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If there's one color I always associate with summer, it's aqua blue—the color of bright blue skies, swimming pools, and ocean waves. It feels so fresh and vibrant on a sunny day and perks up a rainy afternoon. Cardi B must agree, because the Am I the Drama? rapper is currently wearing a manicure that is the exact shade of a shimmering pool.
Cardi's turquoise nails popped up in an Instagram Story on July 23 and they instantly brightened my mood. Her nails were in her preferred shape, long with squared-off coffin-shaped tips, and painted the prettiest, brightest shade of aqua—just a simple, stunning summer color as tantalizing as an empty pool on a hot day. This is the shade you get before a vacation to shift your brain into beach mode, to cheer yourself up in the dark winter, or when you're looking for something that feels as fun and flirty as a cute sundress. And doesn't it look so good against her bright red hair?
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While celebs have been devoted to glazed donut nails, soap nails, and nearly naked manicures for the past few years, bright shades always pop, especially come summertime. Earlier this year, we fell hard for Tyla's neon nails: an vibrant butter yellow mani-pedi one week, followed by an equally vivid rose color. Los Angeles-based nail artist Sarah Chue pinpointed electric blue as one of the top trending colors for summer 2025 manis, and Cardi herself recently wore the shade enhanced by a magnetic cats-eye effect. If you're loving Cardi's color du jour, try OPI's Nail Lacquer in I'm Yacht Leaving, ILNP's Retro Teal, or Essie's Expressie polish in Bring the Beat for a similar look. The color is also perfect for a pedicure, so take advantage of the final weeks of summer and go bold and bright.