The 8 Best Nail Art Brushes for Achieving Any Type of Design (2025)

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Flat Brush

Flat brushes are one of the most frequently used tools, often used to apply gel enhancements. "These brushes come in two shapes—oval or square tip," McCullough says. "It is typically a dense bristle brush made of synthetic bristles, which helps to apply gel products easily. You would use the square tip brush on a nail that has more of a squared-off cuticle line."

Liner Brush

Those who love nail art need a liner brush in their manicure kit. According to McCullough, these tools feature thin, long bristles. You'll find liner brushes in various lengths, but she says the bristles can be as long as one inch. "They're used to make precise lines on the nail and typically do not have a lot of bristles," she says.

Dotting Tool

For designs like polka dots, you'll want to use a dotting tool. "A dotting tool is a metal ball that allows you to make perfectly shaped dots," McCullough says. You can typically get this tool in different sizes to create different-size dots."

Snow Brush

Snow brushes feature a thick, slanted tip, allowing you to achieve unique finishes. "A snow brush creates diffused nail art looks and gradient effects," McCullough explains. "Because it is a densely packed brush with very soft bristles, it gives nails a beautiful, soft color blend."

Oval Brush

As mentioned, oval brushes are a variation of a flat brush featuring rounded edges. "The shape of the bristle makes it easy to apply gel product when a client has more of an oval cuticle line," McCullough adds.

French Brush

As the name suggests, a French brush is used to create French manicures. The flexible nail art brush is designed to make achieving precise, one-stroke tips easier. "French brushes have an elongated tip on one side, which allows you to create a deep and perfect smile line [on the tips of the nails]," McCullough says.

Ombré Brush

There are many methods for achieving an ombré manicure, and an ombré brush is one of them. "[This brush] has a dense base of bristles with some extra-long bristles that help blend two colors," McCullough says. "The short bristles will help distribute the first color, and the longer bristles will dip into the second color to pull them into a perfect blend."

Clean-Up Brush

Mistakes can happen when working on your nail art, which is why keeping a clean-up brush handy is vital. "A clean-up brush is typically an oval-shaped gel brush with a flat tip," McCullough says. "The tip allows you to reach into the crevices of the nail to clean up any spillage or overflow in the cuticle line."