Christmas Nail Ideas

Christmas nail ideas use festive colors such as navy, cherry red, forest green, white, gold and silver, in patterns such as snowflakes, candy cane stripes, glitter, French tips and stars. Tap one of six looks to see its steps, level and time, then change the shape or the colors.

Worked example: navy snowflakes

Tap “Navy snowflakes”. The studio paints almond nails in Navy with White snowflakes, and shows Easy and about 35 minutes: 20 minutes for a plain two-coat manicure with drying, plus 15 for the snowflakes. The steps it gives are:

1. File nails to an almond shape, push back cuticles and apply a thin base coat.
2. Paint two coats of the dark base color and let them dry.
3. Draw three crossing lines with a thin brush, then tiny V-shaped branches on each arm.
4. Add a few dots around the flake.
5. Finish with top coat and wrap the free edge.

You will need: base coat and top coat, navy polish, white polish, thin brush, dotting tool, nail file for the almond shape, remover and cotton pads.

Six looks, their levels and times

The level and the time are our own estimate for a first-time painter, worked out from the pattern.

Christmas colors that work

• Cherry red: the classic holiday color; use it solid, as stripes or on a single accent nail.
• Forest green: pairs with gold glitter for a tree look.
• Navy: makes white snowflakes and silver stars stand out like a night sky.
• White: for snowflakes, candy cane stripes and small snow dots.
• Gold and silver: glitter or thin accents that read as lights and ornaments.

Quick picks

• Fastest: Red glitter accent takes about 25 minutes because only one nail gets the glitter.
• First time: Forest and gold glitter is a Beginner look with no drawing.
• Most detail: Navy snowflakes and Silver stars on navy take about 35 minutes.
• For longer nails: see the acrylic nail designs and change the shape in the studio to coffin or stiletto.

Designer nail art designs for the holidays

Designer nail art designs are polished, repeatable looks rather than one-off doodles: a single color family, one pattern and a metallic accent. Burgundy gold French and Silver stars on navy follow that rule, so they photograph well and stay neat as nails grow out.

Nail art designs for autumn into winter

If you are moving from nail art designs for autumn into December, keep the burgundy and forest greens and swap rust and orange for gold or silver accents. The Forest and gold glitter look is the easiest bridge between the seasons.

Pink cat games and cat-themed nails

If you searched for pink cat games, this page is about nail art, not games. For a cat-themed holiday look, choose a Blush pink or Berry base in the studio, add Silver stars, and draw two small triangles on the tip of each nail as ears with a thin brush.

Tips

• Let each coat dry fully before drawing, or the lines will smear.
• Keep a thin brush and a dotting tool; most Christmas patterns need only these two.
• Seal with top coat and wrap the free edge so glitter lasts longer.

Frequently asked questions

Browse more looks in nail designs, or return to Painted Look. The pictures on this page were drawn for this site.