Striped nails: how to get fresh-looking stripes and which colors work

Striped nails look their best when the lines are thin, evenly wide and run straight across the entire nail without wavering in the middle. You can achieve this either with striping tape, which gives you straight edges right away when it is firmly attached, or with a thin liner brush, which takes a little more practice but gives you the freedom to vary the line thickness and create a slight curve when the pattern calls for it. This guide takes you through both techniques step by step, shows you how to keep the lines straight and thin all the way along, covers the most common directions and placements, and finishes with a few color pairings that feel current right now.

• Striping tape gives you straight lines quickly, but only if you press it firmly against the nail so the polish cannot seep under the edge.
• A thin liner brush, often around 11 mm, takes a steadier hand but gives you more freedom to vary line width and create slightly curved stripes.
• Remove the tape in the reverse order from how it was applied; removing it in the wrong order is the most common reason the polish smudges.
• Black and white, light blue and white, a soft pastel French manicure, and neon paired with a pastel shade are among the color pairings described as especially current right now.

What you need to paint straight, thin stripes

The choice between tape and a brush mostly depends on how used to painting your nails by hand you already are. Striping tape consists of thin, sticky strips that you place directly on the nail and paint over, which gives you a straight edge even if your hand is not completely steady. A liner brush, on the other hand, is a regular painting tool, and a narrow version around 11 millimeters long is especially suited to precision work such as straight lines, while wider or shorter brushes are better for curves and more detailed outlines (source: Nail Art Brushes Explained, Beetles Gel).

Striping tape, step by step

1. Paint the nail with the base color and let it dry completely before applying the tape; otherwise, the tape will stick to polish that has not yet set.
2. Press each piece of tape firmly against the nail surface with your fingertip or a stick, since a loose edge is what allows the polish to seep under the tape (source: How to Create Striped Nail Art, JW Nail Studio).
3. Apply the second color in a thin coat, ideally dabbing it on with a piece of sponge instead of applying it thickly with a brush. This creates a more even edge and dries faster (source: How to Use Striping Tape, Nail Lacquer).
4. Wait until the polish feels dry to the touch, then remove the pieces of tape in the reverse order from how they were applied—that is, remove the last piece you applied first.

Liner brush, step by step

1. Dip only the tip of the brush into the polish rather than the whole brush, so the line starts out narrower.
2. Hold the brush almost vertically against the nail and use only its tip for the thinnest lines; angle the brush more so that a larger part of the bristles touches the nail, and the line will be wider (source: Mastering Fine Line Nail Art, Katie Barnes Academy).
3. Use light, even pressure and short, controlled strokes rather than one long sweep across the whole nail, because it is easier to keep a short section straight than a long one.
4. If a line goes crooked, wipe it off immediately with a brush dipped in nail polish remover and start again in the same spot instead of trying to fix it afterward.

How to keep the lines straight and thin all the way along

Most mistakes with striped nails have more to do with the order of steps and the amount of polish than with talent. With tape, the order in which you remove it is crucial: take off the pieces in the reverse order from how they were applied, because if you remove the wrong piece first, you risk pulling off polish that has not yet dried and smudging the entire line. With a brush, it is instead about how much polish is on the bristles with each stroke. A thin coat—for example, dabbing on the polish with a piece of sponge instead of brushing it on—dries faster and gives you a sharper edge than a thick coat that spreads before it has time to set.

The pressure you use also matters. The lighter the pressure, the narrower the line, because only the tip of the brush reaches the nail. Combine that light pressure with short, controlled movements instead of one long sweep, and it is easier to keep the line straight all the way along, because you can adjust the direction with each short stroke rather than having to guide one long line in a single attempt.

Vertical stripes, horizontal stripes and striped French manicure

Vertical stripes running the length of the nail are the most classic version of the design and work on most nail shapes, from short oval nails to long almond-shaped ones. Horizontal stripes can instead run across the whole nail or be limited to the French smile line, creating a striped French manicure where only the nail tip is broken up by lines rather than a solid-color band. Diagonal stripes are an easy way to vary the pattern without changing the technique: use the same tape or brush method as for vertical lines, just at a different angle across the nail.

Which direction works best depends partly on the shape of the nail. Vertical lines make the nail look longer and work well on shorter nails, while horizontal lines and the striped French variation stand out most on longer, straight nail shapes where there is room for several lines side by side.

Color pairings that feel modern right now

Choosing the direction and technique is only half the job; the color pairing has at least as much impact on the overall look. According to recent roundups of striped nail designs, the following combinations are among the ones most often featured right now (source: 25 Fresh Ways to Wear Stripes on Your Nails, Beauty Coded):

• Black and white create the most classic contrast and are one of the most searched-for color pairings for this design.
• Light blue and white create a lighter, more summery look that is still neutral enough for everyday wear.
• A pastel French manicure, where the lines are done in a soft shade instead of a sharp contrasting color, is an option for anyone who wants the pattern but a more understated overall look.
• Neon paired with a pastel color is described as a combination that works especially well from spring through summer, with the pastel toning down the neon's sharp hue.

The descriptions above reflect what the sources report as popular right now, not a guarantee of how long a particular color pairing will feel current. Try out several pairings over time, and you will quickly see which one actually suits your own style best.

Paint stripes on a white base like White Gloss

A completely white, glossy base makes the stripes the design in their own right, instead of competing with a pattern or shade already on the nail. White Gloss is one such set: a clean, glossy white press-on nail in an almond shape, with 24–30 reusable nails in 12–15 sizes, nail glue, a file and an alcohol wipe included in the package, and at-home application takes around ten minutes.

Since the set can be reused, you can try more than one color pairing over time instead of having to decide right away; how long an individual set stays on depends on how the nail was prepared and what your hands are exposed to in the meantime, so it is difficult to promise an exact length of time. Once the stripes have dried completely, it is worth finishing with a top coat, as this gives the design a glossier, more protected look (source: Can You Use Gel Polish on Press-On Nails?, Rainy Roses).

If stripes still don't feel like your thing, there are other ways to add personality to your manicure within the same theme: leopard print nails give you a different kind of animal print instead of straight lines, and rhinestone nails use placed stones rather than painted lines. If you want to browse more nail design ideas, you can find more guides in the blog's nail art section.

Whether you choose tape or a brush, the basics are the same: a dry base color, thin coats and controlled movements. Start with a simple vertical stripe in a color pairing you already like, and try horizontal lines or the striped French variation once you feel confident with the tape or brush technique.