Gel Manicures on Short Nails Are the Most Popular Nail Trend for Fall

While celebrities like the Kardashians or Bella Hadid may have you believing extra-long nails are the only way to make a fashion statement on your fingers, Pinterest is here to show you otherwise. The platform's top trends report shows searches for short nails were up 46 percent in September and, furthermore, PopSugar reports that searches for gel manicures on short nails were up 230K percent(!) on the social media platform.

Don't get us wrong, we love a 2-inch-long, Cardi B-inspired manicure as much as the next person, but we're not surprised to see more and more people embracing the short-nail trend. It's definitely a more practical option for us non-famous folk, and short nails require less maintenance and time to perfect than, for example, some of the wild nails that Kylie Jenner is known to wear.

But short nails definitely don't need to be boring. In fact, gel manis on short nails can be just as attention-grabbing, artsy, and creative as those on longer nails. Just ask Demi Lovato, who recently showed off her extra-short nails, which featured a neon-green chevron pattern (that just happened to match her new green hair), on Instagram. Or Essie ambassador Jonathan Van Ness, whose mosaic rainbow mani earlier this summer was nothing short (pun intended) of perfect.

Not to mention that short nails dominated at New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2020, where models everywhere from Kate Spade to Prabal Gurung to Christian Siriano and Khaite sported short nails. You can thank the recent reemergence of the French mani for this runway trend, proving short nails are the perfect palette for a simple, chic design.

Take a look below for some inspo for your next short-nail manicure.

This clear-base mani by L.A. gel nail artist Dripstroke featuring a pop of abstract design is unique enough to make a statement, but isn't too over the top.