53 Short Almond Nail Designs to Consider for Your Next Nail Look

woman with short almond nails — @bluesy_nails+BYRDIE

As soon as we notice a chip in our nails—and, if we're being honest, sometimes even before—we're already brainstorming our next manicure. While nail polish colors certainly play a role, you first have to figure out what nail shape you want to work with. And, if we do say so ourselves, if you have a little length to work with, you simply can't go wrong with a stylish almond-shaped nail look.

The thing is, all almond-shaped nails require a touch of length to score the slightly pointed shape. However, if you prefer to keep your nails on the shorter side, you'll be glad to know that there are a bunch of short almond nail designs to copy on Instagram.

To save you from diving (er, scrolling) down that rabbit hole, we rounded up 30 of our favorite nail designs for short almond nails. While some of these are a little longer than what you might consider as short, just remember that many almond nails can be quite long, so consider this our modest in-between.

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Rainbow Tips

Short rainbow striped tip almond nails — @blushnailartist

Two-toned rainbow tips? Talk about a bright way to embrace a modern French mani.

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Pink and Orange

The best part about these abstract pink and orange nails is that they don't require loads of effort to bring to life. Simply swipe on a couple coats of color and finish with a few small black dots clustered throughout.

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Dainty Florals

How pretty are these floral nails? We love how the base embraces the milky-white manicure trend.

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Opal Shell

Opalescent short almond nails — @amyytran

This opalescent nail look is so versatile—it will look nude in some lights and magically reflective in others.

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Tortoiseshell Nails

Tortoiseshell short almond nails — @amyytran

Everyone's favorite hair accessory and glasses material is now fodder for your next nail look.

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Pink and Blue Dreams

Short almond nails with pink and blue cloudy sky design — @amyytran

Ombré almond-shaped nails topped off with bright white clouds and stars? Dreamy.

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Butterfly Beauties

Light pink short almond nails with butterfly designs — @hardasnails_studio

Forever a fan of Instagram's butterfly filter? Show it some love by replicating the look on your almond-shaped nails.

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Accent Nails

Instead of restricting yourself to one uniform nail look, consider adding a bold pop of color with an accent nail on each hand.

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Pale Pink Fade

Pale pink short almond nails — @anetaujwary

A pretty pink nail look never goes out of style. In fact, we rounded up 40 pink nail designs to prove just that.

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Gold Glitter Tips

Craving a neutral nail look but hoping to do so with a touch of sparkle? Look no further than these glittery almond-shaped nails.

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Orange Tips

We never knew we'd be into orange ombré nails—but then we laid eyes on these beauties.

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Metallic Silver

Crazy for chrome? These metallic silver nails will make you swoon.

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Pastel Rainbow

Why stick to one shade when you can paint a different color on each nail? If you prefer brighter shades, be sure to check out Olive & June's The Into You Box ($88).

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Bold Abstract

Almond-shaped nails with various abstract designs — @anetaujwary

Nails, like all beauty statements, are a way to express yourself. And, in case you forgot, you can do so with a handful of colors, shapes, and designs—all wrapped into one Insta-worthy abstract mani.

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Negative Space Squiggle

How chic are these matte white nails? To recreate them, simply drag a toothpick through the polish while it's still wet and finish with a matte topcoat.

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Negative Space Red

You can never go wrong with cherry-red nails, especially in summer. But if you prefer not to paint each entire nail, here's one way to add a little extra allure to your almond-shape mani.

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Negative Space Details

Apricot negative space design on short almond nails — @indigonails

Peach, periwinkle, and pale pink come together for a pastel masterpiece we can't take our eyes off of. Of course, to recreate it you'll need French manicure stickers to section off your nails—or an expert's help to get the job done for you.

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Hot and Cold Nails

Warm to cool gradient manicure on short almond nails — @indigonails

From blue to green to yellow to orange to pink—we're in love with this colorful, almond-shaped fade.

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Pink and Blue Clouds

Pink and blue cloudy sky designs on almond-shaped nails — @indigonails

Clouds are having a bit of a mani moment. Here, they're layered over a different color on each hand, which creates a cohesive element to an otherwise mismatched nail look.

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Mermaid-Inspired Teal Nails

Teal almond-shaped nails with mermaid-inspired design — @indigonails

These high-contrast teal nails make us think of mermaids and warm days spent by the sea.

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Warm Water Marble Nails

Warm marbled almond nails — @anetaujwary

Orange, yellow, pink, and white make for a warm color palette that looks even hotter when marbled together.

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Pastel Flora

Almond-shaped nails with teal and pink plant designs — @anetaujwary

These pastel almond-shaped nails give us mermaid, fairy, and unicorn vibes, but in a modern way that looks lovely on babes of all ages.

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Glitter Jelly Nails

Sheer pink glitter almond-shaped nails — @anetaujwary

These clear glittery nails remind us of our favorite '90s shoes: jelly sandals, of course.

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Cow Print Contrast

Half-cow print, half-solid blue almond-shaped nails — @anetaujwary

Cow print is the ultimate nail accent, as it rings true to the animal print trend and provides a high-contrast layer to any nail look.

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Sage French Tips

Almond shaped sage green tips nails — @bluesy_nails

Love a French manicure but want to get creative with color? This sage take on the classic look is a winner in our book.

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Geometric French Tips

This minimalist manicure makes almond-shaped nails look like stilettos, all with a trick of sharp lines and dark black polish.

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Matte Pastels

Almond shaped pastel nails — @bluesy_nails

Looking for a photogenic nail look for summer? This colorful matte mani gives us major Miami vibes.

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Groovy Accents

Pale pink manicure with wavy sunset-colored accent nails — @_gabi.nails_

How fun is this nail look? The accent nails give us all the '70s vibes.

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Simple Dots

Pink almond manicure with negative space dotted accent nails — @amyytran

If you don't have a lot of space to work with, opting for a clear coat layered in colorful dots can draw attention to how much length you do have.

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Gilded Gold

Gold almond shaped nails — @unghieebellezza

If you're bored of colorful nail looks and want to keep it classic with black and white polish, consider this almond-shaped mani that features the stark contrast topped off with gilded gold accents.

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Chunky Glitter

These Studio 54-inspired glittery nails were done by celebrity nail artist Naomi Yasuda did for Emily Weiss, the founder of Glossier. These acrylic almond-shaped nails are glittered to perfection.

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Rainbow Confetti

These rainbow confetti nails are perfect if you love the glitter vibe, but want more color. The almond-shape is the perfect canvas for this show-stopping look. Does this read more '70s or '80s to you? We can't decide; we just know we love it.

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Daisies for Days

Almond-shaped nails with daisy designs — @naominailsnyc

The nude base color is the perfect choice for making nails and fingers appear longer. The sweet daisy design gives your neutral look a sweet upgrade.

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Siren Chrome

Almond-shaped nails with chrome polish and chain detail — @naominailsnyc

Holographic shimmer is a trendy look when you want a bit of shine. Chrome also gives a bit more edge than glitter. The chain detail gives this look even more of a rock-and-roll flavor.

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Metallic Ombré

Ombre metallic almond nails — @NAOMINAILSNYC

The metallic ombré polish is a fun choice for almond-shaped nails. The negative space gets an upgrade with the small gold bar details, which makes this holographic design both playful and refined.

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Eye of the Tiger

Almond-shaped nails with Gucci stripe and warm-toned tiger design — @naominailsnyc

This eye-catching look is the opposite of minimalist...and we love it! This Gucci-inspired manicure proves that the logomania of the early 2000s has come back in a big way.

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Tonal Wave

With its different shades of red, this tonal wave pattern gives a modern twist to a retro palette. In fact, any color will look great with this eye-catching wave pattern.

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Crystal Craze

Almond-shaped nails with rose quartz design and gold detailing — @naominailsnyc

From the blush pink base to the crisscrossing veins of white and the metallic gold details, these rose quartz nails are pure perfection. The gold and crystal details give this look just the right amount of sparkle.

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Turquoise + Gold

Almond-shaped nails with turquoise and gold design — @naominailsnyc

Almond-shaped nails are the perfect shape for this gemstone-inspired manicure. The turquoise and gold detail is truly a work of art.

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Coming Up Roses

Red almond-shaped nails with light pink rose design — @naominailsnyc

This rosy manicure is a top choice for the romantic at heart. We are crushing on this scarlet red manicure complete with sheer white floral details.

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Rose Gold Glitter

Almond-shaped nails work well with minimalist designs, such as this rosy gold-tipped Paintbox manicure. Paintbox is a nail studio located in New York City, where the manicurists specialize in minimalist nail designs with bold colors and eye-catching shimmer. We regularly peruse the studio's Instagram feed for inspiration.

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Burnished Copper

Almond-shaped nails with gold-dipped design — @paintboxnails

This burnished copper and gold foil mani is a fun twist to glitter tips. Plus, it is right on trend with the metallic, glitter and shimmer finishes that are everywhere on Instagram right now.

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Heart Tips

Nail stickers are a fun and easy way to spice up any almond-shaped DIY mani. These Olive & June Heart Stickers ($15) come in four shades—white, blush, black, and lavender. Heads up, though, they often sell out.

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Glitter French Tips

Almond-shaped French manicure with glitter tips — @oliveandjune

This glittery French mani is another example proving that almond-shaped nails don't have to be long. This minimalist design is work-appropriate, yet also a fun look for vacation.

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Leopard Print

One bonus of short almond-shaped nails is that you can get away with a funky pattern, such as this leopard print design, without it looking overbearing. The neutral brown twist on this leopard print pattern is ultra-chic.

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Etched Lines

Almond-shaped nails with etched line manicure — @chillhouse

This ultra-cool almond mani is worthy of a modern art museum. The peach and blue colors with the black etched lines deserves a spot on your own Instagram feed.

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True Crime Talons

True Crime almond shaped nails — @nailsbymei

This almond-shaped mani is guaranteed to turn some heads. We stumbled across the image about a month ago, and we're still thinking about it. It's perfect for Halloween and true crime lovers alike, no?

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Red Drip

If you want an edgy look, but the True Crime talons were a bit too much...then consider this cool red drip mani. We plan to wear this design on our nails well in advance of Halloween. What can we say? We're always anticipating October 31.

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Purple Halo

Purple holographic almond shaped nails — @nailsbymei

You don't always need a complicated design or nail art for an amazing mani. In this case, perfectly shaped almond nails painted with a holographic deep purple shade is all you need to make a statement.

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Pressed Florals

Floral almond-shaped nails — @nailsbymei

The delicate hand-painted design on each nail gives us major springtime vibes. The shape of these nails sits somewhere between oval and almond, but that doesn't matter because we can't take our eyes off those pretty floral details.

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Pattern Mixing

Can't decide one pattern? You should consider combining them all! We love this almond-shaped nail design that comprises a collection of eclectic colors and funky patterns. It's maximalism at its finest.

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Retro Abstract

Abstract shapes almond-shaped manicure — @nailsbymei

We are getting major Pucci vibes in this blue, green and white mani with the chic abstract shapes. These abstract shapes can look too busy on longer nails, but look perfect on shorter, almond-shaped nails.

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Flower Power

Unlike other manicures that have painted flowers, these are real dried flowers on transparent PVC tips. These nails, otherwise known as "jelly nails," are all over Instagram. This yellow and orange floral mani is simple gorgeous.

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