Navy Blue Nails Inspiration and Ideas

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Hayley has been doing hair and nails professionally for years; she has experience with many different nail styles, techniques, and products. She loves sharing her knowledge with you and strives to make sure you get the most out of your nail journey and maintain healthy nails.

Navy Blue Nails Inspiration Up Front

Glossy: The traditional method of applying a glossy color to your nails is always a classic. No matter what color you’re using, having some shine to your nail color enhances your nails to make them stand out in a not overbearing way.
Matte: This trendy new way to paint your nails is unique and beautiful in its own way. Instead of your nails reflecting light, matte sucks in the light giving your nails more of a punk style. Matte works especially well with dark colors like navy blue.
Glitter: Glitter nails take glossy to the next level, turning your nails into an accessory. Especially for a color like navy blue, which is usually more likely to suck in the light rather than reflect it due to its darker color.
Gel: Gel polish is a super glossy, thicker nail polish that makes your color pop slightly more than regular nail polish. Plus, it lasts much longer than regular polish. There are many different gel polishes you can do yourself at home.
Designed: There are many fun designs that you can try with navy blue, from a stary night to a simple ombre. Although I will say, you may need a professional to help you with these. Unless, of course, you are gifted in painting.

Criteria for Navy Blue Nails Inspiration

Could Be Done at Home

You can easily do most of the styles chosen below at home with some know-how and the correct tools. There are a few on this list that only some of the more artsy people may be able to achieve. However, nearly anyone can master these navy blue nail ideas with a little practice and time.

Trendy

You will not find out-of-date inspiration on this list, like polka dots and ladybugs. Although, there probably is someone out there that can make those designs look trendy. Anyway, below are some of the best styles and designs you will see in 2022.

Anyone Could Wear Them

There is something for everyone here. Of course, everyone has their own style, but nearly anyone could pull off multiple navy blue nail ideas listed below. Especially since navy blue looks great on so many skin tones.

Could be Worn Anywhere

From a fun night out to an evening with your grandmother, you could wear these navy blue nails anywhere. There are many ideas to choose from in many different styles, including classic looks, trendy styles, and unique designs. You won’t have to worry about not fitting into whatever event with these nails.

Navy Blue Nails Inspiration

There are many different ways that you can wear navy blue nails. You can wear it as a plain all-over color, add designs, or make it shine like an accessory. Below are some of the different methods of wearing navy blue nail polish.

Glossy

Glossy nails that shine are the classic look everyone expects when they paint their nails. Some of the best polishes to use for a full, opaque navy blue that glistens in the sun are OPI, Essie, and Zoya. Make sure to finish off your navy blue nails with a clear topcoat for maximum sheen.

Matte

Painting nails in a matte color is a newer trend that started ten years ago. Matte nails work best with darker colors like navy blue, and it stands out and makes your nail color look even deeper. You can get a matte navy blue by purchasing a topcoat such as OPI, Zoya Satin Seal, and Sally Hansen Big Matte.

Glitter

There are so many great ways to make a glittery navy blue nail. Since navy blue is a more opaque color, you can do anything from an all-over, chunky blue glitter to slight glitz on top of a navy blue polish. To get maximum color with your glittery nails, always paint the base of the nails with a navy blue color and then layer on the glitter. Finish with a topcoat to smooth out the glittery surface.

Gel

Getting a set of gel polish nails at home is much easier now than it used to be. You no longer need a bunch of lights and pristine manicuring abilities. Brands like Essie Gel Couture, Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, and Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy are great no-light gel polishes that are just as shiny and long-lasting as the stuff you get at the beauty shop.

Navy Blue Nail Design Inspiration

There are so many designs that you could match with navy blue nail polish. It’s such a strong color yet so classic, and therefore, it can turn any boring nail design into a fashion piece. Below are some of the best nail designs to do with navy blue today.

Navy Blue Geometric

Geometric designs are designs that create shapes and lines. You could create a few simple lines over your navy blue polish, add color blocking, or mix both. This simple look gives your navy blue nails a bit of individuality.

To achieve navy blue geometric designs, you can use tape, a tapered paintbrush, or even nail stamps. It is best to use scotch tape to create a barrier for where you want the color to be blocked for color blocking. You can use a thin paintbrush or nail stamps for lines depending on your painting skills.

Starry Night

Navy blue works well for starry night nails because if you look at the night sky, it’s never 100% black, and it has a tinge of blue tone to it. You can make a starry night on your nails go as far as a whole galaxy or keep it simple with a few stars and a moon.

To paint a starry night on your nails, you’ll need navy blue polish, light blue polish, white polish, glitter polish, a makeup sponge, tweezers, and a toothpick. You may also need a little patience. The video below goes through how to do this technique step by step.

Tipped with Navy Blue

When I say tipped with navy blue, most people think of the stereotypical french manicure. However, there are so many different designs and shapes you can do with this. Some examples are a linear triangular-shaped tip, a blue line that goes from the tips down around the entirety of the nail, and half-tipped nails.

The best way to do a tipped nail is not to paint it on perfectly the first time, as most people believe. It is best to apply it thicker than what you want and then perfect the line with a small paintbrush dipped in nail polish remover. For triangular tipped nails, you can swipe a straight line from each nail corner to the center.

Navy Blue Marble

Marble designs have become a trendy texture on everything, including phone cases, hair accessories, bags, and nails. Navy blue works extremely well for marble nails since it is a darker color and can create high contrast. Even though this design can be intimidating because it is so intricate, it is easier to achieve than you think.

There are a couple of ways that easily give you marble nails. You’ll want to start by painting your whole nail white or a light blue before each method. The first is with a stamping tool for which you can buy a marble design. The second is the water method, where you make your design in a cup of water and dip your nails in it. The video below shows you how to do the water method.

Daisies

Daisies and navy blue have always gone well together because of the contrasting white and the complementing color of orange on daisies. These flowers are much more up-to-date than the little dot flowers and are still fairly easy to paint yourself. You can do anything from one or two flowers on each nail to one or all of your nails covered in daisies.

To paint a daisy, you need white polish, a light orange polish, and a toothpick. Start by taking a dot of orange polish on your toothpick. Put these orange dots anywhere on your nails where you will want a daisy. Then take a dot of white polish on a clean toothpick, place the white dot next to the orange dot, and drag it out to a point. Continue with these petals around the orange dot.

Navy Blue Ombre

Ombre nails seem to be sticking around in the fashion world. Ombre nails are when one color, in this case, navy blue, fades into another color or your natural nail. There are so many fun ways to do an ombre nail. Rather it is the standard tipped ombre, a dual-toned ombre, or a subtle ombre.

To get a navy blue ombre, you’ll need your chosen navy blue polish, another color similar to navy blue or natural color, and a makeup sponge.

Start by painting your entire nail the lighter shade of polish chosen. Then take your navy blue polish and paint it onto the nail starting slightly above where you want the ombre to start. Dip your sponge in the navy blue polish to be slightly saturated and start dabbing it over the line between the two colors until it is faded.

Gold Leaf and Navy Blue

Gold and navy blue colors complement each other, meaning one color makes the other stand out and coexist well. This is probably the easiest design on this list to achieve, but one that stands out the most. It’s almost like turning your navy blue nails into sapphire jewelry.

The easiest way to achieve this look is with a gold leaf topcoat. The topcoat already has gold leaves, so you simply apply it like a normal topcoat. You could also purchase individual gold leaves and press them into your navy blue polish for a more controlled look. Finish off your self-placed gold leaf with a topcoat.

Mixed Designs

As long as all of the colors in your nail designs are the same navy blue, multiple designs can coexist well on your nails. Mixing designs can either calm down the design or accentuate the design. For example, instead of doing marble on every nail, you can calm it down by making one nail marble and the rest ombre or a plain color.

Designs that could go well together are daisies and geometric, gold leaf and marble, ombre and geometric, or galaxy and plain glitter. This is a great way to show off your nail art skills and give them more character without overdoing it. You could also try out new designs on one nail and do a basic polish on the rest if you are testing it out.

Tools You Could Use

Nail Stamping Tool

Nail stamping tools help you make designs that you may not be able to paint freehand. You always start with painting your chosen base color and then stamp the design onto your nail. Finish off with a topcoat, and you’re done in minutes.

It comes with a silicone stamp, metal plates with designs, and a plastic board. You lay the design you want to use over the plastic board and paint over the design with nail polish. Remove the metal design plate and press your stamper onto the design made on the plastic board. Then stamp the design onto your nail where you want it.

Nail Art Brushes

Having a set of nail art brushes can make building your design skills easier. You also won’t be throwing away as many toothpicks and cotton swabs. These also come with a thin brush, so you can use your regular polish instead of buying a ton of those line design nail polishes.

Brush sets usually come with a flat brush, curved brush, line brushes, angled brush, pointed brush, and dotting tools. The curved and flat brushes are great to make that perfect line in french manicures with nail polish remover. You can also use the angled and pointed brushes with nail polish remover to remove any polish on the skin.

Makeup Sponges

Having a bounty of makeup sponges in stock is actually a necessity for nail art. These are used for any blended designs you will make, including galaxies, ombre, and watercolor looks. After using them for one design, these are not reusable, so make sure you get disposable sponges.

FAQs

Question: What Colors go With Navy Blue Nails?

Answer: Navy blue is almost a neutral color, so that it can go with many colors. You could match it with orange as it is a complementary color, and you could also match it with other shades of blue for a more uniform look. Red, purple, and green are also great colors with navy blue nails.

Question: Are Navy Blue Nails Trendy?

Answer: Yes! Many shades of blue have been seen on runways this year, including navy blue. This color also indicates royalty and wealth. Therefore, you could always rock a navy blue any time of year.

Question: Are There Multiple Shades of Navy Blue Nail Polish?

Answer: There are multiple shades of navy blue nail polish. It can change in darkness or lightness and can change by color tone. Some navy blues have an undertone of purple, while some may be nearly black. Many people also count any blue color darker than cobalt as navy, which is a wide range of colors.

Question: Are Navy Blue Nails too Much for a Nice Event?

Answer: No! Even though it is a darker color, it is the color of royalty. Meaning it represents wealth and sophistication. You could also turn your navy blue nails into an accessory with gold flakes or glitter.

Question: Is Navy Blue Nail Polish Right for my Skin Tone?

Answer: Navy blue compliments a wide range of skin tones. Since it is a cool tone, it goes great with olive skin tones and pale tones. If you are a warmer skin tone and want a color that stands out, navy blue will do that. On darker skin tones, navy blue will look more subtle.

Bottom Line

Navy blue nails have been around for a long time and are here to stay. They can be worn dressed up or dressed down, as an accessory or mellowed out, and on various people. There are so many things you can do with navy blue nails that there is sure to be a navy blue design or color that perfectly fits you.

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