My Birthday Is Coming Up, so I Asked Celebrity Nail Artists for Design Ideas

Like most folks out there, I give myself a free *extra AF* pass on my birthday. It’s the one day a year that I can truly go over the top and no one can really say a thing about it (thank you, based birthday gods). Something I struggle with, however, is finding what to wear on this special day—and I’m not just talking about clothes. My birthday is next week (the big 3-0), and of course, the first thing I did was proceed to Google “birthday nail designs” to get ideas for my celebratory manicure. I didn’t find much I was inspired by and thus, this article was born. I decided to tap three nail artists for some fresh ideas.

“For birthday nails, usually everyone wants designs that are a bit more special and personal to themselves,” says LeChat Nails Educator and nail artist Hemi Park. “For example, astrological sign-inspired mani or hand-painted favorite characters (like Disney) can be typical, or vacation destination-inspired designs have also been popular. I usually recommend going bold with color choices or patterns on shorter nails. Seeing current trends, choosing reflective glitters and French tip nails with bold accents can really make your nails pop. They’re also super fun to wear while celebrating your birthday week or month.”

That statement alone gave me a plethora of inspo, but Park actually didn’t stop there. “Any designs with exciting elements like thermal or reflective glitter polish [are great]. My favorite is the LeChat Nails Sky Dust Collection, which is absolutely wonderful for party season as well. Especially for the season of fun photo sessions, I recommend trying out reflective glitter on the nails because those glitters stand out under bright lighting and camera flash. I also personally love incorporating reflective glitters in a plaid design to add little glee.” 

For more design ideas, keep on scrolling! There’s something for every birthday queen.