Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (2024)

Beauty
Nails

Here are 15 designs to try now.

Kara Jillian Brown

Kara Jillian Brown is the Beauty Editor of InStyle. She began her career at Well+Good, where she spent five years evolving from Editorial Intern, to News Writer, to Beauty Writer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English rhetoric from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in health and science journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She is also a certified fitness instructor and teaches barre in Brooklyn.

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Published on February 19, 2024 @ 07:40AM

Abstract Pastels

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (3)

These pastel blobs are simultaneously geometric and soft, adding a modern flare to '90s shapes. Each nail features a different fun color atop a sheer nude base.

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Pink and Brown

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (4)

Pink and brown was the color combo of the '90s, and this look folds in those colors along with the square shape. Each nail features a different swirled mix of dark brown, tan, cream, and baby pink.

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Quintessential French

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (5)

Edwards notes that the French nail isn't going anywhere and it's solidifying this return to the '90s nail aesthetic. This look features the quintessential '90s French manicure complete with a clean white tip and a short square nail.

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Glitter Square

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (6)

Chunky glitter nails are a perfect way to embrace the '90s look. This mani features a chunky gold glitter on every nail finished off with a high-shine top coat.

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Square Smileys

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (7)

Smiley faces were super popular in the '90s, so this nail look is right on theme. It features cranberry and lilac polishes to create a mixed look with two nails per hand donning the smileys on a nude sheer base.

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Smiles and Stars

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (8)

This blue and orange look mimics those '90s kids' notebook doodles. The design features stars, stripes, and smiley faces.

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Mini Hearts

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (9)

Go grunge but make it cute with this black nail design. It features matte polish with four accent nails painted with a mini black heart on a sheer, pinky nude base.

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Britpop

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (10)

These short square nails tap into the Britpop moment of the '90s led by the one-and-only Spice Girls. To keep the look subtle, the flag is kept to one nail per hand while the other features a glossy pink nude.

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Strawberry Syrup

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (11)

This masterpiece of a manicure makes me feel like I'm strapping on my jelly shoes before I head to school wearing my Lisa Frank backpack. It features 3D strawberries along with white, red, and pink blobs.

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Zebra Tip

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (12)

Zebra print was a '90s mainstay, and this black French tip manicure makes a subtle nod to that look with a single tip created from zebra stripes.

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Funky Geometric

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (13)

These geometric nails look like a piece of abstract art you could have easily seen on a wall in the '90s. Each nail has an opaque nude base with crimson, sky blue, cerulean, white, and black designs.

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Brown on Brown

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (14)

This brown-on-brown mix-and-match design takes the checkerboard, daisy, and smiley patterns that were everywhere in the '90s and put them into one modern-feeling manicure.

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Abstract Strokes

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (15)

No one was afraid of combining too many loud colors in the '90s, and that's embodied in this nail look. It features abstract strokes of blue, yellow, pink, orange, black, and white.

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Brown Florals

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (16)

Think of this flower nail design as the manicure version of the brown floral dresses that dominated the '90s Each nail features a solid base with a flower on top.

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Rainbow Foil

Short Square '90s Nails Are Back, According to Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift (17)

These rainbow foil square tips scream '90s fun. The multicolored foil adds texture and light reflection for a show-stopping look.