That time of year has arrived: icy roads, snow up to your knees and layers upon layers of warm clothes to shield you from the blistering cold. But look at the bright side—that means the holiday season is also here, and it’s time to unabashedly broadcast our festive cheer on our nails.
From short sequinned nails to candy-cane claws, these holiday manicures will have everyone squealing “Nice nails!” through mouthfuls of pumpkin pie. Here are five fun and festive Christmas nail art designs to get you in the spirit (and maybe even inspire you to invest in some fingerless gloves).
The Work Party Nail
Looking for an office holiday party nail? This is your best bet: the short, round shape is simple and professional, while the tonal and textured circles add a little extra something (and will look chic reaching for that Christmas bonus cheque). To achieve the look at home, use the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri brush tip (or even the end of a bobby pin ) to create ornament like shapes.
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The Frozen Nail
We’d much rather have our nails looking icy (*Saweetie’s “Icy” plays in the background*) than our car windows this season. Get an extra frosty mani by combining pastel polish like this dreamy green shade for a marbled ice-cream effect. Finish with a super shiny topcoat so slick, you could skate on it.
The Sweater Weather Nail
Think ugly Christmas sweater but make it nail art! For the perfect manicure for your holiday family reunion, switch it up with two sets of different polish colours on both hands. To achieve that pristine crisscross pattern you can pull out a toothpick and drag polish down the nail. Grandma would approve!
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The Staycation Nail
For those of us who can’t make it to the DR for this New Year’s Eve, we’re bringing the tropics to us with this nail art look. Take island inspiration with a punchy neon hue and mix it up with classic sparkles for this negative space manicure. China Glaze has the perfect shade creating light-like twinkles. Life hack: if you have a shaky hand, you can use scotch tape to create the shape before laying down any colour.
The Modern Candy Cane Nail
This is the sweetest design you could wear on your tips this holiday season, and want to know the best part? It is super easy to recreate at home (promise). Easily freehand this design by using a thin brush (hot tip: you can buy fine paint brushes at the dollar store) to create candy stripe-like strokes on a naked nail. Zoya polish can help you get the ideal red shade. Feel free to add your own twist by adding more or fewer lines on each nail.
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