Last year butter yellow led nail trends, but for summer 2026? Baby blue nail ideas will take the top spot after the shade was signed off as the cool-girl colour to know across fashion and beauty.
Instead of the standard brights we expect to see each summer (like coral, fluro yellow and neon pink), the shift towards a softer pastel palette is good news for those looking to introduce colour that’s one step up from a neutral, but still feels tranquil, stylish and offbeat. The shade in question slides up the scale from white but keeps things low saturation, incorporating pretty tones of duck egg blue, pale turquoise, sky blue, cornflower blue and powder blue.
It’s pretty chameleonic, too. Depending on how you wear it, baby blue can read breezy, fun, nostalgic, cute and very, very sophisticated. It’s also one for the minimalists, since the shade is as easy to pair with your outfit as light wash denim (nodding to the ’90s pale blue), plus it leans into the beachy mermaidcore moment that’s continuing to make a splash this summer. And, for extra versatility, we’ve seen the shade worn solid and shiny, glazed, bedazzled, marbled, ombréd and as a French tip.
Already, we’ve seen the nail trend favoured by the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, Sofia Richie-Grainge and Zendaya, and it’s become a street style staple. And, if you’re still in need of inspiration, we’ve rounded up 17 of our favourite baby blue nail ideas below…