantly transports you to happiness, sunshine, and rainbows. 

The following nail designs are for the client that comes in with wishes of nothing more than to frolic in a field of sunflowers as her mani glints and sparkles in the sunlight. Try suggesting some of these happy-go-lucky nail designs ahead. 

Dazzling Designs

Prepare your client to be amazed. The beautiful thing about yellow polish is with a minimum effort you can achieve maximum impact. 

1. The Yellow Manicure

With so many yellow tones to choose from like buttery marigold to taxi cab, sometimes less is more. A classic yellow manicure makes a statement all on its own. For simple manicures like these, perfecting the nail shape is of the most importance. Yellow is a bright, flashy color and will definitely capture attention. 

Since any yellow manicure yells, “look at me!” be sure you're manicuring their nails and grooming their cuticles perfectly. 

2. The Disco Ball

For a look that goes great from day to night, glamming out one of the fingers with yellow gemstones will get everyone feeling groovy. Paint the nails a bright yellow tone your client loves and bling out one of the fingers. This look goes best with the middle or ring finger as the accent nail.

Once you’ve chosen which finger you want to bling out, apply a strong adhesive nail glue over the yellow polish. Using tweezers, attach yellow rhinestones to cover the entire surface of the nail. 

3. Yellow French Manicure

The classy, timeless look with a lemon twist. Your client will love this french manicure that will surely have them feeling like an Instagram influencer. This look goes great with every yellow tone from Tweety Bird to Lemon Creme Pie.

Beaming Designs

Put on your sunglasses because these nail designs are bright. They will shine like the sun itself on a hot summer’s day. 

4. Splash of Watercolor

For this true work of art, you’ll start with the perfect yellow foundational coat then go all-out Michaelangelo. To crush this watercolor look, follow these steps: 

  • Create Your Paint Palette: On a piece of tin foil, drip some drops you want to use as your watercolor. Some great color options for a yellow background are blue, purple, and orange. 
  • Prepare Your Acetone Cup: Fill a small bowl or cup with acetone. You’ll use this to thin down the drops of nail polish. 
  • Dab Out The Colors: Using a nail art brush, dip the tip of the brush into the acetone then into a color on your palette. 
  • Dab Onto Nail: Softly dab the thinned down colors onto the nail one color at a time. Every time you need to pick up more polish, always dip the brush back into the acetone so the color doesn’t go on too opaque. 
  • Soften and Blend: After you’ve adequately deposited the colors, dip the brush in acetone again. Gently dab the brush over the nail to diffuse and spread the colors, creating a watercolor finish. 

5. Blinding Neon

Here’s an easy one for your nail repertoire. Reach for the highlighter yellow (think neon), and paint that on as opaque as possible. Add a reflective strip sticker, the kind of tape that resembles a mirror, and stick it on straight down the middle of any accent fingernail. Finish with a high gloss topcoat for the ultimate blinding neon nail moment.  

Happy-Go-Lucky Designs

While the color yellow alone is enough to lift your spirits, these nail designs are taking charming to the next level. 

6. Baby Bumblebee

What goes better with yellow than little baby bumblebees!? If your client wants to show her support for #savethebees or simply just thinks they're super cute, suggest some bee nail art. You can spice this look up by doing some black and white stripes on some nails, yellow on others, and an adorable bumblebee on the thumb. 

7. Peek-a-Boo Sunflower

Simple yet totally adorable, you don’t need to have a professional hand in nail art to nail this design. Paint all the nails a subdued pale yellow, and on the middle and ring finger paint on half of a sunflower. You can use a bright yellow for the petals and black or brown for the center of the flower. The two nails when put together should form a complete sunflower. 

8. Smiley Faces

As if yellow isn’t happy enough, you can really drive the message home with cute little happy faces. Instead of painting the nail yellow, reserve that color for the smiles. Paint the nails a nude or neutral color that is flattering against your client’s skin tone. 

Paint on bright yellow circles, then outline them in black and add the eyes and smile. If this sounds too challenging, you can opt for smiley face stickers instead. 

9. Here Comes the Sun

With this nail style, your client’s nail will be reminiscent of a rising sun. This is an ombre look with a white nail gradually turning into a bright yellow at the tip.

To nail this look you’ll need three shades of color and a wedge makeup sponge. Cut the wedge to the size of your client’s nail and paint on each color from lightest to darkest. Ideally, you should have a white, a pale yellow, and a bright yellow. Brush the three colors onto the makeup wedge and paint on horizontally, slightly overlapping them so they blend together nicely. 

Gently blot the makeup sponge over each nail to transfer the polish. You’ll have to repeat the process of painting the three nail colors onto the sponge. When you’re happy with the final look, finish with a high gloss topcoat to seal the deal. 

Yellow Nail Polish Tips and Tricks

Yellow nail polish can be a little fussy. Follow these tips and tricks from V Beauty Pure to truly nail the look. 

Paint a White Coat First

Since yellow can be a rather light color, make it *pop* with a coat of white polish underneath. Adding a white base coat first will help add a sufficient layer of color and make your yellow coat that much brighter. 

Pro Tip: If using regular nail polish, be sure your white coat dries thoroughly before going in with the yellow. If you’re using gel nail polish, make sure to cure the white layer before adding the yellow coat. 

Mix It

It’s always fun playing Picasso once in a while. Consider mixing a not-so-pigmented yellow nail polish with a white lacquer before painting it on. 

Layer Your Polish

If your yellow is too light and your client doesn’t like the way it looks on its own, consider combining it with another color in the same color family. If you don’t have any other yellow colors, consider pink or light blue. 

Then, add your yellow on top. This will definitely change the color but it could add an entirely new dimension you and your client may end up really loving! 

Add a Metallic

Nothing can kick a manicure up a few notches more than a metallic aspect. If your yellow is too opaque and see-through, paint a metallic base coat and top it with the yellow. This will create serious depth and the color will be more robust. 

Add Flour

This may sound shocking, but you can actually thicken your regular nail polish the same way you thicken pizza dough or pasta sauce! If your polish is too thin or watery, add in a tiny bit of baking flour. A little goes a long way and make sure to shake, shake, shake after mixing so it doesn’t get clumpy. 

In Conclusion

Keep these yellow nail designs in your back pocket during that summer rush. Yellow is a fool-proof option that will brighten their days until the next time they return to your salon for a manicure service. Count on V Beauty Pure to let you know all the best designs for every season. 

Sources: 

  1. How to Make a Sheer Polish Opaque | Allure  
  2. Nail Art How-To: Pretty Pastel Watercolor Nails | Cosmopolitan 
  3. How to Do Ombre Nails, Step by Step | Byrdie