Nailbeds—the tiny, baby, little canvases that they are—can say a lot. How much? Well just how small can a nail tech's brush point get? Innovations in nail art include, but are not limited to: emojis, marble motifs, catchphrases, gemstones, floral arrangements, sponsored content, and pet elegies. There are 38 million tagged Instagram posts along these lines, each one more intricate and magnificent than the last. It's also way too many to scroll through when you're not really a nail art person but you're sitting in a nail artist's chair and it seems like a shame to pass up the nail art-portunity. So what's a person to do? Look no further than the new goddesses of minimalist nail art—Madeline Poole, Alicia Torello, and Alessandra Steinherr. All three accounts (the first two are genuine manicurists, the last a beauty editor with a Dryby partnership) are rife with designs simple enough that you won't immediately tire of them, but interesting enough that you feel like you're getting your money's worth. Dots, stripes, the errant motif here and there...often done in tone-on-tone palettes to suit even the most Danish design-obsessed hands. So take a seat at your neighborhood gel-emporium, accept the glass of gratis champagne, and present the above slideshow. So easy, it's nearly hands-free.

—Emily Ferber

Photos via Madeline Poole, Alicia Torello, and Dryby.