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Purple is a rich color that symbolizes royalty and power. It can make your nails look either luxurious or adorable, depending on the shade you choose.
So if you’ve been eyeing this color and looking for the best purple nail designs, we’ve got you covered. We’ve searched the internet and compiled 55 of the best purple nail ideas you can use as inspiration for your next manicure!
From short to long nails, from simple to complex designs, we have them all here on our list.
So read on and scroll down to find your next purple nailspiration!
Purple Nail Art Ideas
1. Almond Galaxy Marble Nails
This design is a nostalgic take on marble nails. It uses almond-shaped jelly nails to make marbly purple-and-white swirls stand out for a unique look!
2. Lilac Moon and Stars
If you want to take a break from the conventional blue and black background when painting moon and star designs on your nails, why not change it to purple? And add a butterfly accent to a few of them to make them look dreamy and whimsical.
3. Bees and Daisies
Nails with purple swirls, bees, and daisies make a pretty and unique idea for a sweet and gorgeous mani.
4. Purple and White Tips
This deep shade of purple with glitter gives a luxurious look. We also love the tiny silver hearts on the accent nails and the clean silver outlines on the tips.
5. Matte Lilac Coffin Nails
Skipping nail art and going for matte all-purple acrylic nails is never a bad idea, especially if you wear your nails in an elegant coffin shape!
6. Geometric Shades of Purple
Pick five of your favorite purple shades and use them to recreate this stunning nail design. We love how these purple-tip nails look so clean!
7. Shades of Purple With Gold Crystals
It’s never a bad idea to play around with different shades of purple and gold rhinestones. Add an accent nail with a floral pattern to this nail design for a feminine look.
8. Chrome Purple Nail Tips
If you’re going for long nails, giving them deep purple and wine-red chrome tips is a chic way to make a statement.
9. Purple Glitter
If you want an all-glam look during prom, go for purple nails with sparkles. All the purple tones work so well together, and the glitz adds a wonderful textural element.
10. White and Lilac Chrome
When in doubt, go for simple purple nail art. This white and lilac color combo creates a mystical vibe that looks amazing!
11. Purple Flowers
For cute purple nails, adding a few flowers is the way to go! These short purple nails are perfect for spring and summer.
12. Blue Purple Art
Trendy and artsy, this gorgeous bluish-purple manicure gives off funky vibes.
13. Purple and Silver With Heart Accents
This nail idea with beautiful hearts is something you would want to wear on Valentine’s Day. The deep and light shades of purple complement each other in this design. We also love how the clean silver outlines add some chicness to it.
14. Bright Purple Cow Print
Using bright purple nail polish to paint animal prints helps you make a cute nail design to wear that won’t go out of style.
15. Purple Almond Nails With Multicolored Accents
Adding speckles of colors and designs like black and white polka dots and gold foil flakes on a few nails is a cute way to make your purple manicure playful and eye-catching.
16. Glossy Marbled Nails With Silver Glitz
Looking for inspo for metallic purple nails? Use pink, purple, and white marble designs on your accent nails, and add silver glitter to the rest of the purple nails! We love how the colors balance nicely together in this look.
17. Turquoise and Purple Doodles
Who says short nails can’t be fun? Recreating this design is a fun way to mix and match colors. Also, you can add nail art like doodly hearts, tiny petals, and small lines and dots for vibrant and colorful nail art!
18. Pastel Pink and Purple
Want a purple-and-pink nail design? Try this purple manicure with pink accent nails that are decorated with leaves and gold glitter. It’s a great way to add elegance to your overall look.
19. Purple and White Swirls with Gold Accent
These purple nails with swirls feature a contrasting color combo of nude pink and white that brings attention to your nail art. The added gold flakes also add a touch of elegance.
20. Dark Purple Nails with Colorful Flowers
Pairing high-contrast colors like pink, green, and yellow with purple gives you a manicure with a festive vibe. Get inspired by this nail idea that gives you a unique way to add florals to your mani.
21. Dark Metallic Purple Glitter
Subtle sparkly nails are a foolproof way to wear purple or any other color to match formal and casual outfits.
22. Every Purple Hue
Can’t decide which shade of purple to use? This nail art shows a stylish way to use various shades of purple to paint each nail.
23. Lavender Silver Flakes
Instead of sparkly glitter, why not use silver flakes on a nude accent nail? This will give your light purple mani a little more glamor. This look is something we’d love to wear to a birthday party!
24. Light Orchid Nails With Daisies
For your next mani, why not use light orchid polish on all your nails? Then paint flowers on the accent nails to bring out the nail artist in you!
25. Mauve & Silver Heart
The color mauve sets up a romantic mood. You can add flair to your mauve nails by painting one nail nude and topping it off with a silver heart accent.
26. Dark Purple Galaxy Nails
There’s something mystical yet classy about this mani. It’s addicting to look at the marbled galaxy design on the accent nails!
27. White Lines On Purple Nails
Add oomph to your matte purple nails by painting clean, sleek lines on them in different patterns for a statement-making look.
28. Pink and Swirl White Outline
Simple purple nail ideas using light colors like this one will surely make your nails pop!
29. Pink and Purple Plaid
A bright pink-and-purple nail design like this one is something Barbie would choose if she got her nails done. So if you want your mani to have a vibrant pop of color, try this one out!
30. Fairy Princess
Want to feel like royalty? Embellishing your purple nails with rhinestones and 3D flowers is your best bet. We recommend wearing this mani to a wedding, prom, or any formal occasion.
31. Amethyst Nails
Chunky purple glitter and rhinestones only mean one thing: sparkles! It’s an elegant look you can wear if you want subtle glitz.
32. Square Lavender Nails
This design is ideal if you’re looking for inspo for simple lavender nails. We love how the nail artist used a plain pastel purple color and added one glittery accent nail. It’s just soothing to look at!
33. Blue-Violet Glitter
These nails are perfect for those who want a simple blue-violet manicure. We also love how these nails shine and shimmer from every angle!
34. Shades of Blue With Purple Glitter
If you love both blue and purple, combine them in one nail design. Then add some chunky glitter on one blue and one purple nail to make them stand out!
35. Assorted Purple Nail Art
If you have a nude-colored mani, top them with different nail designs like flames, flowers, crocodile print, and paint splotches for a unique look.
36. Periwinkle and Salmon Nails
Looking for floral summer nail ideas in purple? Here’s one to consider. The salmon and periwinkle combo will remind you of summer sunsets. We also love the details of the tiny flowers near the tips!
37. Purple and Silver Glitter Swirls
Nails with purple swirls are already beautiful. But add some silver glitter swirls to make them look more fabulous.
38. Floral Periwinkle
Adding flower art and French tips to your periwinkle nails using sugary glitter polish allows you to create an elegant purple nail design. We love how these designs look embossed on the nails, giving them added texture.
39. Purple Ombré Nails with Floral Accent
This nail art reminds us of stunning flower resin artwork we use for home decorations. We dig the subtle purple ombré and the faded effect of the flower patterns.
40. Royal Purple & Gold Nails
This design’s purple French tips with gold outlines will make you feel like a queen!
41. Outlined Purple Hearts
If you’re tired of using red or pink for painting hearts on your nails, go paint them in purple. We love how these hearts look like stickers with their gold outlines.
42. Dreamy Purple Nails
Glittery purple-cloud tips? Yes, please! The clean outlines of each cloud and the stars make it hard to believe that you can put this design on nails.
43. Enchanted Nails
If you want to wear a celestial design, go for this manicure. The vivid colors, star stickers, and intricate silver chrome swirls make you feel like you’ve been transported to a fantastical world.
44. Black And White Polka Dots
This design is for minimalists. Make your purple accent stand out by using two different shades of purple and a black-and-white polka dot design. Then paint the rest of your nails with nude-colored polish.
45. Electric-Purple Nails
If you want to tone down the intensity of electric-purple nail polish, try painting two nails a matching shade of pink. Then, add some pink and purple blossoms to make the mani bloom.
46. Glitter Outlined Nails
Shorter nails tend to always look best with simpler designs. Although it looks easy to make, this mani with pastel purple nails lined with glitter outline manages to wow us.
47. Purple Halloween Nails
Black leaves, thick glittery black tips, and thin silver lines on deep purple nails give us some Halloween vibes. So why not wear this mani during that holiday?
48. Gold and Purple Marble
These nails are long yet easy on the eyes. The marbly lavender designs flawlessly blend with gold glitter outlines on a nude base to create an elegant manicure.
49. White, Pink, And Purple Swirl Nails
If pink, white, and purple are your preferred rainbow colors, use them for swirl nail art to achieve a whimsical nail design that reminds you of unicorns!
50. Painted Stars And Diagonal Tips
We love how different shades of purple paired with white can complement each other. For a unique look with wavy diagonal tips and white stars that sparkle without glitter, go for this one!
51. Dark Purple and Magenta Almond Nails
Ombré chunky glitter and glossy nail polish go well together, especially in this nail design with a dark-purple-and-magenta color combo.
52. Purple & Gold Butterflies
On your next trip to the nail salon, show this gorgeous design to your nail tech. The pastel colors look magical, and the gold flakes and butterflies make you feel like you’re in fairyland!
53. Purple Nails With Iridescent Butterflies
Paint your nails with a mix of light and dark purple polish, then use clear nails for your accent nails and decorate them with cute little butterfly stickers. Take this design for example; we love how it makes you look like you’re wearing a dome of butterflies!
54. Purple Maleficent Nails
These are the nails to go for if you want an edgy appeal. The arrowhead nail shape really suits the deep violet color on this one!
55. Glossy Aubergine Nails
Go for dark purple nails for a bold yet simple look, then add a shiny top coat to give it some gloss.
Frequently Asked Questions About Purple Nails
What does purple nail color symbolize?
Aside from royalty, purple also symbolizes ambition and sophistication. Historically, this color has been associated with nobility, so use this color if you want to channel your inner queen.
Do purple nails look good?
The color purple looks great on almost any skin color. Just match the shades with your skin tone to find the perfect hue to use.
If you have pale and medium skin, go for rich purple shades like aubergine or amethyst. But if you have dark skin, pastel shades like lavender or lilac may suit you.
What goes well with purple nails?
Purple nails pair well with many colors. It depends on the theme and style of your design. You can pair it with contrasting colors like green, orange, and red. Or you can mix it with nude or pink to create a laid-back color combination.
You can also combine it with different shades of purple to create a monochromatic color scheme.
Wear the Best Purple Nail Designs For Your Next Manicure!
Purple nails are popular, and it’s easy to see why! Your nails can look cute, artsy, elegant, or luxurious by experimenting with different shades of purple and pairing them with different designs.
Just make sure to choose a shade of purple that goes with your skin tone. Plus, pick a design that you can wear all year round. You can also go for a mani that’s suitable for a special occasion.
Choose the ones which you like best, and wear them alternatively to mix and match with your outfits.
Want more nail art ideas?
Check out these articles:
- 55 Dazzling Blue Nails with Glitter for Your Next Manicure
- 51 French Ombré Nails You Need To Try
- 45 Stunning Red Nails with Glitter for a Striking Manicure
Shai Urbano
Shai is a licensed pharmacist with a Bachelor of Arts in Pharmacy. She uniquely intertwines her medical expertise with a fervent passion for beauty. With an intrinsic understanding of ingredients and formulation, she's the proud creator of her own line of products designed exclusively for naturally curly hair. Over her four-year writing career, Shai consistently delivers content enriched by her distinct blend of knowledge and enthusiasm.
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