Take a bite out of these cherry nail design ideas! We’re officially coining 2024 the year of cherrycore 🍒, and cherry nails are the cutest way to try out the trend. From fruity French tips to cherry red manicures, we’re rounding up our favorite cherry nail art for your next mani.
Plus, we’re also sharing an easy step-by-step tutorial to help you DIY the juiciest cherries on your nails. Talk about the ~cherry on top~ of your beauty look!
Green Wedding Shoe’s product selections are curated and/or tested by the editorial team and GWS community. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. Please consider shopping through our links if you would like to support GWS!
FAQs – Everything You Need To Know About Cherry Manicures
A manicure that looks good enough to eat? Say less! To help you get your daily dose of fruit this year, we’re sharing everything you need to know about cherry nail art — from the ideas behind the trend to our tips for creating your own cute design at home. Let’s get into it!
What We Love About the Cherry Nail Design Trend
Cherry nails are officially one of the sweetest nail trends for 2024, and we couldn’t be more obsessed! Unlike some of the more minimalist nail designs that have been trending recently (milky nails, we’re looking at you), cherry nail ideas are bright, fun, and totally drool-worthy. It’s like having a taste of summer at your fingertips…talk about the ultimate mood booster!
And we’re not the only ones who are loving this trend. We’ve seen cute cherry nail art all over our social media lately — even Hailey Bieber has rocked a cherry manicure! With the classic red color palette and nostalgic Y2K vibes, it’s no wonder everyone is embracing their cherry era right now.
Items You’ll Need To Draw Cherries On Your Nails
Not only is cherry nail art super adorable, but DIYing cute cherries on your nails is actually way easier than it looks! If you want to try out this juicy nail trend at home, here are the essential items you’ll need to get the look.
- Dotting tools: To DIY a cherry nail design, you first need to create two red dots (aka, the cherries). And with nail dotting tools, you can achieve a perfectly round dot every time! Just dip the end of the dotting pen in the red polish, press it onto your nails, and voilá: a perfect cherry.
- Nail art brushes: The other essential element of a cherry nail design? A bright green stem. If you’re DIYing your cherries, you’ll need small nail art brushes to create these fine lines — as well as other cute nail designs, like French tips or dainty leaves!
- Nail stickers or decals: Not a nail art pro? No prob! You can also create stunning cherry nail ideas at home using fruity nail stickers or decals. Just stick them on your nails (you may have to soak them in water first, depending on the type), seal them with a top coat, and you’re pretty much golden!
- A strong top coat: Speaking of a top coat, this layer is a must-have for protecting your cherry nail art and giving your manicure a long-lasting finish. Opt for a clear top coat for a glossy shine, or mix it up with an iridescent top coat for a dreamy shimmer!
How To Do Cherry Nail Art – Step By Step DIY Design Tutorial
Ready to start DIYing? Dip your fingers into the trend with this step-by-step tutorial for how to create cute cherry nail ideas at home!
- Apply your base coat: This base layer protects your bare nails and gives your design a professional look. Choose a clear or nude base coat for a classic cherry manicure, or go bold with a bright color like pink or blue.
- Add your cherries: Use a nail dotting pen and red polish to add two red dots side by side on your nails. Space them far enough apart that the nail polish won’t bleed together, but close enough that they look like two cherries from the same stem. These can be as small or as large as you’d like — different sized pens will give you a different sized dot!
- Draw a stem: To achieve that identifiable cherry look, use a small nail art brush and bright green nail polish to draw two thin lines from the top of each red dot, connecting them together at the other end. This should create a triangular shape above the cherries….just like a little stem!
- Add some finishing touches: While you can stop DIYing after the last step, there are a few ways to make your cherries look even more realistic (and adorable). Add a curved white line on top of each red dot to give your cherries a realistic shine, or draw a dainty leaf at the top of the stem for a cute finishing touch. It’s the little details that make your cherry design pop!
- Finish with a top coat: To seal your cherry nail art, don’t forget to add a layer of top coat over your design. This will help you avoid any chips or scratches as you show off your cute cherries, while also giving your manicure a glossy finish!
The Cutest Cherry Nails Inspo To Inspire Your Next Manicure
Get ready for your sweetest manicure yet with these cute cherry nail design ideas! We’ve rounded up all our favorite maraschino inspired manis, from bright fruity ideas to short + simple styles (and even one design inspired by Harry Styles). They give the term “finger food” a whole new meaning!
Plus, we’re also sharing a few tips, tricks, and must-have products to help you DIY this cherry nail art at home. Keep scrolling for our faves!
1. Cute 3D Cherry Nails
photos: @peachinails
Is anyone else getting hungry?? These fruit themed nails truly look good enough to eat, with 3D cherries that seem to pop right off the nude base coat. YUM!
To get the 3D look, add a dot of sculpting gel on top of the red dot designs — or enlist the help of a nail art pro to serve up this drool-worthy manicure.
2. Pink Cherry French Manicure
photo: @monika_nails
This manicure is giving us major Y2K vibes, and we are HERE for it! Lean into the nostalgia by combining itty bitty cherry nail art with a hot pink French tip design. It’s fun, it’s bold, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Best paired with butterfly clips and a bedazzled flip phone!
3. Mismatched Cherry Nail Art
photo: @peachinails
Can’t decide on just one nail art design for your next mani? Then don’t! For indecisive nail lovers (hi, it’s me), get the best of ALL the worlds with this cute mismatched design, featuring neon swirls, trendy checkerboards, and cherry nail art.
Just be sure to stick to one color palette to keep your mismatched mani cohesive. The neon pinks, yellows, and oranges look stunning with those bright red cherries!
4. Pearlescent Cherry Nail Design
photo: @simlynail
Add a dose of glamour to your cherry nail art with this dreamy pearlescent design. To get the whimsical look, this nail artist used a dotting tool to add swirls to the iridescent pearl nail polish. Complete with two cherry designs (which you can recreate with these nail decals), it’s a glamorous take on the cutesy trend.
5. Trendy Black + White Cherry Manicure
photo: @nailartbychlo
Ready to embrace your cherry era? This cute nail design makes cherries the star of the show, with the adorable fruit sitting front and center on each nail. For a chic and trendy touch, use a small dotting tool to add a black and white frame around each design. Like little pieces of artwork for your fingers!
6. Coquette Themed Cherry Nail Design
photo: @tamaminails
If you love the coquette aesthetic as much as we do, then you’ll definitely want to screenshot this nail design for your next salon appointment! From the adorable bow details to the cute cherries to the pink + red color palette, we. are. obsessed. Brb, adding these to our nails mood board as we speak!
P.S. We found the perfect nail decals to help you DIY this cherry design at home!
7. Cute Coffin Shaped Cherry Nails
photo: @napaznokciach
This one’s for the coffin nail girlies! If you’re looking for cute cherry nail ideas with a coffin shape, it doesn’t get much sweeter than this design. We love the cherry nail art combined with the cute white swirls — almost like maraschino cherries on top of whipped cream!
Complete with a chic matte top coat, it’s the perfect design to satisfy your sweet tooth.
8. Red Heart Cherry Nail Art
photo: @maisiejacksonbeauty
These cute cherry nails will have everyone doing a double-take! Instead of traditional cherries, they feature dainty red hearts at the end of each stem. Such a cute idea for your next date night or romantic getaway!
And if you’ve ever heard of red nail theory, then you know the power of this cherry red design. We see some romance in your future!
Love is in the air! For more romantic nail ideas, check out our list of dreamy Valentine’s Day nails — including a few cherry red designs!
9. Blue French Tip Nails With Cherries
photo: @phoebesummernails
These nails have us dreaming of sunny days, blue skies, and picnics in the park. SWOON! If you want to upgrade your go-to French manicure for the warmer months, it doesn’t get better than this cute design, complete with baby blue tips and tiny cherry nail art. Prepare to see us rocking these allll season long!
GWS Pro Tip! Want to recreate these cherry nails yourself? Check out this super easy tutorial from the nail artist!
10. Cute Fruit Inspired Manicure
photo: @the_nail_girl_lowestoft_
When it comes to cute nail ideas, in Hailey Bieber we trust — and her latest manicure looks a lot like this fruit snack design! It’s like a farmer’s market stand in nail form, with all our seasonal faves, from cherries to lemons to blueberries.
Get the look with these fruit nail stickers, or take a note from Hailey and add some veggies to the mix with these tasty decals.
11. Bejeweled Cherry French Manicure
photo: @pop_polished
Prepare to make the whole place ~shimmer~ with this bejeweled cherry nail design! If you want to add a little sparkle to your mani, swap your red nail polish for these glittering nail rhinestones. Paired with shimmery French tips, these dazzling nails are the MOMENT.
And if you’re not into nail art, we also found these similar reusable nails for a super easy DIY. No nail art skills necessary!
12. Romantic Red Cherry Nail Design
photo: @heluviee
We had to include another bedazzled cherry design — because there’s no such thing as TOO much sparkle for our nail ideas, amiright?! This one channels a sultry and romantic vibe, with a deep cherry red hue and dainty crystal rhinestones. And don’t even get us started on that cute bow detail!
Style this manicure with a cherry red lip for a beauty look that’ll instantly make you feel like the main character.
13. Picnic Themed Cherry Nail Art
photo: @lolo.nailedit
It’s officially picnic szn, and this cute nail design is the perfect way to celebrate. We love how the red cherries pop against the blue + white gingham pattern, which you can recreate using a small nail art brush (check out the full tutorial here!). They’re the yummiest side dish for your next outdoor spread!
14. Bright Pink and Green Cherry Manicure
photo: @phoebesummernails
Alexa, play “Cherry” by Harry Styles! This cherry nail design is inspired by Harry’s Love on Tour, featuring colors from his brand of chic and biodegradable nail polish called Pleasing. Such a cute manicure for all our fellow Harry Styles stans out there!
And also peep those cute watermelon decals on the pinky fingers. Because it wouldn’t be a fruit themed manicure without a little watermelon sugar, amiright?!
15. Short Cherry + Cheetah Print Nails
photo: @safinailstudio
Cherries and cheetah print? It’s the nail combo we didn’t know we needed! Add a ~wild~ touch to your cherry manicure with these leopard print nail wraps. It’s the perfect way to make your fruit themed nails stand out from the crowd this year.
Not a fan of cheetah print? Check out these cute cow print nail ideas instead!
Our Favorite Nail Art Inspo For Your Next Manicure
Need more inspo for your next mani? We have the perfect nail guides for the job, with unique ideas for every style and occasion — from the latest trends (like these cherry designs) to cute seasonal manicures. Check out all our nail guides and ideas here!