Numbers don’t lie, bestie. Google Trends is spiking for this year’s May nail colors—coral orange, emerald, peach, and turquoise. TikTok tags are drowning in fresh sets, and Pinterest saves for May mani inspo have doubled overnight. Translation: peek at the eleven shades ruling the spring-to-summer handoff. Keep scrolling for the receipts, the how-to, and the designs to screenshot for your next nail date.
1. Coral Orange
Coral-orange nails are May’s main character—creamsicle meets golden-hour selfie. The punchy pink-tangerine hue is flooding feeds, spiking Google charts, and basically says, “festival wristband included” the second you paint it on.
Watery jelly coats let the color glow, while a mix of solid nails and French tips—or just one tiny white-floral accent—already feels complete. Maximalists can dial it up with sun-flare magnetic cat-eye, pink-to-coral ombré French lines, or 3D citrus charms.
2. Petal Pink
This sheer, rosy pastel is everywhere—wedding mood-boards, prom pics, and a flood of NailTok reels after Megan Fox flashed her baby-angel set. Searches jumped the moment clean-girl soap nails went viral, and #petalpinknails keeps stacking likes.
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It shines in BIAB jellies, watery finishes, and the new American mani (blush tip, milky bed). If you want a power move, try pearl chrome or micro-florals—delicate, never dull.
3. Butter Yellow
Butter yellow is still all over NailTok, serving pastel-meets-neutral sunshine that flatters every skin tone and makes every iced-latte pic look like golden hour. Pair it with hot-pink florals, crisp white tips, gold cuffs, or a pop of turquoise jewelry for instant summer vibes.
Glazed chrome is still the MVP, but TikTok feeds are also drooling over French tips, butter-yellow blooms, and pink-hibiscus art on a creamy base. Slip a BIAB layer underneath to amp the pigment and give the mani builder-level strength—no chunky bulk, just chip-proof flex.
4. Hot Pink
Hot pink nails are straight-up blowing up this May—Pinterest searches are up 40%, and feeds are lit. This electric shade pairs perfectly with brighter pinks for tonal vibes, crisp white for that pop, or neutral bases like latte-beige and charcoal so your mani doesn’t compete with your OOTD.
Simple French tips with a hot-pink smile line are everywhere on NailTok, proving minimal still slaps. Feeling extra? Drop tiny fruity decals (think strawberries or cherries) or go drip-French sherbet style.
5. Lilac
Lilac is popping off right now and might be the chillest purple to style. Want drama? Pair it with orange or butter-yellow accents. Need calm? Match it with olive or soft gray. Or stay tonal with deeper violets or blush pink. Lilac’s the social butterfly of polish—she vibes with everyone.
Technique check: one milky-sheer coat = clean-girl vibe; dust on chrome and it flips to liquid pearl. Either way, lilac stays the versatile MVP—fresh, photogenic, and prime for May Frenchies.
6. Emerald-Green Nails
Emerald nails are owning May thanks to that birthstone clout. The jewel-green pops against black fits, levels up gold rings to heirloom status, and serves luxe, witchy, rich-auntie vibes straight from Cannes after-parties to tour close-ups.
Marble’s the MVP—swirl emerald with a hint of white and a touch of gold, and you’ve got instant gem-status nails. Want a quick upgrade? Mix those marble accents with sharp, solid-emerald French tips. It’s rich-girl energy, simplified.
7. Peach
Peach nails are pure sunset glow—soft, warm, begging for a close-up. They vibe with champagne glitter, white-linen fits, and your flower-spam photo roll. After Selena Gomez’s peach-champagne mani at the Oscars, “soft peach jelly” boards went viral, and now everyone wants a slice.
Design-wise, peach knows how to multitask. Max out with 3-D bows, pearls, or tiny fruit charms, or keep it chill with one watery coat. Meet in the middle with a milky-to-peach aura fade dusted in chrome. However you spin it, peach stays Insta-ready—never Candyland sticky.
8. Milky White
This semi-sheer, creamy tint nails the “I spend more on skincare than rent” vibe. The technique of choice is the soap-nail finish. One ultra-thin coat delivers that glossy, serum-drop look; add a watery half-moon or razor-thin tip for dimension. The result? A mirror-sheen set straight out of clean-girl nail dreams.
The shade pairs flawlessly with baby-blue pinstripes, pearl studs, or gold cuffs. The simplest designs hit hardest— a white-on-white French mani. Feeling extra? Drop a single evil-eye decal on one nail—chic vibe plus built-in bad-luck blocker.
9. Turquoise
Bright-aqua nails = built-in beach pass. One coat turns your desk-scroll into a cabana feed. Turquoise also pops with crisp white swirls, coral accents, and the stack of silver bangles you bought “for summer content.”
Technique to try? Turquoise-stone marble. Swirl in fine black veins and a whisper of white for that luxe faux-gem vibe. Prefer less detail? A magnetic cat-eye wave delivers mermaid-core shimmer in two seconds flat—either way, it’s Caribbean water, but make it fashion.
10. Light Blue
Light-blue nails bridge breezy-spring pastels and full-summer hype—cloudless skies, pool water, and those first beach pics. Hailey Bieber’s Tiffany-blue chrome set only cranked the FOMO, blasting baby blue and soft aqua back onto every mood board.
This color lives its best life in textured 3D French tips, but it also stuns in frosty iced-French lines, length-faking Italian sidewalls, and watery soap coats for a clean, dewy glow. Add silver-chrome swirls or crisp white accents, and your nails read instant vacation—even if you’re still at your desk.
11. Bright Red
Cherry-red owned the red carpets all spring—thank you, Met Gala—but May’s closing act wants an even louder pop. Enter bright red spiked with an orange undertone. It pairs like a dream with bubble-gum pinks, crisp whites, and every shade of gold jewelry your feed keeps shopping.
Design menu? Endless. Choose a razor-thin micro French, a glow-up aura fade, or a 3-D-cherry mix-and-match. However you spin it, this shade screams, “Spring’s done—boss mode on.”
That’s a wrap on your May nail colors cheat sheet—now it’s your turn. Drop your favorite hue or design in the comments and follow us on socials for nonstop mani inspo. See you in the DMs (or under the UV lamp)! 💅
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