One thing about me is that I’ll never say no to a manicure — especially a colorful one. Bright red? Sign me up. Hot pink? Hell yeah! A multi-colored French-tip? Absolutely. And the “dopamine nail art” trend circulating on TikTok is just another dangerous excuse for me to spend more money on my nails whilst feeling my best doing it — so honestly, it’s 100% worth it.
Just in time for summer, the dopamine nail art trend is exactly what it sounds like: painting your nails in bright, feel-good colors to release some extra dopamine in your daily life by simply looking down at your nails. Much like the “dopamine dressing” trend on TikTok from a couple of years ago, where you dress in multiple bold colors, you’re meant to paint each of your nails in different ways — vibrant colors, intricate designs, unique patterns, you name it. (Think almost like a rainbow, or even a multilayered one.)
But with so many different colors and combinations to choose from, it can feel overwhelming deciding exactly what you want to do for your first dopamine set (as if the nail salon isn’t overwhelming enough). So I’ve formulated a list of five nail set ideas for your next salon visit, so you can feel and look your best
What are some Dopamine nail art ideas?
Want to hop on the trend? TikTok has you covered.
- Multi-colored French tip
One of my personal favorites, a multi-colored French tip set can be anywhere from bright tips to a jelly French (a painted nail with a darker colored tip). You can do this with different colors on each nail, or keep it simple by using a variation of shades of the same color on each of your nails.
- Colorful swirl
Another great option for a multi-colored look is a swirly pattern on each nail. Each swirl can be a different color, or each nail can be a different color — whatever floats your boat. It’s a traditional nail design that you can spice up with the different colors you choose.
- 5 bold colors
If you remember from 2020 and the dubbed VSCO girl era, you might remember the trending pastel nails where you paint every nail a different color (green, pink, orange, blue, and purple, for example). This is almost the same thing, just with some brighter colors, of course, if you so choose. (But honestly, every tan looks better with a bright
- Colorful ombré
One nail design I absolutely adored growing up was a good ol’ ombré — and no wonder it made me feel so good. It’s impossible to be sad when you look down at your nails to see a chic blend of your two favourite colors (my personal favs were to blend two shades of the same color). But honestly, you can do this with any two, three, or even four colors — honestly, just go crazy. (Because that’s the whole point!)
- Mix & match designs
If your FYP is anything like mine, on top of the dopamine nail art trend you might’ve seen the “vacation nail art” trend, where you design each of your nails in different colors, patterns, and designs to correlate with a tropical vibe palm trees, flowers, fruit, etc.) Honestly, though, I’m not even going on vacation, and I would totally still do this — especially because it’s summer. The world is your oyster — literally.
If these dopamine nail art ideas haven’t convinced you that they’ll release more of your feel-good hormones and boost your mood overall — just give it a try! I promise that once you do, you’ll never look back.