Feeling festive? The best Christmas nail designs are sure to get you in the mood. With smatterings of glitter to nail art snowflakes and seasonal shades of classic red, we've scoured the web to bring you some inspiration.
Christmas comes but once a year and along with mince pies and turkey, beauty brands bring out the big guns. Just take a look at this years best beauty advent calendars or whet your appetite with some Christmas makeup tips.
If you already how how to paint your nails like a pro and are ready to shed those sugary summer nail colors for something a bit more vampy the holidays are a great excuse to go a little bit sparkly with your manicure. But, if clean and understated colors and subtle nail care is more your style we've got you covered too.
From glammed-up glitter to intricate art, these are the best Christmas nail designs out there...
Best Christmas nail designs and ideas 2021
They look good enough to eat. Make your mani food related because, when else can you?
Keep it classy with this beautiful holly design. We love the accent nails and delicate red deep red color.
A slick of silver embellished with gold stars make a seasonal statement.
A chic speckled grey suits every skin tone and the white snowflakes are a subtle nod to the winter season.
Go for deep green but add some sparkle with a glittery bauble to really jazz up your nails this Christmas.
Milky pinks are perfect for shorter nails as they elongate the hand. Add in some delicately drawn snowflake nail art and voila! A Christmas nail design that flatters all.
Dress your finger nails in tiny Santa hats—the Christmasy take on a traditional French tip.
Simple Christmas nail designs
This gorgeous gold French tip oozes festive glamour. Pair it with gold jewelry to really make it pop.
A simple application of a deep, green glitter makes a lovely nod to Christmas. Make sure you do a few coats to get great pigment and lasting power.
Much like a chignon is a classic christmas hair look, a red French tip always makes a simple but beautiful nail design for the holidays.
An accent nail featuring a Rudolph reindeer brings joy to a classic manicure. Grab a cocktail stick or nail art pen to perfect his antlers!
Although this might look tricky, using a nail art stick to add dots is actually very easy. Just wait for them to dry before switching colours so they don't smudge.
Make your manicure look like it's wrapped up in ribbons with these elegant silver stripes.
Red Christmas nails
Dazzle 'em with this chic Swarovski crystal and classic red combination.
White stripes with an adorable candy cane bring some festive joy to a classic red mani.
Go for a classic Scottish tartan design to see in Hogmanay in style!
Make Father Christmas the focus of your manicure with this glam, festive look.
Add bows to your accent nails for a festive feel. We love this delicate ring finger design.
Fir trees covered in snow will need a steady hand but the festive feels are worth it!
White Christmas nails
We can't take our eyes off of these elegant snowflakes. The ombre white/nude will go with any outfit.
A sprinkling of silver glitter makes a glamorous addition to a plain white nail.
If your hands are shaky, don't fret. Stick-on nails and nail art transfers are easy alternative to fake an intricate look like this one.
Gold snowflakes over a white top coat make for an elegant design for the holidays.
Bring your French manicure into the festive season with a tiny illustration of a reindeer. The sparkly antlers are adorable.
Blue Christmas nail ideas
Christmas nails don't always have to be red, try this icy blue shade and add a cute snowman for fun.
A deep navy colour with subtle sparkle is a grown up way of making your manicure more festive.
If you have nails long enough, a frosty blue shade and a playful penguin make for a fun, festive design.
Matte blue nails with crystals add some sparkle to this wintry look.
Turquoise glitter and simple snowflake nail art creates a wonderful wintry manicure.
Christmas nails with glitter
Elevate a simple nude nail with a dusting of gold glitter at the tip.
A deep, dark purple is as festive as any red. We love the accented gold cuticles.
Nothing screams Christmas more than a glittery gold shade. A few coats will ensure great glitter coverage.
Asymmetric glitter over a deep shade of green is simple but effective. Pair it with a sparkly dress to really impress.
Ditch traditional gold in favour of sparkling silver, when adding in nail art, for a more modern take.
Ombre your glitter into a black base to create this stunning design.
Top a milky pink shade with some silver sparkles at the base of the nail and across one accent nail for a pretty and wearable design.
'Tis the season to bring out the baubles. They're not just for decorating your tree with though...
Quick Christmas nail designs
A festive take on basic white polish, this snowman design is super easy to do and minimal effort!
If your go-to is black or a deep burgundy and you fancy jazzing it up a bit, this is the nail look for you.
A smattering of silver dots on one nail is so quick to do and creates a lovely effect.
Just add a silver or gold glitter to your ring fingers for a speedy, festive touch to your manicure.
Nail stickers, like these ones, are very easy to apply. Just paint your nails with a base coat of color, apply the sticker and add your clear coat on top to seal the deal.
This might look tricky but use metallic nail stickers to create the lines and this nude design is easy peasy.
Emma North is the Beauty Writer at Future Publishing working across print and digital titles including woman&home, Woman, Woman’s Weekly, Woman’s Own, Chat and GoodtoKnow.
Before pursuing a career in beauty journalism, Emma worked as international cabin crew for over 4 years. Travelling around the globe and working night flights across several time zones at once, she is the perfect person to judge whether makeup and skincare claims actually hold up. If you want to know which foundations last 18+ hours or how to keep your lipstick looking flawless in 40º weather, she’s your go-to girl.
Emma’s flying career came to an end when she realised that beauty journalism was her true passion and she undertook internships across publications including Vogue, Elle, The Telegraph and Glamour. She was then taken under the wing of Funmi Fetto, Contributing Beauty Editor at Vogue where Emma assisted with Funmi’s debut beauty book, Palette.
Her big passion is finding truly beneficial skincare but, when she’s not testing out the latest products, you’ll find her trying to muscle her way into London’s best restaurants or relaxing at home in Devon with her dogs.
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