Get ready for your Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties with our festive nail art inspiration edit.
From sweet, wintry animal art to fashion-forward shades that will ensure you are right on trend, these are the festive nail art looks to ask for at your next mani-pedi.
Festive French
Add a hint of Christmas cheer to your traditional French manicure with this holly-inspiration look. Ask your manicurist to give you the traditional white tip, then add the delicate berries and green leaves along the edges. You can give it a go yourself at home, by using a dotting tool to apply the polish. Just make sure you use a narrow one to keep the style suitably dainty.
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Velvet nails
Luxe velvet textures are a favourite for festive dressing every year and this Christmas that look is combining with one of Pinterest’s biggest colour trends: sea witch greens. To achieve the ‘velvet nails’ style (that’s probably also taking inspiration from the recent Wicked movie hype), look for shimmery green tones and make sure to add a high shine top coat for a luxurious finish.
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Neutral gingerbread
The festive period is a great opportunity to do something sweet with your nails and the big trend for 2025 – gingerbread nails – is definitely moreish. This very wearable version of the look allows you to stick to a pretty yet neutral-looking pink manicure suitable for all occasions (including the office), but with a single gingerbread figure on your ring fingers. Head to one of our favourite nail bars to ensure the finish is super clean.
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Glitter nails
There’s really nothing as festive as glitter and your nails are a great place to start when it comes to adding some sparkle to your look. A simple way to upgrade your manicure is to add a glittery top coat to your favourite shade. Or, you can get creative, and try a glitter French. If you are pretty confident doing your own nails, there’s an increasing number of great do-it-yourself nail glitters that will help you get the job done.
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Rudolph nails
Another festive nail look that’s extremely popular this year is Rudolph nails and we can see why nail artists are increasingly being asked about this jolly creation. This is also a style you can try yourself at home – and without needing too much skill in nail art, as it’s made up of only dots and small lines. All you need is a dark varnish for the antlers and eyes and, of course, a red varnish for his statement nose.
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Santa hats
Ho Ho Hooray for these Santa-inspired nails. And, in good news, they are actually easier to recreate than you might think. The creative Santa hat design is built off the French manicure concept, with a red and white tip painted over a warm pink base. (Just apply the white with a slight wiggle to get that fluffy hat finish). Then, once those layers are dried, you can add the bobble detailing with the help of a nail art tool.
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Snowy scenes
Looking to buck the traditional colour palette trend for Christmas? A pearlescent blue shade is a pretty nod to icy wintry weather that also stands out from the mani-pedi crowd. A bit of advice: make sure that your chosen shade is suitably metallic or glossy to give you the light-reflecting finish. Then, you can add as many snowy details as you like – from easy-to-apply dots and icicle-like sprinkles to more intricate creature-led designs.
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Full Glamour
If you love a statement nail look, this glamorous festive manicure is one of our favourites and it is especially perfect for if you are attending a winter wedding this year. There’s the Christmassy pop of red, the glitter detailing and the delicate holly-inspired nail art – all of which makes your nails look incredibly glossy and expensive. And don’t worry, you’ll still love the look even if your Christmas Day outfit is actually just your pyjamas…
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Lead photo credit: Pexels
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