30 Black Nail Designs

Before getting yourself all glammed up, you need to be careful of what polish you use. Bad quality nail polish can tend to look like gothic gloop on your fingernails. Here are our top 5 absolute faves…

1) Butter London Nail Lacquer in Union Jack Black
2) Nars Nail Polish in Back Room
3) Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Polish in Blacquer
4) OPI Black Onyx
5) Essie Nail Polish in Licorice

Lace nails are so pretty and chic, wear them with a cute lacey LBD for an ultra cool style. They are quick and easy to do yourself too, and though the finished look looks expensive, doing them isn’t. Check out our tutorial here to find out how to do it yourself!

These are the perfect party nails! Wear them with a white lace bodycon dress to make them stand out and add detail to your outfit. You can get Formula X Divine Stardust Nail Polish Effect in Demeter to replicate the shimmering polish.

Give yourself a sophisticated manicure by combining black and gold. We know we will be trying this out for our next girls’ night out! Sonailicious Platinum Polish in Matte Gold will be your polish to go to to do your tips! Speaking of tips, you can now purchase tip guides to cover your tips whilst you apply your base coat, so your end result can’t be anything less than perfect!

Use a nail sponge to dab sparkly polish onto your black base. This design would look perfect at over the festive season, you will have beautiful nails to unwrap those gifts with! We recommend a glittery nail polish by Nails Inc called Fibre Optic, they have three colors that will make your nails extra special!

Pastel pink and black look amazing together! They are two classic colors that are meant to be together! We think they will look lush with a cobalt blue top for a subtle daytime look. Use tape to get those lines just right!

This design is gorgeous and is down with matte polishes to create a smooth and even finish. Nail stickers are added to create cute details, Daily Charme has got you sorted! They have a wide range of nail stickers of all styles, Baroque included!

Houndstooth will forever be fashionable with mustard or burgundy, so match your outfit to your nails to make your look seem more expensive. This design is a bit more complex, but we’ve got a simpler version to get you started:

1) Chose two colors, a base coat and the color of your Houndstooth design.
2) Paint a clear transparent coat onto your nails so the design holds for longer.
3) Apply your base coat, before painting on vertical stripes with the other color you previously chose.
4) Then, with the color of your base coat, paint on horizontal lines for a grid-like effect.
5) With a small nail art brush paint a vertical line going from a corner of the square with the same color, the line should stop half way between that square and the next one.
6) Do the step 5 again, with the same corner, but the line has to be horizontal this time.
7) Once your design is dry, apply a transparent coat of polish.

Mix and match jet black and leopard print for a glamorous look. Leopard print can look pleasing to the eye if it is done correctly. We would wear this with an all black outfit and black jewelry for a rock chick vibe. Check out our tutorial on how to do leopard print nails here.

Coral pink is a hot color for summer! Add a dash of black for a sultry look! This combo with nail jewelry really looks pricey and as if you have just been to the salon. Daily Charme has a good selection of nails jewels to stick on to achieve this design. We are thinking these nails with coral heels for a ravishing evening look!

Black and grey are a great combination that work during the day or for a night out. This design would be one to do with winter and wear a grey slouchy sweater to match! Grey over black almost appears silvery and oh so fetching. You can try also silver color instead of grey. Check out our tutorial on how to do marble nails here.

Trends will come and go, but black and white will never go out of fashion. This will go with any outfit and is so easy to do. You can paint the geometric pattern with a small nail art brush or if you are good at cutting out, cut some shapes from some sellotape.

Get acrylic nails, and paint over them with a matte black nail varnish. Chanel have a lovely rich matte black that will make you never think of black nails as tacky ever ever again. Though of course it is pricier, Beauté des Ongles by Chanel in black has almost a velvet feel to it, making it well worth the money.

These nails are perfect for Halloween or if you have a kooky sense of style. They look so quirky with black nail polish. We especially love the spider webs! There are many nail sticker creations on Etsy to make sure you have original spooky stickers for next Halloween!

These look absolutely amazing and so detailed! This would look good for Halloween, or for a party with a grey midi dress and burgundy lipstick. This is how you can get the look:

1) Paint a transparent coat over your nails so that your design lasts longer.
2) Apply your black base coat over your nails, we recommend a matte polish.
3) Paint the first moon in white polish with a small nail art brush.
4) Follow the same steps until you get a full moon on your fifth finger nail, introducing a bit of grey little by little. It is important to make the a high contrast between the grey and the white.
5) Paint a clear transparent coat over the nails to protect them.

This is so cute and it totally changes up your basic black nails. It is so simple to do with a small tiny nail art brush. This would look cool with boyfriend jeans and Vans slip ons for an indie vibe. If you are looking for cheap nail art tools, then look around Amazon as you have a variety of brushes to chose from!

This design is so fancy and glamorous for a night out. Stick nail jewels onto your final transparent coat of polish for a look worthy of a princess! What to find out more? Check out our tutorial here to see how to stick on nail jewels.

If you want to show your love for black, try this heart shape black tip nails design. Wear this to school and get all your pals admiring your handy work! This style works if your nail is cut into stiletto or oval shape. We particularly love the round shape chosen here!

This tile design is simple and great for school or work. Paint all your nails black and keep one free for the tiles. Use brighter colors to make it more vibrant and fun for the summertime!

This gorgeous style has got us waiting impatiently for the next summer music festival! We think it will look brilliant with a white maxi dress and a flower crown. Neon colors compliment all skin tones, and make you look even more tanned, so practice this feather design!

These daisies are so pretty and ideal for the spring and summer. They represent childhood, so you’ll be reminiscing with this floral style. You can paint these on with a nail brush or stick on nail stickers for the coolest style ever!

This rose design looks so edgy and on point! We want to wear this sweet design every day! If you have a steady hand then practice this design, it may seem fiddly but let’s face it, all the best designs are! Use different shades of light pink to create light and shadow for nails that will look like a real work of art!

These sparkly spots are so girly! If you love pink and sparkles this dainty design is for you! Use acrylic nails and cut into stiletto shape for nails so chic, people will be coming to you for advice!

Aztec nails are a lush design for the summer! Paint a black base coat before adding your white nail transfer. These nails are a superb finishing touch to a summer outfit, we are thinking denim cut off shorts and a fuchsia drop arm vest top.

Spots and stripes are a great combo! Use a dotting tool to get perfect spots without making huge splodges! Cut your nails in a squoval shape for a sleek and ravishing look. At Sephora you can get Formula X Nail Polish in Paper White for $10.50, so this is a totally affordable look!

This design will bring out the artist in you! This floral design will look great at any dressy event, with a white jumpsuit and gold accessories. Again, use grey polish to add shadow and detail to your flowers.

This feather design is a lot less loud and vibrant. This is perfect for the shyer girls! It is simple, timeless and classy. Use a black matte nail polish for a smooth surface, and paint on your feathers with a small nail art brush. For the finer parts of the feather, we recommend using a toothpick to draw the thinner lines.

This is for the fashionista or the girliest of girls! We can see this nail art in one of our fave teen series, and reminds us of Aria’s quirky style in PLL. Get your hearts perfect with a template kit, and use tape to get straight and even lines! Born Pretty Store have the templates you will need for this design!

Another amazing gold and black design! We love the mix of various styles, if your style is rather eclectic, this will be your cup of tea! Born Pretty Store have diamond templates for this sweet look, and they have many other stamping kits to get #Instanails!

Despite the amount of detail, these are super easy to do! We can see these on one of the Kardashians, with the thick gold chains and their go-to black. Cut your nails into a stiletto shape for a chic party look!

We think these would look great in black and white at a rock concert with a pleather dress! Wear black wristbands for a cute Taylor Momsen inspired look! This would work everyday too if you have an indie/rock style!

You just read our Girlterest list of Black Nail Designs!