With the festive season approaching faster than we like, it’s never too early to get ready! If you’re looking for some festive Christmas nail ideas you can try at home, or recreate in a nail salon, this article has over 50 of the most gorgeous designs out there!
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Scroll down to our photo selection of the best Christmas nail designs, which can be used both for acrylic nails or gel nails, and check out some simple video tutorials we linked below.
As always, you can save your selection of favorite nail designs directly on a Pinterest board and check our own account for more nail design inspiration, not just for Christmas!
Tips for Choosing from Christmas Nail Ideas
There are so many cute Christmas nail ideas out there – it can be overwhelming to decide what you’re going to go for! Will you choose some trending design from social media, or go for something more neutral or traditional?
The first thing you should consider is whether you want to do the nails as DIY at home, or something you want to recreate at a nail salon. After that, focus on colors and themes you would like to use – keep in mind that Christmas is usually a few week’s worth of built up and it’s gone after one day.
If you want your nails to last longer, it’s a good idea to go for a more neutral design with winter elements like snowflakes, which you can still wear a few weeks after Christmas.
The last thing is the nails themselves – some designs work better on acrylic nails, gel nails or natural nails. Check with your nail salon if you’re not sure what to use.
Christmas Nails: Do Them at Home
Some simple Christmas nail ideas are very easy to recreate at home – especially if symmetry is not required. Choose from our selection of red Christmas nails or mismatched Christmas nails – these are almost always easy to do and recreate at home.
If you’re not confident in your skills, festive red or golden tones in a single color always look super festive, without having to get really creative with the designs.
If you want to set it up a notch, you can choose ombre shades of the same color tone and paint each nail in a different shade.
Video Tutorial: Candy Cane Nails
Video Tutorial: Christmas Nails Compilation
Christmas Nail Ideas: Take to Salon or Do at Home
If you would like to explore some more intricate concepts and designs, it’s best to save your favorites and take them with you to the nail salon. That way the nail artist can recreate exactly what you want, or suggest similar alternatives that will work for your nails.
Some of the more complicated and intricate Christmas nail art ideas can be difficult to recreate at home without proper equipment and practice, so starting with those in a nail salon is a great option.
If you would like to see more work from the nail artist featured, click on the link below the image to visit their Instagram page or website.
Christmas Nails Ideas: Snowflakes Theme
Adding snowflakes to your festive nails is one of the hottest trends this year. Not only there are so many variations of this nail design, but it’s super easy to do at home, with minimum experience.
For a simple and minimalist look, you can paint white snowflakes on nude nails, or go bold and big by adding colors and a unique look for each nail.
Below are some of the best examples of snowflake nail designs.
1. Pink and Gold Snowflakes
2. Silver and White Snowflakes
3. Gold and Rose Tones
4. Mismatched Snowflakes
5. White Snowflakes on Grey Nails
6. Simple Grey Snowflakes
7. Festive Red and Gold Snowflakes
8. Ombre Grey Nails
9. Grey with Golden Tones
10. Statement Purple with Snowflakes
11. Pretty in Pink
12. Dark Green with Gold Touch
13. Pink with Black Snowflakes
Christmas Nail Ideas: Golden Touch Nails
Gold is one of the three colors, together with red and green, that is heavily featured in all Christmas decor, so we can’t miss out on it when it comes to your nails too!
A bonus point – a neutral golden nail design will carry you through all the way to New Year celebrations as this color is a favorite for this season too.
Whether you’re going all in for a lot of sparkle, or just a touch at the nail tips, this color and design looks elegant and effortless.
14. Golden Snowflakes
15. Mismatched Gold with Neutral
16. Gold Leaf
17. Gold Sparkle
18. Metalic tones
19. Full on Glitter
20. Metalic Tips
21. Snow White
Christmas Nail Ideas: Simple Green
Another favorite of the season, green is a wonderful color to play with when it comes to nail design. You don’t have to stick to the natural elements like foliage, flowers or trees. The color can be used for any elements of Christmas decor, or just as an addition to your multi colored nails for Christmas.
22. Green Foliage
23. Christmas Green
24. Green Highlights
25. Mismatched Green Elements
26. Green with Snowflakes
27. Shiny Green
28. Green and Gold Tips
29. Elegant Green
30. Candy Canes
31. Green with Golden Touch
32. Elegant Green Tips
33. Green with Pink
34. Green Stripes
35. Minimalist Green & Gold
36. Festive Green Motive
37. Festive Pattern
38. Emerald Green
39. Mismatched Green Tones
40. Green Foliage with Pinecones
Christmas Nail Ideas: Festive Red
A favorite of the season, red Christmas nails are one of the most loved looks for the holidays. If you want to experiment with red nails for Christmas, most of the looks do not require special skills or equipment and red nails always look very festive even if you just paint them in a single color tone.
Below are some of the more creative options for red Christmas nails.
41. Rudolf
42. Santa’s Hat
43. Candy Canes
44. Christmas Tree
45. Red Tips
46. Green and White
47. Red and Gold
48. Dark Green with Snowflakes
49. Pink and Red with Snowflakes
50. Classic Red and White
51. Ruby Red
52. Minimalist Red
Christmas Nail Ideas: Mismatched
Why choose one when you can have them all?
Mismatched Christmas nails allow you to explore a variety of design styles in matching colors, and add a lot of personality to your nails. If you can’t pick just one design you like, choose a few and ensure they have a common theme – could be a color or a specific design element.
Below are some of the best examples of how to pull off mismatched nails for Christmas.
