18 Elegant and Expensive-Looking Almond-Shaped Nail Designs

published 11 October 2024

Choosing a nail shape is the first step in any manicure, whether that's at home or at the salon. You can go for round, square, oval, or any iteration in between. However, we'd argue that almond-shaped nails are the most classic. They're also the most elegant, sophisticated, and expensive looking. They're essentially the epitome of the quiet luxury aesthetic, which explains why celebs like Sofia Richie Grainge and Hailey Bieber often opt for them.

Since we're in the mood to switch up our manicures but not our nail shapes, we spent an inordinate amount of time scouring social media to find the ultimate almond-shaped nail inspo. (What can we say? We're beauty editors, and we take our manicures seriously.) Keep scrolling to see all 18 editor-approved designs.

Mixing a tortoiseshell design with brown French tips? Stunning. Bring this reference picture to the salon, or if you're a fan of at-home manicures, use the Static Nails Reusable Pop-On Manicure ($18).

For a more subtle take on tortoiseshell, opt for this French manicure version.

Jade gemstones are said to have soothing energy. We think this mani does too.

Who says glitter can't be elegant? This is the grown-up way to do it.

We're big fans of color-blocking in our outfits and on our manicures. Excuse us while we buy OPI's Alpine Snow ($12) and Got the Blues for Red ($12) to re-create this look.

This swirled pink-and-white design feels fresh and romantic.

These simple, merlot-colored French tips are a subtle way to incorporate color into a manicure. We'll use Essie's Gel Couture Longwear Nail Polish in Spiked With Style ($13) to achieve a similar effect.

We're also eyeing these cherry-red negative-space French tips.

Glossy black polish looks so elegant and elevated on almond-shaped nails. We recommend JinSoon's Absolute Black Nail Polish ($18) for the inkiest pigment.

We need this muted purple on our nails ASAP. If you ask us, it looks a lot like Orly's November Fog Nail Polish ($5).

A French manicure design on almond-shaped nails? It couldn't get more classic.

Burgundy nail polish is made even more sophisticated when you add nail gems.

Whatever you call it—chrome or "glazed donut" nails—this manicure is so sleek.

These black, diamond-studded stars really pop on a base of neutral nail polish.

When you can't decide between black and brown, why not use both?

We love these multicolored nails, and they'd be so easy to re-create at home.

This manicure is proof that a simple bow design can add so much. You can paint it yourself, or you can snag the exact Olive and June Super Stick Press Ons ($11).

Mark our words: This powder-blue, "hearts on fire" design will be our next mani.

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Kaitlyn McLintock is a Beauty Editor at Who What Wear. She has 10 years of experience in the editorial industry, having previously written for other industry-leading publications, like Byrdie, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Bustle, and others. She covers all things beauty and wellness-related, but she has a special passion for creating skincare content (whether that's writing about an innovative in-office treatment, researching the benefits of a certain ingredient, or testing the latest and greatest at-home skin device). Having lived in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas, she has since relocated back to her home state, Michigan. When she's not writing, researching, or testing beauty products, she's working through an ever-growing book collection or swimming in the Great Lakes.