Have you heard that the babycore manicure is the cutest nail trend of summer 2025? It’s adorable. Times are rough and it feels like people are reaching for something comforting and not so serious. With babycore designs, it’s like nostalgia on your nails with a big dose of innocent charm.
What’s interesting is that the babycore trend is a actually decade old. While a designer was dressing his toddler in a brightly colored top, he thought about how fun it would be if adults had cute clothing like babies do. So, he had a matching top created for him. He declared that he wanted people to embrace childhood and the feeling of not caring what other people think.
Unlike kidcore, which leans into bright colors and bold patterns, babycore is gentler, less overstimulating, and more soothing. Now, babycore’s rise in nail art is part of a bigger movement embracing the softness and sweetness we crave in uncertain times. But if dressing head-to-toe in pastels with cute patterns feels like too much, your nails are a fun way to dip into the trend.
Babycore Nails
Soft Pink Like a Monogrammed Baby Blanket
Pink is the number one color seen in babycore. It’s easy to find pink polish in either warm or cool tones, making it a versatile hue that matches pretty much everything and flatters every skin tone.
This babycore nail art resembles a sleek and soft baby blanket decorated with delicate bows, blooms, and a pretty monogram. It’s straightforward to craft a look like this with poly gel or acrylic for a long-lasting manicure.
LAVIS Poly Extension Gel (ver 2) - 10 Strawberry Gloss - 60ml
Tiny Hearts
Almond nails are even more popular than square tips and their gentle curve suits the babycore aesthetic. Soft gel tips simplify achieving the ideal shape and smoothness.
This design is pink with white accents, but there’s no reason it couldn’t be light yellow, lavender, mint green, or baby blue. Overall, it reminds us of decorating a baby’s room with sweet little hearts and polka dots. It feels calming just to look at it.
Pink on Pink
When in doubt, glaze everything. It’s impressive how a dusting of chrome powder turns ordinary polish into something hypnotic. The iridescent sheen will have people taking a second look to admire even an uncomplicated design like French tips. And this pink on pink look is reminiscent of adorable baby shoes.
LDS Color Craze Collection - PINK
Ribbons, Stripes, and Polka Dots
These babycore nails have a little bit of everything. The dots, stripes, and bows recall baby outfits, bedding, and room decorations. Again, this doesn’t have to be a pink design and it’s not a gender reveal manicure! The aesthetic embraces pastels and soft shades of all sorts. All that matters is the feeling it creates.
Cinnamoroll Kawaii Nails
Kawaii nails often fit into babycore, so it’s perfect to have Cinnamoroll guest-starring on this set. We’ve also seen Hello Kitty and the Care Bears in similar designs. It’s not infantile—it’s what brings you joy!
This nail art would be just as much at home decorating the nursery as it would a baby’s pajamas. What cute childhood characters would you put on babycore nails? You can likely find them as stickers or nail charms.
Not everyone has memories from their very youngest years. Can you remember what comforted you when you were small?
DND Diva Gel Nail Polish Duo - DND DV 037 Jet life
Teddy Bear Nails
Speaking of comfort items, it’s hard to imagine a baby without a teddy bear. Charming Teddy bear nails fit the babycore trend and there are many ways to create them. Try to stick to soothing colors and smiling faces when sculpting, painting, or using stickers for this look.
Barney and Friends
What shows did you love when you were young? Many adults today grew up with Barney, the big purple dinosaur, and his friends. Some prefer the Teletubbies or Sesame Street.
If you’re creating babycore nails for someone else, see if they remember or if their parents told them what they used to watch. Such a design could bring back happy feelings each time they glance at their nails.
Tips for Easier Hand-Drawn Nail Art
Even precision brushes can be tricky for portraits and intricate designs. If you’re talented with a pencil, try using acrylic markers for nail art. They air dry, and once sealed with a top coat, make for a long-lasting look.
Next, stencils and stamps are very helpful for repetitive patterns. But when you have something unique to add, see if transfer paper helps. It’s what tattoo artists use. There’s also transfer foil made especially for nail art.
Maintaining symmetry is essential, especially when you’re drawing faces. Use a tool (a dotting pen, a toothpick, a marker, or pencil to lightly mark the main points of the design. Then, connecting the dots helps you keep things balanced in proportion.
Sketch your idea beforehand. Even better, sketch it on paper resting on top of a nail so that you can adapt it to the curve.
Dreamy Pastels
Pink isn’t for everyone and it’s easy to solve this with ombre nails. Combine your favorite baby colors into a mesmerizing mix like this. Up the wow factor with finely textured white or pastel glitter or add chrome powder.
More Ideas for Babycore Manicures
Besides sweet little bows, stripes, and teddy bears, here are some other design elements to include:
- Baby rattles
- Pacifiers
- alphabet blocks that spell out words like “hug”
- Cute animals or stuffed toys
- Baby footprints are a possibility, but they are commonly seen in gender reveal manicures
For even more babycore ideas, browse a children’s store catalog. Remember, the goal isn’t infantilization but to uplift the spirit in an adorable, carefree way.
Conclusion
Take a step back from high fashion this summer and enjoy the good old days when life was simpler. A babycore manicure might be just what you need to embrace nostalgia and the sweetness of being carefree. Shop our store and save on nail art supplies and trending colors to achieve all your nail goals.
Source:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/this-guy-wants-everyone-to-start-dressing-like-kids-again
