18 Failed Nail Designs That Are Honestly Hard To Look At

I have to admit something to you: I don't do my nails as often as I used to. I honestly don't have the time to zip out to a salon, and I'm too busy to do my own.

But when I do get a manicure or pedicure, I definitely expect my nails to look top-notch, that's for sure. Somehow whoever did these nails didn't get the memo.

1. This Red Hot Mess

Whoa! This is something you could expect from doing your own nails at home. But this lady went to a professional salon, and they still botched the job big time. I'd ask for my money back.

2. This Obvious Fail

"Just tried to do nails with nail extensions (paper) and failed without e-file … and gave myself this ... gotta start from something." Um, no. This Redditor better keep their day job. Am I right, ladies?

3. This Amateur Job

I've only tried acrylic nails once, and I have to tell you taking them off was a total disaster. I thought my nails were going to suffer. So I don't think I'll ever go back to that again.

4. This Sad Attempt

This lady tried doing dried brushing for the first time, and she definitely realized something. It's cool to want to learn how to do things yourself, but sometimes it's better to leave it to a professional, eh?

5. This Nail Art

If you're going for that Jackson Pollock look with your nails, I say you have pretty much nailed it, hee-hee. Otherwise, I would say this so-called nail art here is a total fail. Do you agree with me?

6. This Design Fail

I'm always so surprised when nail technicians can do such elaborate designs. It isn't as easy as it looks. Here's a perfect example of that. I guess, better luck next time. Practice makes perfect. Isn't that a fact?

7. This Ombré Look

Ombré nails were all the rage for the past few years. I don't know if they still are, but I wouldn't mind trying out that trend. However, this isn't exactly what I had in mind. No, ma'am.

8. These Scary Nails

I've always wanted to get cute nails for Halloween. I'm not sure what kind of design I would go for, but this definitely wouldn't be it, hee-hee. Kudos to this lady for trying it, though, but next time go to a salon.

9. This Professional Fail

Ladies, don't be too hard on yourself if you ever attempt to do your own nails and fail. Even so-called professionals can still screw up. Case in point here, this doesn't look all that great. Am I right?

10. This Ridiculous Look

Seriously, if I had my nails done like this at a salon, I would have something to say about it. This was the first time a lady had her nails done, so I understand she didn't know what she was in for, and that's a real shame, no?

11. These Goopy Nails

Who knew that doing your own gel nails could be so hard? This lady found out the hard way that there is a reason people go to a salon to make their nails look good. Aww, better luck next time, hun.

12. This Cute Fail

Here's an attempt a lady made to create her own cute nail art, hee-hee. I have to give her props for trying, but she should definitely visit a salon and learn from the best. Don't you think so, too?

13. This Design Attempt

Speaking of cute, this lady wanted to create a hedgehog on her nails. However, something definitely went wrong, and instead, this is what she ended up with, ha, ha! I still kind of like it. It's adorable, no?

14. This Gradient Fail

Gradient nails can look so pretty when done right. Do you get what I'm saying? However, I don't think this poor attempt here will suffice. But I do like the color choice, that's for sure.

15. This Nail Removal Nightmare

"Just had my acrylics taken off. She cut them off chunk by chunk with nail clippers. Then lifted the test off by prying. I was in tears." This is why I would never get gel nails again. OMG, that's horrible.

16. This Line Nail Art

Here's the thing, doing lines on nails is really tricky. How do you keep your hand from shaking? I definitely wouldn't attempt to do this myself. I would leave it to the pros, that's for sure.

17. This Blue Mess

Oh my goodness, how much nail polish did this lady apply here? It's bubbling up everywhere. I might not be a pro at this, but even I know that this is definitely a huge no-no. Too bad, huh?

18. This Thick Mess

Let me ask you this: Would you pay $89 for this nail job here? Um, what? Are they kidding? I hope so because this doesn't look like a professional job to me. Not by a long shot.

There's a reason they call it "nail art' ladies.

You do need some serious skills to attempt doing your own nails. So if you do choose to go the salon route, make sure you check them out thoroughly too. You wouldn't want to pay a lot for a crappy job. Am I right? What was your worst nail attempt, huh?

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