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Looking for some Christmas nail inspiration? I’ve got you covered. In my hunt to find Christmas nail designs to try out myself this holiday season, I’ve gathered up a few of my faves to share with you guys!
Of course, I’ve included a couple of full-on festive looks – what’s Christmas without some fun?
But don’t worry, if you’re not a fan of candy canes and snowflakes there’s plenty of subtle designs to choose from too!
So, without further ado, here are 16 cute and festive Christmas nail designs to try out this holiday season…
1. French Tip Santas
If you’re a massive French manicure fan, why not go for a subtle twist with this Santa hat design?
Use a bright letterbox red to create the usual French tip shape on each nail. Then take a dotting tool and a little bit of white polish to form the faux fur. It’s simple but so effective!
2. Green Tips and Gold Foil
This is such an understated Christmas look and it’s gorgeous! If you prefer something a little more minimal, then this is definitely one to try.
Just take a forest green nail polish and create a French tip shape on each of your nails, leaving the accent nail free. Then use gold foil or gold leaf flakes to add a little glam to your remaining finger. So cute!
3. Ombre Snowflakes
Nothing says Christmas quite like snow, so this snowflake nail design is just perfect for the holiday season!
To get the same ombre effect, take a small sponge and – moving from tip to cuticle – dab on some white polish. If you’ve got a steady hand (and you’re good at painting), you can freehand the snowflakes. Alternatively, you can use snowflake nail stickers – these save so much time!
4. Peppermint Swirls
If you love cute, colourful designs, definitely give this one a go. The peppermint swirl pattern looks really cute on just half the nail, but if you want to go all out why not paint the whole thing? The choice is totally yours!
5. Subtle Stripes
This is another subtle Christmas nail design. It looks festive but it’s not too in-your-face, which I love!!
The glittery gold polish is the key to tying this look together.
6. Colourful Gift Wrap
This gift wrap nail design is SO adorable … and actually surprisingly easy to replicate!
You’re going to need five different base shades – pastels work great for this. Then five other darker shades to form the bows. I like that Franci has gone for shimmers and glitters because it makes the design pop even more.
7. Festive Half French
Reds, greens and golds are always solid colour choices for Christmas. If you can’t choice between them, why not incorporate them all into one look?
The half French tip design here looks so unique and I love that you can alternate the pattern on each nail.
8. Glittery Gold French Tips
For something simple yet sparkly, try this gold French tip design. This works great on short nails and is pretty subtle, so you could definitely get away with this at work too.
Add an extra bit of interest by painting on a glittery half moon arch.
9. Green Garlands
Freshen up your classic French manicure with a little bit of greenery. Opt for a deep foresty nail polish shade for the tips, then take a thin nail brush and use tiny strokes to paint the garland. You’ll also need a lighter green shade, a bright white and some red for the details.
10. Tiny Geometric Trees
Save yourself the time (and effort) of painting a true-to-life tree on your nails by replicating this zigzag version instead! This design looks so cute and modern, and it works with relatively few colours too.
Just make sure you have some glitter polish for the star!
11. Candy Cane French Tips
Show everyone you’re in full holiday mode with this candy cane design. It’s such a clever spin on the classic French tip and can be paired with SO many different base shades.
I do love the mint green though, it really makes the red and white stand out!
12. Layered French
If you want to add a little bit of glitz to your French manicure, this is the way to do it!
Simply use a dark green, red or blue to create the swoop. Then take a glittery silver or gold polish and make a stripe in the middle. This’ll give it a cute layered effect!
13. Red Half Moons
Not feeling a French manicure? Try this half moon design instead!
You can use sticker stencils to create the negative space section or cut out your own stencil using a piece of paper. The trick here is to clean up afterwards with a flat brush, so you can make the lines look really sharp.
14. Green Double French
Green is obviously a huge deal at Christmas, and you’re bound to see TONS of Christmas nail designs with a dark green French tip!
Make yours stand out from the crowd by adding an extra arch. It adds a whole new level of elegance to this look!
15. Christmas Sparkles
How adorable is this sparkly nail design?!
All you’ll need to complete this Christmassy look is a pale pink base polish, a bright white polish and some glitter flakes. Super simple!
16. Frosty Criss Cross French
For something a bit different, try a criss cross French manicure. I’ve used a pale icy blue and a glittery blue/purple polish to create this look, but you can experiment with any colour combination your want!
Which of these Christmas nail designs is your fave? Let me know in the comments!
Pretty and cute nail designs 😍