8 Enchanting Mermaid Nail Ideas With Ocean Magic

Ah, mermaids. The lovely, ethereal sirens of the sea with their vibrant hair and beautiful tails. For any good mermaid, the perfect mani is a must. So make like a mermaid and give yourself a mani of mythical proportions with one of our mermaid nail ideas. 

A mermaid's hair is like colorful spun sugar, and her top has delicate shells. And what is on her fingernails? Why the most beautiful sea glass, of course.

We love this beachy nail look for summer, whether you're a mermaid or not. The tutorial above will walk you through the process.

To get mermaid sea glass nails, you'll need:

• Una Gella almond nail tips
• Nail glue
• Cirque Colors jelly nail polish in French Blue
• Cirque Colors jelly nail polish in Seafoam Green
• Cirque Colors jelly nail polish in Navy
• Cirque Colors jelly nail polish in Citron
• OPI matte top coat

How cute are these shimmering mermaid tails? If you use mermaid tail nail decals, they're super easy. From gold and silver scales to shimmery foil scales, you have options. All you need to do is paint your nails in a base coat color that feels mermaid-y to you (we love this shimmery blue-green from OPI called Nessie Plays Hide and Sea-k), place your nail decals, and finish with a top coat. 

If you want to hand-paint the scales (steady hand required!), you'll need:

• OPI nail lacquer in Addio Bad Nails, Ciao Great Nails
• OPI nail lacquer in Teal the Cows Come Home
• OPI nail lacquer in Black Onyx
• Nail art brushes

Related: Vacation Nail Ideas Perfect for Sun, Style, and Relaxation

Even mermaids need some time off from primping, so sometimes what they really want is an uncomplicated single-color nail in the perfect shade of seafoam. Essie's Mint Candy Apple is just right. If you want, jazz it up with a pearl-finish top coat (how very mermaid of you!) or just use your fave top coat (we like Essie's SpeedSetter top coat for how fast it gets you ready to head back into the water). 

Sometimes mermaids like to take a break from all that color and go for something a little more mermaid-neutral. And for languorous mermaids, the pink shimmer is about as neutral and simple as it gets. We love a shimmery shell-pink polish, especially the way it catches the sunlight. We think Pink I'll Sleep In from Sally Hansen's Staycation Collection suits the lazy mermaid vibe perfectly. 

Some days, all she wants to do is sell sea shells by the seashore. And whether she's grifting beachgoers with some sleight of hand with her shell game or hanging out on her fave rock, what mermaid wouldn't love these shell-themed nails? 

Get this mermaid nails look:

• Sally Hansen Color Therapy nail polish in Re-Nude
• Sally Hansen Color Therapy nail polish in Well, Well, Well
• Nail art brushes
• Sally Hansen Dries Instantly Top Coat
• Flat-back nail rhinestones
• Nail rhinestone glue

Are you even a real mermaid if you haven't ridden a dolphin at least once? Yeah— that's what we thought. Give a nod to a mermaid's sea bestie with some cute dolphin nail decals (or any other sea creatures you want to hang with). The nails are pretty easy... beautiful shades of blue. Of course, you can always free-hand the art instead of using decals if you have a super-steady fin. 

Get the dolphin mermaid nail look:

• OPI nail polish in Blue Creme
• ILNP Holographic nail polish in Mega
• OPI top coat

The princesses of the sea would definitely have nails made of the treasure of the sea. So we think these simple, pearly nails are the pearl-fect touch for any mermaid. OPI's Kyoto Pearl White is a fin-tastic shade. Finish with a top coat. 

There's lots of treasure sunken deep into the sea where only mermaids can reach. So a bedazzled mermaid mani sparkling in gold and diamonds makes perfect sense. We love this over-the-top look that shows off the riches that still remain in the depths of the ocean just waiting to be found. 

Get the look:

• Gold chrome nail powder
• ILNP Empire Gold holographic nail polish
• Holographic nail art glitter
• OPI top coat
• Nail art rhinestones
• Nail rhinestone glue

Show the world you're not fishy-washy about being a mermaid. From sweetly simple (but still shimmery) to over-the-top, our mermaid nail ideas are the perfect beachy nails to bust out all summer long.