For those of us looking for a new nail shape to try for our next manicure, you may be interested in duck nails.
Duck nails have been a trendy nail shape recently, so you might be curious about what kind of nail looks you can do with the duck nail shape.
The good news is there are plenty of different kinds of nail looks that you can create with duck nails! Depending on your style, you can create super creative and fun designs or more simple nail looks.
Below, we’ll explain the trend and share 20 cute duck nails to inspire your next manicure.
Table of Contents
First, what are duck nails?
If you’re wondering what’s up with this trend, let’s do a quick explanation. Duck nails are also known as “flare nails,” to give you an idea of the shape.
The duck nail kind of resembles a duck’s bill in that it flares out at the tip instead of tapering in as a coffin or ballerina nail would.
Now that you’re up to speed on what we’re talking about, let’s get to some manicure inspiration!
20 Cute Duck Nail Ideas
1. Bow Nails
If you want a simple but girly nail design with duck nails, I recommend these bow nails.
This look is a French manicure with added mini 3D bows for a cute yet edgy vibe.
While this manicure looks complicated to get, you can actually do it yourself at home if you purchase these press-on nails from Etsy.
2. Hello Kitty Nails
If you are looking for a cute and fun design that you can do with the duck nail shape, this one is perfect!
This Hello Kitty-inspired nail design will give you an adorable nail look for your duck nails that you will love.
3. Colorful French
French nails are a popular type of look to do with duck nails. However, if you want something that will stand out a bit more, this colorful look is perfect.
For this nail look, you will be adding multicolored French tips to your duck nails to give you a fun and colorful French tips look.
4. Chrome Nails
As I mentioned earlier this year, chrome nails are super trendy for 2024.
If you’re loving chrome nails right now, you might want to check out this nail look! This nail look uses chrome and 3D designs on duck nails for a showstopping manicure.
To achieve this look, you will be using silver chrome and yellow nail polish to recreate this look. You can also make it stand out more by adding some 3D accessories to your nails.
Or, to make your life easier, just buy these chrome press-on nails to apply at home to get the look!
5. Multi Design Nails
What I love about duck nails is that you can get really creative with the looks you create. For example, you could go for a look like this one with multiple designs to get a super fun look.
This look combines a bunch of different types of designs like flames, polka dots, and croc prints using brown, green, white, and yellow nail polish.
The designs and colors of this look are great together and will give you a more creative duck nails look that you will love.
6. Floral Design
You don’t have to go crazy when you’re doing duck nails. You can also do some of the usual designs that you might do on a normal nail shape.
For example, you could go for a girly and fun floral design like this one!
This look features a super cute pink hibiscus flower nail design with black French tips, which is a bit different from your usual white French tips look.
7. Zebra French
You can also get creative with the types of French tips you use. For example, if you like animal print nails, try animal French tips like these zebra ones.
You can also add more to this look with some adorable 3D bows!
8. 3D Nail Art
For those of us who really want to get creative with our duck nail looks, you might be interested in this orange and white floral duck nail design.
This orange duck nails look uses 3D nail art to create a gorgeous orange duck nails look that will definitely make your nails stand out!
This look uses 3D flowers and 3D orange chrome to create stunning 3D nail art.
If you are interested in trying out 3D nail art on your next duck nail manicure, I recommend watching this video tutorial to see how this is done.
9. Classic French
You can also totally do a classic French tip manicure on your duck nails if you want something more classic and simple!
So, the next time you want to try a new nail shape but want a more simple look, I recommend trying a French duck nail look like this one.
10. Multicolored Designs
If you like to have super colorful nail looks, check out this multicolored duck nail design!
This multicolored design combines rhinestones, 3D accessories, and different designs to create a super fun and colorful duck nail look.
So, if you are tempted to try this multicolored duck nail look, check out this video tutorial to learn how to get this fun look.
11. Y2K Nails
A lot of us are obsessed with the Y2K era, so you might want to try out a Y2K-inspired nail look with duck nails like this one.
This nail look uses French tips, different shades of pink, and 3D accessories to give you the Y2K-inspired nail look of your dreams.
12. Bedazzled French
If you are looking for a way to make your nails look more glam, try a bedazzled French nail look like this one!
This look adds rhinestones to your French tips to give your nails some extra sparkle and bling.
14. Pink Bling Design
And, if you really want to make your nails look more glam, I recommend trying out a look like this one!
This look will give you a pink bling design that you will definitely be obsessing over.
For this look, you will be adding rhinestones as well as 3D accessories like an adorable mini pink lollipop and a teddy bear to achieve a stunning pink glam duck nails look.
15. Cherry Nails
If you like the fruit nails trend, you should absolutely try this nail look!
This is a cherry-inspired nail look for duck nails that uses red French tips and red rhinestones to give you a fun, bright red look.
Also, don’t forget to add some cherry gems to your nails to complete the look!
16. Rainbow Nails
If you like colorful nail looks, you might also want to try these rainbow nails! This design will definitely make your nails stand out.
For this look, you will be using a bunch of different nail colors and adding on some fun rainbow gems to make a colorful nail look with multiple designs.
Watch this video tutorial for some inspo for your next salon visit!
17. Pink Junk Nails
You might have heard of the term “junk” nails. This design is popular for duck nails since they’re so over-the-top.
These pink nails are a great example of a fun “junk” nails look that you can do with duck nails! To create a junk nails look, the key is to add on as many things as you can to your nails.
If that sounds like too much to achieve at home (I hear ya), you can get this exact look by purchasing these press-ons on Etsy.
18. Animal Print
You might also want to try a creative animal print design like this one! This duck nail look combines leopard and zebra print to create a super cool look with gold detailing.
If you are looking for a creative way to add animal print to your next manicure, I definitely recommend trying out this look.
19. Denim Nails
Denim nails have also been a popular design recently! This denim nail look will create the illusion that your nails are really made out of denim.
So, if you are curious about how to get a super cool denim nail design like this one, watch this video tutorial to see exactly how it’s done.
20. Garden Nails
For a really out-there nail look, try this moss garden nail design! This stunning design will make your nails look like enchanted garden nails.
This look is done by adding 3D fake greenery and cute nail accessories like mini butterflies to finish the look. Watch the video above to see it done!
Which duck nail look from this list are you obsessing over?
What duck nail look will you be trying for your next manicure? What kind of duck nail design is your favorite?
Tell me what you think in the comments below!