5 Simple Christmas Nail Ideas

5 Simple Christmas Nail Ideas

Christmas is about parties, get-togethers, and lots of other occasions where you get to push the boat out a bit. You have your hair done, put on your little black dress, and you’re ready to go. But your outfit is not complete unless you have the finishing touch: some fabulous Christmas nails!

If you can’t have glitz and glam nails for work, Christmas is to the perfect time to go all out and let your nails sparkle and shine.

In this blog, we’re going to look at how you can get the perfect manicure to last or the entire festive season and how you can create some gorgeous Christmas nail designs whether you’re a beginner who wants something simple, or a seasoned nail art pro.

What type of manicure should you choose?

When deciding on your Christmas nails, start by deciding what type of manicure you’re going to have. Yes, this will make a difference to the time it takes, what it will cost, and most importantly, whether it will last the party season!

Christmas natural nail manicure

Natural nail manicures are not as expensive as gel or acrylics, and we all know that money can be a deciding factor when it comes to your Christmas nails. The upside is that your nails can still look very pretty and you’ll get some pampering at what can be a very stressful time of year, but the downside is that your Christmas nail design might not be as long-lasting.

Christmas acrylic nails

Acrylic nails are a great choice when it comes to a long-lasting manicure. They are very durable and extremely versatile. You can choose any length and shape you want, and if you weren’t blessed with naturally long, strong nails, these might just be for you. You can also easily add Christmas nail art and as many embellishments as you like if you want to get creative. The downside of choosing acrylic for your Christmas nails is that they take a bit of maintenance and this is an ongoing cost. Once your natural nails grow out, you have to get infills, so be prepared to commit. With acrylic nails, there’s also some concern about the damage they might cause to your natural nail bed. They do protect your natural nail when they’re on, but when you have them removed, you might notice that your nail bed is thinner and your nails are weaker.

Christmas gel nails

Gel manicures do last longer because a special nail polish and setting process is used. They can last as long as 3 weeks, which is perfect if you have a busy festive season and can’t get back into the salon. What’s even better is that they don’t chip or smudge, so if you have an elaborate Christmas nail design done, it won’t get ruined as soon as you reach in your bag for your purse! It’s true that a gel manicure costs more than a regular manicure, but it lasts much longer so you won’t need a weekly appointment with your beautician. The downsides of gel nails is that because the gel polish is sealed on with a special UV lamp, you can’t just remove it with your bog-standard nail polish remover. And don’t even dream of trying to pull or bite it off, as it can damage your natural nail. Instead, your nails need to be soaked in acetone to remove the gel polish. The polish then has to be scraped off.

 

 

Christmas nails: choosing a colour theme

Red Christmas nails are always a good festive choice, but you can opt for other colours too. You can choose metallics, glitter, and chic tones like berry shades, navy blue, or purple.

Christmas nail ideas

If you want Christmas nails that are worthy of Instagram or Pinterest, why not try doing some nail art? There are some lovely effective Christmas nail designs around and some of them are fool-proof. So what do you need to do nail art? It depends on what you want to attempt, but generally, to do nail art you might need:

Stickers

You can apply these to the nail and seal them on with a topcoat. You can choose from a variety of Christmas designs.

Dotting tools

Just like it says on the tin, these come in different sizes and help you create dots.

Rhinestones/diamantes/foil strips/embellishments

Because nothing says Christmas like a bit of sparkle.

Striping Tapes/foils

These tapes help you create lines in your Christmas nail designs.

Glitter

Nail art glitter comes in loose powder, pen, or varnish form and looks amazingly pretty for Christmas.

Nail polishes

In a variety of shades to create your designs. Remember to include a top coat and base coat to protect your nails and make your manicure last longer.

Nail stamp

This will help you create an easy design rather than drawing something freehand.

Orange stick

These are standard manicure tools but in the case of nail art, they can help you move gems around and create dots or a marble effect. Tweezers are also handy when applying embellishments.

Nail polish remover and Q-tips

These will help you correct any mistakes without ruining the look of the whole nail.

Nail art brushes

These can be useful for creating lots of different nail designs from the simple to the elaborate.

 

 

Christmas nail ideas we love

We love these Christmas nail ideas from Stayglam.com

Candy cane nails

Red and white stripes conjure up images of Christmas candy canes and they can look great on your nails too! Paint your nails using a red polish base and then when they’re dry, place a few striping tapes over your nail and paint the whole nail white. When you remove the tapes, there’ll be a stripy red and white effect. The bonus of this design is that it’s very quick and easy to do. Perfect for when you get invited to a last-minute gathering.

Glitter French manicure

If you already have a chic French manicure but you want to jazz it up for Christmas, all you have to do is add glitter. Paint some glitter in whatever shade you have over the white French tips and voila, you have pretty nails with some added festive sparkle!

Christmas present nails

Nail foil strips can look great on a Christmas nail design. To make your nails look like a pretty Christmas present, paint them red, then add some silver nail foil strips in a criss-cross effect. Add embellishments like bows for the finishing touch.

Pink Christmas nails

Pink might not be the first colour you think of when you think about Christmas, but it’s pretty and versatile enough to see you through the festive season and beyond (and through a lot of outfit changes!). Paint your nails in an eye-catching shade of pink, then make the nail of the third finger on each hand a feature by painting it with silver glitter for a festive touch.

 

 

White and red French manicure

You can’t go wrong with a French manicure, but who says it has to be white and nude, especially at Christmas? White and red are great complementary Christmas colours, so give them a try. Paint your nails red and the tips white, and add a slim strip of silver foil to separate the nail from the tip. All that’s left is to add a bold red lip and a little black dress, and you’re good to go.

 

We hope we’ve given you some great ideas for Christmas nails to finish off your outfit and keep you feeling festive all the way through the holidays.

Share: