‘Tis the season for nails decked in peppermint stripes and gift box designs. These eye-catching holiday nail designs are a great accent piece to any Christmas outfit. While decorating your house and baking holiday cookies, don’t forget to add some Christmas spirit to your nails with these gorgeous do-it-yourself nail designs. These five designs are some of Her Campus UNC’s favorites that are sure to bring holiday cheer.
1. Santa, baby!
Do it yourself :
- Use a base coat of red nail polish (recommended: OPI Comet Loves Cupid) for the jacket.
- Use a white nail art lacquer for the fur making an upside-down “T”.
- Use a black nail art paint for Santa’s belt–made by a thick, horizontal stripe in the center of the nail.
- Use a silver nail art lacquer for Santa’s buckle–made by a square in the center of the belt.
2. Wrapped with a bow
Do it yourself:
- Begin by painting a horizontal line in your favorite color from one edge of the nail to the other, as if doing a French manicure. This line will serve as your guide for painting the rest of the gift box.
- Paint the tips of your nails in the same color, from the guide line to the tips.
- Draw the center of the ribbon with white acrylic paint.
- Draw an outline of the ribbon itself using the white acrylic paint. Make sure it covers most of your nail width.
- Shade the ribbon outline with the white acrylic paint to make a white base.
- After the white acrylic paint is completely dry, paint over it in your desired color (pictured here: silver).
- Outline the ribbon with black acrylic paint to give it details.
- Suggestion: Add gift wrapper patterns for more Christmas cheer!
3. Jolly St. Nick
Do it yourself:
- Use a glitter background color of your choice (gold pictured here).
- Paint an oval shape with a nude colored polish to resemble Santa’s face.
- Draw a squiggly line around Santa’s face with white nail polish.
- Draw a red hat on top of the head and red mouth in his beard.
- Draw a white pom-pom on the tip of his hat.
- Using black nail polish, draw two eyes in the center of his face.
- Finally, use orange nail polish to draw a nose underneath his eyes.
4. Underneath the Christmas Tree
Do it yourself:
- Begin by using a base color for the main color of the gift box (pictured here: China Glaze – Turned Up Turquoise). Then, apply a top coat.
- Using the color of your choice, draw gift wrap designs on all nails except the ring finger (pictured here: China Glaze – Passion).
- Draw present boxes on ring fingers, and bows on the thumbs using another color (pictured here: Sally Hansen Chrome – Pink Pearl).
- Using a nail art pen, color in the bows. Layer the color so that it will pop against the background.
- Add nail art crystals to the bows and top with a clear coat to seal in the design.
5. Sweet tooth
Do it yourself:
- Begin by applying a clear base, then paint the nails red.
- After the red coat dries, draw diagonal lines that vary in width using a white lacquer paint.
- Allow nails to dry and apply a clear top coat.
These nail designs will turn heads whether you’re at a holiday party or having Christmas dinner with your family. This year, deck your nails with boughs of holiday joy with these cheerful, attention-grabbing designs. Happy Holidays from HC UNC!
Sources:
Santa jacket design: http://beautyjudy.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/holiday-collection-month-week-3/
Bow design: http://www.rina-alcantara.com/2010/11/nail-art-christmas-gift-boxes.html
Santa’s face: http://cookingchinchillas.blogspot.com/2010/12/santa-claus-christmas-nail-art-design.html
Gift design: http://www.frmheadtotoe.com/2009/12/holiday-nail-art-tutorial-and-nail.html
Candy cane: http://sylandsam.blogspot.com/2011/12/274-tutorial-peppermint-candy-nails.html