Okay, it’s about time I admit it: my love affair with french manicures is real. When the style supposedly feel out of style a few years back thanks to the re-emergence of Y2k-inspired Nail art and subsequent stylistic shift towards longer nail lengths, there was definitely a time where french suddenly weren’t everywhere anymore. However, because I grew up studying classical ballet and was often discouraged from partaking in many of the bold nail trends that graced the pages of my magazines and, later, social media platforms, it took me years to step out of my comfort zone and look for ways to jazz up my beloved french mani.

That’s when I discovered the combined magic of Instagram’s ‘save post’ function and fashion girl Pinterest boards as a source of endless inspiration for my nail appointments (and it made describing exactly what I wanted to my manicurist that much easier). With that being said, I spent hours scouring the internet for the best, fashion-forward ways to upgrade your everyday french manicure. Keep scrolling to see which ones caught my eye and get ready to screenshot.

If you’re looking for a playful and unexpected way to upgrade your nail game, consider adding a nail design on the index finger. To create this look, nail artist Amy Le opted for a classic french manicure with a single yin-yang design using the same fleshy pink and stark white shade like OPI’s ‘Alpine Snow’ as the rest of the nails.

If you decide to use pastel shades for the tips of your french nails, your manicure will be beyond eye-catching. Here, content creator Amaka Hamelijnck rocks a pastel-toned french manicure by an Amsterdam-based nail artist. To pull off these brightly colored nails, consider investing in a pre-curated nail polish set.

Content creator Lauren Crowe is no stranger to exploring fun and fashionable ways to upgrade a french manicure. To recreate this bold manicure, use your favorite blush-pink shade as your base color and then carve of barely there tips and a flame-inspired design with a black polish (try Essie’s nail polish in ‘Licorice’).

One of our favorite emerging trends this season has to be the comeback of the cow print (perhaps this can be traced back to the space and coastal cowgirl aesthetics). We love nail artist Betina Goldstein’s take on the trend: a clear polish base coat with off-white and chocolate brown shades used to create the wild cow print pattern.

With the upcoming live action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid staring Halle Bailey, mermaidcore has been everywhere lately. We’re embracing it with elegant french nails that feature bright, electric blue tips (London Town’s polish in Iconic our pick). Why not match your manicure with your outfit like Hamelijnck does so well in this shot?

On many occasions, Who What Wear’s editors have shared just how much they love to play with the coquette aesthetic. Celeb nail artist Zola Ganzorigt created this pale pink and white coquettish manicure for her client content creator Catherine McBroom last June and we’re still absolutely obsessed with it.

Another chic way to create an elegant french manicure? Playing with almost monochromatic tones. Check out how Crowe created a berry toned look using just two shades: a juicy burgundy and a classic navy blue with three nails painted as a french, and the pink finger completely filled in with the shade of her choice.

Who What Wear’s beauty editors are all for incorporating sweet floral patterns into our nail designs whenever we get the chance. Here, Le uses two shades for her tips (a powder blue and off-white) in addition to sprinkling on a daisy design for an unexpected and youthful approach to a french manicure.

Are bright shades not exactly your style? I’m more of a neutral girl myself. Good thing here’s nothing stopping you from using neutrals in minimalistic nail designs to create a show stopping look. If you look closely at Crowe’s manicure, you may spot tiny chocolate brown hearts across the tips of her nails where a delicately arched line could have been. 

We always love a minimalistic, micro approach to any beauty trend (manicures included). Here’s an example of one way to do it: sweeping a flush of nude-toned polish as the base and a pretty white shade across the tips. This one is great for anyone who tends to keep their nails on the shorter side, but still want to add some length to their look.

I’m a strong believer that everyone looks good in gold tones (you just have to find the right ones to compliment your skin tone). Embrace your gold era and wear it in an unexpected way by using a metallic gold polish to highlight and decorate your tips like runway and editorial nail artist Holly Falcone.

Leave it to nail artist Hang Nguyen to dive into the world of geometry to create a unique and stylish nail design. To recreate it, select two nail polishes in a black and dusty brown tone for the tips of your french nails; making sure to match their placement and avoid rounding out their funky shape.

When it comes to selecting my nail polish shades at home or at the salon, I’m normally not attracted to forest green. The way Le incorporates it into her micro french mani, however, has definitely changed my mind. Londontown’s nail polish in ‘Vibe’ is the perfect versatile, forest green shade to wear all year-round.

We’ve spotted similar nail polish shades on a number of celebrities so far this year. Here, Crowe, shows us just how wearable violet can be by using the shade at just the tips of her french manicure (no other nail art required). It’s simple, easy, and contributes the perfect punch of color for any look.

Up next, If You Try This “Dated” Nail Trend Now, You’ll Be Way Ahead of Everyone Else