Calling It: Cool Girls Everywhere Will Be Wearing This One Nail Color All Summer Long

Try a more understated approach with these French tips. First of all, French tips are incredibly low-maintenance—as they start to grow out, you notice it significantly less than an all-over mani. These look super chic on medium-length almond gel extensions, as seen in the picture to the left, but don’t fret if you’re more of a square and/or short nail person.

Butter yellow and bb daisies go together like… well, butter and toast. I get it, florals for spring are kinda basic at this point, but it’s a great way to transition your nail art to summer. Screenshot this and head to your nail artist to get the most precise lines. Or if you wanna DIY, grab a pack of nail decals you can just stick on.

Combine two summer nail trends in one with this cutie polka dot design using a nail dotting tool. I love the contrast between the butter yellow polish and light blue dots (anyone remember the blueberry milk nails of 2023?). But feel free to get creative with color pairings. Maroon, sage, chocolate brown, terracotta, kelly green, navy blue, pink—you name it.

This shiny version of your standard butter yellow nails, as seen on Hailey Bieber, just scream summer and bubbly season. All you gotta do is dust on some chrome powder for the glazed finish (or if you wanna skip a step, choose a shimmery butter yellow polish like Dior Lemon Glow). Makes me want a limoncello spritz real bad…

Your minimalist heart will sing just looking at this simple nail design. The swirls are slightly elevated compared to a basic butter yellow mani, but the combo of creamy yellow and chocolate brown keep things neutral.

Don’t ever limit yourself when it comes to yellow. Buttery hues look really good with mustard and bright sunshine shades, btw. Case in point: This French tip design with flowers in a mix of varying yellow tones. It’s like a summer day threw up on your fingers (complimentary, of course).

Mark my words: Anything but 3D nails will eventually feel basic. Sooo if you want to feel in on the trend early, try it out with butter yellow shades. Lil bb spheres, swirls, gems, charms—you name it—add an edge to an otherwise pastel mani.

Okay, so, this is simply the cutest accent nail motif I’ve ever seen. And it, obviously, pairs perfectly with this color trend. This is def a difficult design to do on yourself (unless you’re a pro), so consider adding some nail stickers to one or two of your nails to cute-ify your set.

Could it get any more summery than a literal lemonade stand on your fingernails? I think not. Just gonna drop the link for these adorable lemon decals right here if you’re too busy planning a vacay to go to the nail salon…

Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with more than six years of experience researching, writing, and editing nail stories that range from shellac nails to gel nail removal. She’s an authority in all nail categories, but is an expert when it comes to summer nail trends (like butter yellow) after scouting them backstage at fashion week and interviewing nail artists.