19 French Ombré Nail Designs to Try

Published on Jul 01, 2020

french ombre nails with sparkle gem — @elitenailspa146

By now, you've definitely heard of ombré hair, but what about ombré nails? Yep — you can ombré your manicure, too. But if bold, gradient colors are a little too much for you, fear not! A fun and fresh twist on the traditional French manicure, the "French Ombré" trend has taken over Instagram, and we're seriously swooning.

Similar to a french manicure, french ombré manicures are also made of neutral shades of pink, white and nude. But as opposed to the traditional line on demarcation followed by a bold, white tip, a french ombré has a natural fade element instead. The end result? A gorgeous, feminine, and modern twist on a true classic.

You may have even heard of this trend referred to as "baby boomer nails." While it's not entirely known where this nickname came from, it's been rumored to be because during the baby boom (1946-1964) many women opted to paint their nails in shades of pink and white. Ahead, here are 18 of our favorite french ombré nail looks on Instagram right now.

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Faded Pink with a Square Tip

As if the stunning fading shades of pink aren't enough, the bold, square shape is the icing on the cake.

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French Fade

The vibrant white tip gradually darkens to a pretty petal pink near the cuticle. (The color-coordinated scrunchies are a nice touch, too.)

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Short and Glossy

We love the gradient effect and high-shine topcoat on these short, natural-look nails.

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A Little Glitter

Adding a holographic-glitter accent nail to this pink and white French ombré manicure certainly kicks it up a notch.

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To the Point

At first glance, these perfectly pointed nails look as though they may be simply painted a soft, eggshell white. But upon closer look, the gradual fade of pink to white is simply gorgeous.

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Slay with Subtlety

This is so close to a natural nail look, we had to do a double-take! The shape, the colors, the glossy-shine of gel — yes, please!

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Pink and White and Coffin Shape, Oh My!

These long, coffin-shaped nails feature a bright, salmon-pink base and begin a midway fade to eggshell white. Perfection.

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Short and Sweet

We firmly believe nails don't have to be long in length to make a statement. This short and sweet set is perfectly understated, with the ombré effect starting high up, closer to the cuticle.

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A Pop of Color

A spin on the "traditional" french ombré, this gorgeous mani takes the ombré technique to the tip with funky neon colors that add a pop of fun.

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Powdered and Perfect

You can achieve a French ombré manicure with powder dip, too! We're loving this look, and the mid-way fade.

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Super Subtle

At first glance, this looks like a typical french mani — but it's not! Upon a closer look, it flawlessly fades without a traditional line of demarcation separating the tip from the base.

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Slight Sparkle

Look closely and you'll see the light reflecting off the perfectly applied iridescent sparkle polish on each ring fingernail. It's a little fun accent you have to look closely to appreciate.

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Be Square

The square shape of these nails adds a little bit of edge (pardon the pun) to the sophisticated trend.

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Perfectly Polished

The expert-level fade here makes this mani look like a traditional french manicure, but when you look closely, you can see the airbrush-like transition.

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Almost Invisible

Look closer...closer...closer. It''s there, right at the edge. This fade is so sweetly subtle that you have to really look — and we love it.

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French & Foiled

Add some barely-there fun and funk to your French ombré manicure with an understated strip of gold foil right next to the cuticle.

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Confetti, Anyone?

In keeping with the classy, subtle theme of the French ombré, these adorable yet eye-catching dots placed at the nail base add the tiniest bit of festiveness to an otherwise demure look.

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