Retro Nail Art Designs That Never Go Out of Style

Retro nail designs are making waves on social media, bringing back the colorful trends of the '70s and '80s.

Retro styles, in general, have made a comeback as younger generations are enjoying vintage aesthetics in fashion, makeup, and nails.

The best part of going for a retro manicure is that there is a variety of designs to choose from. Below, we've outlined a few designs to inspire your exploration:

Yellow and Blue Stripes 

An easy yet striking retro nail art design to try out is yellow and blue stripes.

Achieving this nail art, like the one depicted in the image, is straightforward.

Take a bright yellow nail polish and a thin-tipped deep blue nail polish for the lines. Create patches of yellow instead of painting the entire nail to evoke that distinctive retro effect. Once the yellow polish has dried, add blue designs on the nails by creating thin or thick stripes. Be creative with your placement to get truly unique nails.

Black and White Swirls

Another nail design that will have people mesmerized and give you that ultimate retro look is white and black swirl nail art.

While it may pose a bit of a challenge, the result is well worth the effort. This design is perfect for those who want a look that will complement most outfits but still stand out.

The easiest way to get this design is to go to a professional, but if you want to do this on your own, it'll take a certain amount of practice to get it right.

Using a thin brush and white and black nail polish, create swirls or curved lines on your nails to capture that swirl effect seen in retro fashion. 

Colorful Retro Nails

One of the best parts of retro-themed nails is the fun use of colors and the exciting combinations that result from experimenting with them.

Colorful retro nails like the one pictured above are perfect for those who want to explore colors and are adept at doing nail designs or creating different nail effects.

For this look, stick to neon green, pink, and yellow so the colors pop. After choosing and applying a base color, pick a different color for the swirl and wavy line designs you will create on top using a thin brush. You can use the same two colors for all your nails or different shades for each nail.