Elevate your nail game with these stunning elegant black nails! Whether it’s a special occasion or a chic everyday look, there’s no reason to shy away from this timeless color.

Black nails may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if done right, they can look absolutely stunning. The easiest way to achieve a cool black manicure is of course simply by getting a classic monochrome look, but if that’s too plain, there are SO many more designs that you can play with to create a stylish and elegant-looking manicure that fits your personality. 

If you’re looking to add a touch of glam to your fingertips, we have just the ideas for you. Below, you’ll find 30 unique and elegant black nail art looks, which feature everything from minimalist black French tips, to star-studded designs, and marbled looks.

The Best Black Nails To Try

1. Glimmer in the dark

For those looking to experiment with a black manicure, but don’t want to fully commit, a statement glitter or sparkly nail picks up the vibe of the dark tones.

2. Antique antics

Intricate nail art with black can be tricky because any imperfections will show. Baroque-inspired motifs like this therefore work beautifully with bold, dark colors.

3. golden baby

via @nail_clab_nsk

Brightening up a dark manicure is easy with the use of gold or glitter for a marbled nail look, and it’s super easy to DIY at home!

4. sometimes sparkly

A swipe of sparkle on a statement black manicure lifts up the vibe of the look and is perfect for the festive season.

5. Art school

A freehand design like this is perfect for a DIY manicure, and is great for using dark colors on your nails. As with most of the manicures we’ve shown you, add some gold to spice it up.

6. the North star

Black is a fantastic manicure color for the colder months when you’ll likely be wearing a darker color palette. Make your nails a little more festive by adding a star motif like this.

7. hearts up

Another way to soften a black manicure is with motifs that you’re more likely to see in girly nail art designs, like hearts, butterflies, and florals.

8. 101 Dalmatians

To brighten a dark manicure, keep the base of your nail exposed. It looks high fashion and plays into a minimal aesthetic.

9. dark tips

A French manicure is a wonderful tried and tested nail art design that works with any color and can be adjusted to fit any aesthetic. The harsh tones of black work perfectly with an otherwise a minimal design.

10. split personality

For indecisive beauty lovers, this half-neutral, half-black nail art design is the perfect medium between your two personalities. To glam it up, add some specks of gold!

11. Shiny and new

Matte nails are no longer a popular nail art technique, purely because the rise of nude nails means it wouldn’t be seen. Luckily, black lends itself perfectly and is a great way to do an all-black nail look.

12. stars in the sky

Stars are perfect nail art for the wintery months, and are beautiful enough to make you forget about the chilly weather outside! If nail art on your whole manicure feels overboard, ease into it with a statement nail.

13. eclipse

This minimal manicure is perfect for those who love a black manicure but need to glam it up. The gold isn’t too bright so adds to the black as opposed to drawing attention away from the deep, dark tones.

14. bold and minimal

A manicure with an exposed base color is always the perfect way to go for experimenting with a bold color.

15. the guiding star

This festive nail art design is perfect for holiday parties and festivities. It works beautifully over a completely black manicure or a black French tip like this.

16. barbiecore

This is a great example of juxtaposing your manicure with two opposite themes. The dark black tones look stunning when paired with pink glitter, and it shows the best of both.

17. Black butterfly

We previously mentioned incorporating more feminine motifs like butterflies with black nail art to bridge the gap between the two aesthetics. This crystal nail art is the perfect example of that.

18. Gatsby Girl

This manicure is reminiscent of the roaring 20s. It is Art Deco-inspired and has been embellished with crystals (because why not?).

20. Tortoiseshell

Tortoiseshell was once a trending material used in jewelry and accessories, but has since become redundant – though from seeing this manicure, we can’t imagine why!

21. Hearts up

Hearts up for this loveable manicure, perfect for Valentine’s Day (whether you’re celebrating or not!).

22. Winter Wiggle

These “wiggle” motifs are super popular at the moment. They are easy to DIY at home, and can be the focal point of your manicure like in this one, or added on top of a bold color.

22. Winter florals

Florals aren’t a staple nail art design during the winter months, but in a dark color with a velvety finish – we can’t imagine why you’d choose anything else.

23. A little bit luxe

A minimal manicure with black tips like this is perfect year-round, particularly if your closet color palette is mostly black.

Another one for the indecisive girlies. This half-pink, half-black manicure is a match made in heaven if you can’t quite commit to a nail color.

25. Gold tips

This unique nail art design features a gold French manicure with 3D floral motifs over top. Black is a great color to offset similar OTT manicures.

26. wrapped up

What says the holidays better than a gift wrapped up with a bow? This adorable statement nail is perfect for the Christmas party season!

27. sparkle snake

A snake is a bold nail art choice, and not for the faint-hearted. Embellishing it with gemstones or glitter stops the design from looking too creepy.

28. something different

For those used to saying they like “something different,” this artistic nail art design is the perfect one for you. While looking quite busy, the manicure is balanced with an exposed base color.

29. A new moon

This blackout manicure with a touch of gold and crystals makes for the perfect moody manicure for the winter months.

30. all love

Get the nails on Etsy

If you’re feeling the love, but pink isn’t your thing, this is the manicure for you. Whilst still being dainty, you can incorporate your personal style with darker tones.

We hope you found the perfect black nail ideas for your next manicure!