Cute Nail Art Design Ideas for Short Nails + Gel Polish Tutorials

 Carolyn J. Braden • 4 Minute Read 

Cute Nail Art Design Ideas for Short Nails + Gel Polish Tutorials

Original Article Posted: 12/4/24

Article Updated with french mani heart nail art: 4/2/25

I’ve always loved doing my own nails. Always creating something, I keep my nails on the short side as longer nails simply get on my nerves. You often see many designs for longer faux nails, but shorter nails still make great canvases for nail art. Read on to see some of my cute nail art designs for short nails. My DIY gel polish process is included.

Why I Started Doing My Own Nails

Ever since discovering gel polish (my first experiments was Shellac by CND and a UV nail lamp) many, many years ago, I have been DIY-ing my own nails. I used to go to the salon to have my nails done, but the cost became not worth it as I was in need of almost weekly appointments. I was an art teacher and constantly had my nails caked with clay or paint or hand sanitizer.

See TONS of my nail art designs in my nail art portfolio here on my website.

Eye Love You Nail Art

Having my nails done at a salon with a bit of an acrylic overlay (I never could get used to really long nails, so I had them work with what I had) was the only thing that kept my nails looking nice. Then I discovered gel polish, did some research and bought what I needed to do it myself. I had all my acrylic removed and set to work.

Why You Should Do Your Own Nails

Doing your own nails, even with regular nail polish, saves money and sometimes even saves time. I spent way too much time running to the nail salon and getting headaches by smelling all those nail salon chemicals, when I could have done them safely in half the time in the comfort of my own home.

In high school, I couldn’t afford to get my nails done for special events and so I even did them myself then. People often ask me now how I am able to create nail art on my right hand using my left hand (I am right-handed) and my answer is simple: practice.  

See how I store all my nail supplies in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

Practice Makes Perfect

I once asked my stepmom to help me paint my opposite hand right before my junior prom night. She refused (I tried to create bonding moments with her so many times but honestly, she was not a fan of me, and always refused my efforts), so I had to do it myself.

Sometimes when you have to do something yourself, even if it’s difficult at first, over time, it becomes easier. Yes, this memory is difficult (I swear if I had a teenage daughter want to do anything with me, I’d be so grateful!), but I ended up being better at something because of it, so I see the positive side to this memory, which is a great thing.

Candy Corn Nail Art

Nail Supplies I Use + Discount

I used to get many of my nail art supplies from Amazon, but now I do a lot of price checks with Temu. I now get most of my main supplies from Temu, but I do still order some polishes from Amazon.

If you shop Temu, use code afe55197 for 30% off or use my link here (for new app users). One thing I do try to pay attention to is cruelty-free status of polish, which means the brand does not test on animals. Red Carpet Manicure has the Peta Approved bunny logo on their products and you can find their statement on their Instagram page here.

When they finally became Peta approved, and since I have loved the brand after I couldn’t get CND Shellac anymore, I switched to RCM. Find more cruelty free polishes at Cruelty Free Kitty’s website here. I am not perfect at using everything cruelty-free, but I do my very best with what’s on the market for my needs and I am always working to make better buying decisions.

Bloody Halloween Nail Art

Here’s a list of most things I currently use to do my own nails (prices listed may vary). I’ve purchased many of these things over many years, so if you are just starting out with gel polish, all you really need is the LED or UV lamp, top and base coat, a gel polish color and 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and a cotton ball for removing the tacky finish on gel polish. I’ve also included my favorite non-gel polishes too in this list below.

• Red Carpet Manicure Base Coat ($6.59, for gel polish, Amazon, this brand is cruelty-free!)

• Red Carpet Manicure Top Coat ($10.99, for gel polish, Amazon, this brand is cruelty-free!)

• Seche Vite Base and Top Coat ($9.26, for regular polish, Amazon, this brand is cruelty-free!)

• Olive and June Cuticle Remover ($9.98, Walmart, this brand is cruelty-free!)

• Olive and June Long Lasting Nail Polish ($8.98, I love all their colors and it does last, Walmart, this brand is cruelty-free!)

• Nail buffing blocks and nail file set ($3.81, Temu, basically sands your nails to remove bumps and lumps for better polish coverage)

• Nail Dotting Tools + Brush Set ($5.99, Amazon, I use these to create tiny nail art designs AND paint designs on other creative projects)

• LED Gel Polish Lamp ($23.39, Amazon, I use LED for less skin damage and love it just as much as my old UV curing lamp that I now use for resin projects)

• ZYXC Magic Unloading Gel Polish Remover ($1.66, Temu, this stuff is pretty strong so do NOT get it on your skin but it does a good job of removing gel polish instead of soaking nails in acetone)

• Zoya Remove Plus 3 in 1 Remover ($12, Amazon, I love the pump bottle so there are no spills, this brand is cruelty-free and gentle on nails and smells better than most)

• Pedicure Callus Remover ($23.99, Amazon, does a great job of keeping your feet smooth)

• Tweezerman Cuticle Nipper ($19, Amazon, I’ve used many others and this brand has been the most reliable and gentle)

• Nail brush set ($5.99, Amazon, work great for pedicures too)

• 12-Color Gel Polish with Line Brush ($8.01, Temu, I use these colors for details and their attached brushes are great for French manicures, often times I’ll place some in a palette made out of a piece of foil as an easy disposable palette)

• Chrome Powder (Set of 6 for $3.38 for gel polishes, Temu, I rub these on my nails before putting on a top coat to give my nails a chrome finish)

• 3-D Sculpture Nail Gel ($2.61, Temu, creates 3-D nail art designs and can be cured in a UV or LED nail lamp)

• Eggshell Gel Polish ($3.42, Temu, gives you an easy black speckled polish look)

I’ll post some of my favorite short nail designs that I create here. Some designs I like, some are merely experiments. If you find a design that’s easy to create and looks good (like a classic and clean looking French manicure), you will find yourself creating it more often than many others.

My Basic Gel Polish Process:

1. Remove gel polish, file and buff nails, use a nail brush to scrub if needed to remove debris/nail oils

2. Place a thin layer of top coat on nails, cure in a nail lamp for 60 seconds

3. Add 2-3 coats of a gel polish color, cure for 60 seconds in between each coat

4. Add a top coat, cure for 60 seconds

5. Add some Isopropyl alcohol to a cotton ball to remove the tacky finish on the top coat (IF your gel polish has this tacky finish after curing like many do)

Evil Eye Nail Art

Evil Eye + Blue French Mani

I created this with some blue glitter gel polish from Temu, some white glitter polish from RCM and some of my nail art tools. See my 1-minute tutorial here on my YouTube channel @carolynjbradenbelow:

Happy Face Nail Art

Happy Face + Blue and Yellow French Mani

I created this with some sheer white gel polish from Temu, some blue and yellow polish from Temu, dotting tools and tiny brushes.

See how to create my happy face nail art in my 1-minute tutorial below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

Thanksgiving Tiny Turkey Nail Art

Tiny Turkey + Red French Mani

I created this Thanksgiving nail art design with some sheer white gel polish from Temu, multi colored polishes from Temu, dotting tools and tiny brushes. See my tutorial here on YouTube or below:

Seashell Inspired Chrome Nails

Seashell Inspired Chrome and 3-D Nail Gel

I applied 3 coats of a RCM pink gel polish, added a swipe of 3D nail art sculpting gel (cured in a LED nail lamp), then used an eyeshadow brush to sweep on some iridescent chrome powder before putting on a top coat and curing. See me create it on YouTube in my 1-minute video or via my video below:

Eggshell Black French Mani

Eggshell Black French Mani

I created this with some sheer white gel polish from Temu, some black polish from Temu, and swiped on some black eggshell gel polish before adding a top coat and curing. See my tutorial here on my YouTube channel or below:

Cute Bow and Peppermint Nail Art

For this gel mani, I painted on a Red Carpet Manicure pink polish (Simply Adorable, Amazon, 3 coats), then used dotting tools to paint a red dot on each ring finger. I used a tiny nail brush to paint diagonal lines away from each dot, then filled them in with the brush. Then I cured the polish.

Next, I added black and white details to the bow to make it look realistic. Then I added red dots to the tips of my nails, cured them, then followed with white dots. I cured them and then painted on a top coat, cured it and my nails were holiday ready! The inspiration came from my December 2024 Ipsy bag.

See the tutorial for this nail art in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

My Valentine’s day ready nail art

Heart Nail Art

I created this heart nail art using a fun little tool I got on Temu. It looks like a tube of lipstick with a squishy tip. You can use it to apply chrome powder or you can use it to add french tips.

I did a base of gel pink polish from Red Carpet Manicure in Simply Adorable, then I painted some red gel polish onto the silicone tip of the nail tool and pressed it up against my nail tips to add the tip.

My heart nail art

I used a tiny dotting tool and a brush to paint on a heart onto one of my nail tips, cured it, added a top coat, cured it and my design was done!

French Manicure with Heart Nail Art

Heart French Manicure

If I were to get married all over again (which I would to my bestie, my husband, Tommy), I would have added a heart to the french manicure I wore on our wedding day. I would have done purple and pink hearts, but the red heart is perfect for any day wear, your own wedding or Valentine’s Day!

For this, I simple created a milky white gel base, painted on the french tips, then added a red heart. All completed with gel polishes that I’ve listed above.

See my 1-minute instructional video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

My snake design nail art

This snake design was inspired by my husband and I saving a snake from our pool cage AND from The White Lotus season 3 snake scene. The actor, Walton Goggins, actually got bit during scene. See how I created it in the 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:

Sunshine nail art

The sunshine nail art is just a fun summery design inspired by my love of positivity, love and light.

If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make Henna Designs at Home

Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.