Searches Are Spiking for Olive Green Nails, and Now We Know Why

Go for cool, calming, or confident.

written by

Hallie Gould & Amanda Edelman

updated Mar 03, 2020

Olive green might not be your first choice of color when picking out a polish shade at the nail salon, however, there are thousands of Google searches for that very color each month, so there must be something to it.

We decided to do a bit of research on the subject to see what all the fuss was about. As always, we're here to share our findings. And trust us, after seeing the pretty inspiration shots below, you'll be just as onboard with the unconventional color as we are. From light mint to rich emerald, with an extra emphasis on olive, ahead you'll find our favorite green manicures from the 'gram.

Whichever you choose to recreate, just remember: The key to DIY-ing a gorgeous manicure is to start with a base coat, end with a top coat, and regularly reapply cuticle serum during the life of your nail look.

Now, with that in mind, keep scrolling to find your next nail art.

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Simple Details

The best part about a green manicure is that it can be super simple to create while still being bold and snap-worthy. Here, a rich green hue is dotted with gold dashes at the cuticle. To create the look, you can either use gold rectangular confetti or a toothpick dipped in gold polish.

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Green Diagonals

Why choose one green when you can wear two? The trick to creating these crisp diagonal nails is to use striping tape. Once your base layer dries, stick a piece of tape diagonally across your nail and paint against it with a green color of your choice. Once dry, remove the tape and finish with a topcoat.

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Graphic Shapes

This graphic design in two shades of green is one of our favorites. Best of all, it looks more difficult than it really is. To create the look, you can use long, thin striping brushes or layer tape over the dry base color to create triangle stencils you can easily paint within.

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Negative Space

Thinking you might like to try a negative space option? This one will require a bit more time and patience, but if you have both of those things, it's worth giving a try. Use tape to your advantage when painting the mint green details before finishing with a coat of dark green over the tip.

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Green Multicolor Nails

Talk about an easy DIY! All you have to do is paint each nail a different shade of green. Fortunately for us, the mix-and-match look is very in right now.

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Solids and Dots

We love the way this olive mani incorporates other colors—it helps make the dusty green color pop. Plus, how fun are the inverted pinky and pointer fingers? Where one is navy with white dots, the other is the inverse.

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Olive Base

Here's another way to pair navy with olive polish. Start with an olive base and, once dry, use a striping brush to trace an arced line across the top and bottom of each nail. Easy enough!

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Striped Accent Nail

Ah, the power of an accent nail. With four super-simple nails on each hand, you'll have extra time to dedicate to an accent nail. The easiest way to recreate the design is by starting with the dark green base and using a striping brush to create the navy and mint sections on the outer edges.

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Geometric Nails

Can you tell we're suckers for sharp edges? These tri-colored nails are undeniably chic. And they're easy to DIY, to boot. Again, use tape to create crisp lines and take your time cleaning up the edges afterward.

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Half and Half

Sometimes creating a statement-making mani is as simple as painting one hand olive and the other cream. Pretty chic, huh?

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Stripes and Such

These navy, white, and olive nails are sure to earn endless likes. With stripes going in every direction, how could they not? It's a fun take on pattern mixing without using your entire body to rock the trend.

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Sage Stunners

These sage nails offer a lighter take on the olive trend. With two simple dots on each nail, they're both decorated and understated. Use shimmery polish or glue a gem to each nail to create delicate dots.

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Olive Tips

ICYMI, French manicures are very in. These offer a modern update on the classic look by layering two shades of green at the tip of each nail. What's more, they're layered on in an arc, which gives them a fun retro vibe.

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Evergreen Details

If you prefer a darker olive hue, opt for evergreen. These nude nails with dainty evergreen details are undeniably eye-catching. To create the look, use a striping brush dipped in the dark green polish of your choice.

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Simple Sage

Sage goes a long way when it comes to rocking unconventional green nails. It's part green, part gray—and fully chic. With gold dots and trimmed tips, they're demure enough to basically be a nude.

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Negative Space Half Moons

These chunky French tips give us all the feels. With negative space half-moons and dark edges, how could they not? To create the look, use a circle sticker at the cuticle of each nail to create an arced edge to paint against.

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Green French Tips

Check out these mixed-finish Frenchies. With a matte base and glossy tips, this manicure has definitely caught our attention. To create the look, start with a matte base and finish with the glossy tip. Use tape to create even lines across each nail.

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Thin Green Stripes

We're partial to this easy-to-DIY design. All it takes is a mint tip and two small darker green lines on each nail to create an unforgettable look.

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Understated Emerald

These dark green negative space nails offer a moodier finish to your manicure. Skip the classic olive shade and take it up a notch with this edgy-chic design.

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Matte Green and Black

Matte green looks super cool against shiny black tips. Try using evenly placed angled tape to get a super-sharp line.

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Shades a Plenty

Let your green thumb come out to play with this sweet, multi-colored mani. The varting shades work nicely against the one yellow nail for a summer-fun look.

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Golden Green

A dash of gold against a deep green base color strikes the perfect balance between sophisticated and fun.

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Negative Space Sparkles

Honestly, we're totally down for sparkles and this delightful negative space take has us swooning already.

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Pretty Palms

If you're looking for a minimal mani, try some olive green palms on for size. While a little tedious, you can either buy stencils or freehand the design. The choice is yours.

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Abstract Art

Mix clementine orange with succulent green for a splash of color. This abstract, fun design is easy to do and works with any color combo.

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Cool Camouflage

Blend a bunch of greens and neutrals together for a camo-inspired manicure that's sure to garner a few impressed looks.

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Earn Your Stripes

Kind of abstract, kind of wild, we love how the olive green base stands out against white, zebra inspired stripes.

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Orange Tree

This graphic design uses negative space to its advantage, mixing a bright springy green with sweet orange. Again, apply tape after your base coat dries to create polished shapes.

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Golden Sage

This reverse french manicure incorporates sparkly golden tones against an already stunning sage base. Use a detailing brush to sweep the gold polish against the opposite end of your nail.

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