It’s that time of the year again when you say goodbye to lounging summer days and welcome new textbooks, untouched school supplies, and fresh assignments. But going back to school doesn’t mean leaving your fashion sense behind. It requires bringing every style aspect of you on board—including small but mighty details like back-to-school nails.
Whether you’re a student, a teacher, or a parent prepping your child for the new school year, your fingertips should speak. Ahead, we show you manis that complement your back-to-school outfits and hairstyles so you can let your inner artist take charge.
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Why Back-to-School Nails?
Back-to-school nails are a fun way to look stunning for school. It’s not just about painting your fingernails in the latest nail designs or your school’s colors. You have to let your personality shine through, express your creativity, and make a style statement. The ideas below will help you dress to impress, turning your nails into a canvas of artistic self-impression:
School Supplies
Draw inspiration from the stationery you use in the classroom—ruler, pen, pencil, eraser, and notebooks. Paint them on your nails and experience a colorful nostalgia that takes you back to your early school days.
Back-to-School Emotions
How are you feeling about returning to school? Excited? Sad? Reluctant? Anxious? Express all of these emotions and more on your fingers with little emojis. Whenever you feel down, a look at your nails will bring a smile to your face.
Crayola Nails
Nothing says back-to-school like a fresh box of crayons. It even takes you back to your kindergarten days when you painted shapes on a cardboard with little crayons and watercolor. This time, recreate the Crayola motif on your nails. Rock it as a French mani or personalize the colors as you deem fit to add your unique touch to this inspo.
Science-Themed Nails
Decorate your nails with these science class-themed prints. Think lab coats, test tubes, and microscopes.
The Periodic Table
Trying to keep the 20 elements fresh in your memory? Easy-peasy! Paint them on your fingers. Yup—Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, and the rest of them. But make sure you clean them off before your next chemistry test, just so you aren’t called out for malpractice.
After-School TV-Inspired Nails
Remember when you returned from school and jumped straight into your favorite TV shows before doing your homework? Re-live those moments with this cute design that brings back the days you enjoyed Tom & Jerry, Barney and Friends, SpongeBob, or Hannah Montana.
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Literary Back-to-School Nails
Love to read storybooks and novels? Transform your nails into pages by scribbling cursive words on them. Go further by adding images or a book cover. Artistic, yeah, but also a subtle reminder to never stop reading.
ABC Back-to-School Nails
What’s school without the classic ABC? Paint them on your nails and sing along when you need to take a quick trip back to your childhood.
Back-to-School Nails with Class Characters
Show off your favorite cute characters with this animated nail idea. Think Hello Kitty nails or Mickey Mouse. Take it up a notch by adding a sparkly finish with metallic laquer, chrome powder, or cat-eye polish.
Math-Inspired Mani
Show off your love for shapes, angles, lines, symbols, and the multiplication table with this nail art that takes you back to math class. These elements in vibrant colors will add an extra flair to your back-to-school look. They debunk the notion that maths can’t be stylish.
Fruits, Veggies, Flowers
Transform your fingernails into a garden filled with lovely flowers, tasty fruits, and healthy vegetables. They’ll add a pretty pop of color to your outfits.
Now, Go Nail It!
No matter your vibe, there is a nail inspo out there that matches it, so you can feel your absolute best as you begin another academic year. But to easily nail it, do these:
- Get inspired by your favorite subjects, whether mathematics, literature, visual arts, or anything. Express your love for these subjects on your fingers. No limits—just let your imagination run wild.
- Play with multiple colors instead of sticking to one palette. Try different shades and patterns until you find your perfect fit.
- Add some glitter to enliven your mani. It’s an excellent way to turn an idea you’ve tried before into something new.
- Don’t wanna paint from scratch? Try nail stickers. Just buy some decals and stick them on your fingers, and you are good to go!
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