There’s something enchanting about mermaids and something incredibly fun about mermaid nail art. Maybe it’s their ethereal beauty or the mystery of what lies beneath the waves. These mermaid designs can add a little touch of magic to your manicure and help highlight your fun side with a unique look.
Whether you want a simple design or something more elaborate, we’ve gone through thousands of different designs to bring you a range of different ideas for inspiration or styles to try for yourself. For the kids or the kids at heart, these designs will make you feel part of a magical world.
A little bit of a different design on each finger but they tie together really well.If you look very closely there’s a subtle scale design on the ring finger here.Some simply fantastic detail on these nails. I don’t know what I love more, the artwork or the background colors.Some subtle use of glitter and this stamp to create a mermaid tail design. Bonus points for the blue to purple ombre style.We couldn’t do this list without a Little Mermaid design. These decals and a few stones work well on the pink acrylics. This was on our nail ideas for kids list but I think they’re so cute I’d do this set myself.Another take on the mermaid tail with a purple to pink ombre colorway but the subtle use of glitter here wins it for me.I’m in love. Seriously. Another Little Mermaid design with these cute little stamps over a subtle silver scale background.I’m a sucker for bright and multicolor nail designs so this might be my favorite so far. Reverse stamped to create this cute mermaid scale design.A bright colorway, a fantastic yellow to orange ombre background silver scales and a whole lot of rhinestones.The blues, glitter and seashell design is cute and the artist named this set ‘Unicorn Meets Mermaid’. I can see that.The detail is stunning in the mermaid and shell stamps and they work really well again this glittery blue.A very lush nail set with a unique twist. It doesn’t have a specific mermaid design but the 3D bubble charms give a very underwater vibe and the pierced nail on the middle finger is a nice touch.The sheer power of nail decals. These transparent gels would look cute but the mermaid hair flowing over the other nails is just perfect.This design has a mix of a stunning sea shell and a mermaid tail pattern.A similar style with a different colorway.A range of blue shades, a little rhinestone on the cuticle and that mermaid pattern on the ring finger make a great combination.Pink, baby blue and some glitter for good measure. A fun ocean and mermaid design to this set.If you like something a little extra some cute starfish charms and rhinestones work with this design.These press-ons have a similar idea but go into some real intricate detail. I love the bubble effect on the middle nail.It’s hard to go wrong with pink and glitter against mermaid scales.Four pastel shades blended together and gold scales were stamped on top. Fantastic.This set has a bit more of a subtle mermaid design to it. Some pinks, blues and a little glitter but it isn’t as overt.A different take with a transparent background and some colorful polka dot tips.Or how about this similar take with the glitter at the cuticles? I love that the pink and blue alternate between fingers.Gel nails with some gold charms to give you that ‘under the sea’ vibe. Incredibly cute.You don’t need to have a mermaid look on every finger. The mermaid scales were stamped on the middle accent finger and it has an ombre colorway of the green and pink nails. Fantastic idea.If mermaids had nail art (maybe they do?), this is what it would look like ?Be a mermaid and make waves! Liquid metal polish to stamp the tail and the pink to blue ombre shell looks great.If these nails don’t say “seas the day,” I don’t know what does.If 3D nail art is your thing how about this set? This one is pretty extra.This is a new one. The entire tail design on the ring finger with a pink metallic against a deep blue looks like a tail swimming in the water.Long coffin acrylics with some blue beads create a bubble design at the top. The little silver charms are a nice touch.Some light glitter and a matte finish over this amazing set. These sparkling mermaids were stamped on and the open clam with the gold pearl is a great touch.Interesting colorway on this design. A hand-painted Ariel looks fantastic but is such a contrast with the rest of the set.I’m a sucker for a matte white background and the blue and white design go well together. Maybe more of an ocean vibe than mermaid but they’re just too cute I had to include them.A cute profile of a mermaid with a unique outline of the tail on the pinky. I love how these are done in a lighter shade of blue than the scales.A stunning holographic mermaid tail. Fantastic artwork.If you’re looking for me, just check under the sea ?How about this chrome-plated manicure? Strong, sleek and utterly beautiful.Sometimes less is a little more. A French reverse mermaid nail design gives us this very unique look.The slight temperature change on the purple as it fades to matte white is perfectly done. Don’t miss the little bit of glitter on the index finger tail.Rather than drawing the scales or accenting the shell with rhinestones, this design is a lot more subtle but still screams mermaid.A darker style with some incredible detail on these mermaid silhouettes. I think sometimes we overuse the term ‘nail art’ but this is just stunning.Aptly named ‘Mermaid Scales’. This cute set is mostly natural nails with this unique almost marble blue style and just a hint of glittery color. ??♀️Short almond mermaid nails. Blue is such an easy choice for this style and it highlights the gold stars really nicely.These bubbles are just so incredibly cute. And Flounder from the Little Mermaid as an accent nail is a big plus on this design. This set could double as beach nail art in general but maybe I just want an excuse to wear these colors.A single Ariel on each hand goes well with the pink and purple glitter vibe.This might be my favorite on the entire list. Check out the subtle glitter specks on the middle fingers giving us that mermaid vibe but the ombre color shift is expertly done.If subtle isn’t your thing then this design has a little bit of everything.Another take of the Little Mermaid Disney nail design. How did we not have Sebastian already? Hand-painted with a little bit of glitter and a whole lot of rhinestone.Under the sea where the water glitters and the animals glow!? ?
I do hope this has given you some ideas for mermaid nails If you give this a go – I want to see it! Send me a photo of your mermaid nail art and we’ll feature them here.
Our inspiration photos come from user submissions and open sources and we’ll always give credit. All of the fantastic styles belong to their respective owners. If we’ve got a credit wrong or you’d rather we don’t feature you – just drop us an email.
