From Santa hats to sparkles, sleigh your festive nail art with this step-by-step guide…
Whether you’re hitting all the Christmas socials, prepping for the 25th or heading to a New Year’s bash, party season is officially upon us. And what festive outfit is complete without the Christmas nail art to finish off the look?
From candy canes and bows to sparkles and stars, we’ve rounded up the coolest Christmas manicure trends, with a step-by-step guide on how to nail (ahem) these fab-yule-ous designs.
1. Postbox red
A Christmas classic, postbox red nails are perfect for the minimalists among us who still want a pop of festive colour.
All you really need for this design is a lovely red and a steady hand. Simply paint on your chosen red polish and then finish it off with a shiny topcoat. Barry M Quick Dry Topcoat is great for creating a look that lasts!
For the perfect postbox:
2. Candy canes, bows & Santa hats
If you’re one who loves to get a little artistic, nothing says Christmas like candy canes, Santa hats or bows.
To craft each of these designs you’ll need a trusty nail art kit, like our Boots Nail Art Tools. Start each look with a clear bottom coat, we recommend OPI Natural Nail Base Coat. You’ll then need to grab a deep red polish and a bright white polish.
For the candy canes, paint the tips of two or three nails with your chosen red. Then, on the non-tipped nails, take your dot pen and alternate tiny red and white dots into the shape of a candy cane. And voilà!
If bows are more your style, start off by creating a gorgeous French tip. Craft your tip with your white polish, using a fine brush to round out the line. Next up, use your red polish and another of the very fine brushes to paint little bows on your nails. If you think this is a little outside of your artistic prowess, we won’t judge if you use nail stickers instead!
And for the Santa hats, first paint each of your tips with the red. Next, decide which nail will don the Santa hat. Use your dot pen to paint white dots across the red tip, leaving a little gap between the line of dots. Then, take your fine brush and your red polish and paint a small triangle through the gap – this will be the folded top of your hat. Finish off the look with a little white dot (or sparkly gem) on the end of the hat.
For a magical masterpiece:
3. Sparkles
We all know Christmas is the season to sparkle, so make sure this extends to your nails too!
If you want to go all out with a full glitter nail, simply slick on a gorgeous sparkly polish in whichever hue you fancy and then pop on a topcoat.
For something a little more subtle, start with a nude base and paint on a glitter tip or cuff using a fine brush.
For a gorgeous glittery number:
4. Gold chrome stars
Whether they’re on top of your tree or being cut into cookies, stars are another tell-tale sign that the festive season is upon us, so obviously it makes sense to pop them on your nails too.
Start this look with a nude polish. Next, carefully craft your stars using a fine brush and a gold shimmery polish. Try dabbing a dot of polish on the nail, and then use a dot pen to drag the lines outwards to create the points of the stars.
Add a shiny topcoat, and for the pièce de résistance, stick a gem in the middle of your stars for the full twinkle effect.
For a design that shines:
5. Ice queen
We’re all probably dreaming of a white Christmas, but just in case it doesn’t happen, why not bring on the flurries with your nails instead?
Requiring only a couple of simple steps, this look is all about minimal effort for maximum gain. Choose your fave pearl-effect polish, slick it on for a snow-inspired sheen and seal the deal with a shiny topcoat. And, if you really want to go all-out ice queen, pop on a few pearl gems to complete the look!
For a festive frost effect:
So, which festive-themed nail designs will you be decking your nails with this Christmas?
