10 nail art ideas perfect for the festive season

Get in the holiday spirit with these jolly designs that aren’t too loud.

The X’Mas Polka
This colourful and bright design is one of the easiest nail art designs to do. Grab those X’Mas colours and a nail pen to add a festive touch to your nails. You can vary the size of the dots to make the colours pop.
Photograph: beautyworksbyamy / Instagram

Gilded embellishments
There are a host of nail art tools aimed at helped those of us who want snazzy nails, but don’t have steady hands. We’re talking about nail decals, stickers and foils that just need to be added above a base coat. Here’s an example of gold decal that adds a stylish touch in a jiffy.
Photograph: rebeckyz82 / Instagram

Reverse gradient
Transform a pearly manicure with some glitter at the base, putting a twist on the gradient trend. This is also great way to also hide any patchiness and an outgrown manicure.
Photograph: aka_neweragirl / Instagram

Emerald accents
Get into the X’mas spirit with these dressed up emerald and gold nails that offer a new take on the negative-space trend. The slightly rough wavy swipe of gold gives the impression of an ethereal Christmas tree. It’s a chic look that’s really easy to do.
Photograph: paintboxnails / Instagram

Red and gold
Nothing says Christmas like a dash of bright red with hints of gold. This time around, we suggest you pair the red tips with a bit of pale pink and gold nail tape. Remember to vary the size of the red tips.
Photograph: joymanicure / Instagram

Shooting stars
Upgrade your manicure with a few star stickers scattered around the tip of your otherwise bare nails. It doesn’t get easier than this.
Photograph: nailedbymele / Instagram

Candy canes
Fun and delicious, candy canes are a staple come Christmas time, and they make for fun accent nails. However, not all of us can draw detailed designs of this candy on our nails. For those of us who can’t, there’s this easy variation. Apply a white base coat and then use a striping brush to draw red stripes. You can also alternate gold with red stripes.
Photograph: leener.marie / Instagram

Sparkling tips
Simple and elegant, this nail art design is easy to do. All you need is a bit of multi-coloured glitter your tips in the style of a French manicure. You can keep the rest of the nail bare if you don’t like too much bling or apply a shimmery top coat.
Photograph: chardaes_nails/ Instagram

Abstract X’Mas tree
This design plays with green and white for an enchanting festive look. Dip a striping brush in an eye-catching green to draw on an abstract tree. You can add glitter studs to decorate your tree or use thin nail art sequins for some dazzle.
Photograph: Clairehowardatposhsalon / Instagram

Reverse French manicure
A twist on the classic French manicure, this design involves a hint of glitter with a bright, glam red. An easy way to enhance your basic manicure.
Photograph: nail.poetry / Instagram