50+ Stylish Christmas Nail Colors and How To Do Them |

The holidays are almost here! I can’t believe how quickly the season is flying by.

This season is a time to go all out, whether that means wearing a sparkle shirt, throwing on your cutest heels, or drawing an extra special design on your nails.

While Christmas nails (and holiday nails in general) seem pretty straightforward, there’s actually a ton of designs and variations.

I find that Christmas/holiday nail trends change so much each year. When I come to update this post, I’m always shocked at how different this year’s trends are.

There are a lot of different nail trends that are popular right now (maybe because of the pandemic since everyone is at home and has time to browse nail designs? Not completely sure) and most of these show up in holiday colors as well.

You really can’t go wrong with Christmas nails, but if you’re like me and want to try something a bit new and trendy then this post is for you.

Here are my favorite Christmas nail trends plus inspo photos of each trend below!

Christmas/Holiday Nail Trends

This year, I’m seeing a lot of these specific trends.

Plaid and striped nails
A hint of sparkle (either on just 1-2 nails or on the base of each nail)
Snowflake decorations (keeping them classy and minimalist)
Green, red, white, gold, silver, and black nails (as usual!)
Simple and clean matte nails
A different pattern or color on each nail
Deep blue nails with winter decorations

Of course, simple red and maroon nails are always “in” too.

I included a bunch of different plain red shades below for inspo!

If you’re interested in winter nails instead of straight up holiday nails (think dark maroon and grey shades instead of bright red), check out my winter nails post here – I’ve included 30+ colors with full instructions.

There are lots of different ways to do these trends (regular polish, gel, dip, acrylic, etc.) plus different methods for easily doing the designs that you’ll see on these nails.

I’ll go over these now, or you can skip ahead to the inspo photos if you already know the method you’re using to do your nails.

Base + Top Coats (Gel & Regular Polish)

Whether you’re using gel or regular nail polish, a base coat and top coat are both really important. They’ll determine not only how long your manicure lasts, but how shiny it is.

Some of the photos below showcase shiny nails while others are matte. Regardless, I’ve linked one gel color and one regular color for each. I recommend that you purchase a specific type of top coat depending on the level of shine that you’re looking for.

As far as gel polish, I really like Gellish: I find that it lasts way longer than other polish brands. If you’re looking for info on how to do a gel manicure at home for super cheap (while making sure it lasts for a while), check out my blog post here to see exactly what I use.

If you’re getting your nails done at the salon (I personally only get dip nails nowadays), then you’ll need to tell your nail technician ahead of time what type of finish you’d like (matte or shiny).

Sparkly Christmas Nails

Many of the nail inspo photos below include some sparkle on top of the regular color. They’re surprisingly easy to do!

I generally do a base coat, 2-3 coats of the regular color, and then add the sparkle on. If the design calls for a lot of sparkle, then feel free to layer it on thick, otherwise you’ll want to make sure there’s barely any sparkle on the brush in order to get the design you want.

I recommend purchasing a gel sparkle if you’re doing gel nails or a regular sparkle polish for Essie, Olay, etc. I’ve included all of the options under each photo below.

Sparkle nails are actually super easy to do once you get the hang of it! Think of the sparkle as another layer just before the top coat.

The hardest part is applying the right amount of sparkle, but if you go overboard, you can easily wipe a bit of the sparkle off.

This is why I especially like doing sparkle with gel nails; the nails are already hardened before you do the sparkle so it’s easy to fix any mess-ups without ruining the coat below.

Make sure to apply a top coat after your sparkle to seal everything in. Sometimes, if the sparkles are really thick, you’ll need two top coats.

How to Draw Plaid And/Or Lines

Plaid and striped nails are really popular this year, but luckily they aren’t that difficult to execute.

Firstly, you’ll need to make sure you have all of the necessary colors to create the design. Secondly, you’ll need a good nail art brush (I use these).

You’ll first do your base coat, then add one stripes using this brush to create each layer. Make sure to let the layer dry before adding another (or using a gel lamp – this way is a lot quicker) so that the colors don’t blend.

You may need to use the brush to blend the plaid nails together since the stripes will be thicker. Plaid nails are a little tougher than striped but are still doable with just a little practice!

Finish with a top coat and enjoy your plaid or striped nails!

I recommend trying out your design on a plain nail then removing it before actually doing your nails all the way.

I also recommend doing gel if possible, because you dry each coat completely, so you can wipe off the top coat without ruining the entire design.

Related Reads:

Christmas Nail Color Inspiration

Here are my favorite Christmas nail colors and designs.

If you go to a salon, save the photo to your iPhone in order to show your nail technician (just hold it down with your finger then click save to camera roll.

Red With Sparkles

This look definitely calls for a 100% matte finish. Keep in mind that these nails are square with slightly rounded corners.

You can use tips if you don’t have this natural nail length (I recommend using gel tips with dip polish).

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gel polish // gel sparkle // regular polish // regular sparkle

Nude & Gold

These nails are really fun because they’re pretty natural but have a fun hint of sparkle! Use a nude polish before adding the sparkle on; make sure you only do a clear overcoat once you add the sparkle or the nude polish will dampen the gold.

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gel polish nude // gel polish sparkle // regular polish nude // regular polish sparkle

Nude Sparkle

This is a deeper nude color with just a hint of sparkle. These nails look super natural but still feel like holiday nails so this is a great compromise if you’re into very natural, classy nails.

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gel polish nude // gel polish sparkle // regular polish nude // regular polish sparkle

Blue & Silver

Blue and silver is so chic around the holidays! You could easily swap this silver sparkle out for gold if you prefer the blue and gold look.

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gel polish dark // gel polish light // stick on sparkles // regular polish dark // regular polish light // stick on sparkles

Deep Maroon Mat Finish

If you like classic, one-color nails then these maroon nails are perfect for you during the holiday season. This is a matte finish as well and these nails are round (slightly almond-shaped).

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Christmas/Holiday Nail Trends

Base + Top Coats (Gel & Regular Polish)

Sparkly Christmas Nails

How to Draw Plaid And/Or Lines

Christmas Nail Color Inspiration

Red With Sparkles

Nude & Gold

Nude Sparkle

Blue & Silver

Deep Maroon Mat Finish

Bright Red Matte Finish

Red Shiny Finish

Shades Of Silver

Colors Of Christmas

Deep Red

Maroon With Sparkles

Matte Red

Shimmer

Maroon Sparkle

Black & Silver

Red & Silver

Red Sparkle Polish

Buffalo Plaid

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