Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat… Or however the old Christmassy song went. The festive season is now well underway with many already having their Christmas decorations up, and most of us wishing we’d started our gift shopping a lot sooner!
Remember to take some time out to treat yourself this festive season! What better way than to get the party season kick-started with these Christmassy delights – 51 nail art designs you have to try this year!
1. CUTE SANTA CLAUS NAILS
Nothing says Christmas quite like Santa Claus and this design is one of the easiest and best to start with for Christmas 2018. A red nail with a white stripe going along the centre vertically, and then along the edge of nail horizontally gives you the perfect backdrop for Santa’s belly, and the belt is also an easy addition.
For the rest of the nails, keep things elegant and simple with a nude bottom coat (easy to pain Santa’s face on to), with just the right amount of gold glitter to keep things elegantly festive. The mistletoe is an optional extra but you never know… Mistletoe sure comes in handy when there are cute guy’s around to smooch!
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1. CUTE SANTA CLAUS NAILS
Nothing says Christmas quite like Santa Claus and this design is one of the easiest and best to start with for Christmas 2018. A red nail with a white stripe going along the centre vertically, and then along the edge of nail horizontally gives you the perfect backdrop for Santa’s belly, and the belt is also an easy addition.
For the rest of the nails, keep things elegant and simple with a nude bottom coat (easy to pain Santa’s face on to), with just the right amount of gold glitter to keep things elegantly festive. The mistletoe is an optional extra but you never know… Mistletoe sure comes in handy when there are cute guy’s around to smooch!
Source: @ane_li
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2. POLKA DOTS + CHRISTMAS TREE
Who said polka dots couldn’t be festive? You have a classic cream bottom coat with red, gold and green dots added either scattered, or in the shape of a Christmas tree like the one feature nail shown here. The gold star embellishment adds a beautiful finish!
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3. CANDY CANE NAILS
Those red and white stripes that make up the candy cane design is so symbolic of Christmas yet we often forget about this simple, classic design when we look for Christmas nail designs.
You can get strips of nail foil which you can place over a red or white backdrop, before painting over the entire nail with the alternate color. When you remove the foil strips, the contrasting color will pop through, giving you an easy way to recreate this look at home when you’ve only got a few minutes to spare. Handy hint – red nails can be added to with ease so if you’re stuck for ideas, always go with a festive red base!
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4. SANTA CLAUS SUIT ACCENT NAIL
Remember I said that red was the best festive base color you could go for? Well, this nail design is a classic example of why. You can add a festive red glitter topcoat to keep things simple. You could also add a green gem embellishment to add a little something extra. If you wanted to take things even further, you could always steal that Santa Claus suit you painted in the first design in this post on one feature nail.
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5. CHRISTMAS TREES MANICURE
This is such a unique look and one that not many people will be rocking this Christmas, that’s for sure! (Well, not until now anyway!) If you want something classic, elegant, simple and yet stands out this festive season, these green and white Christmas tree nails are the perfect design for you. It’s a classic white backdrop with tape used to form the Christmas-tree-triangle. The watercolor effect is a little harder to achieve if you’re a beginner, but there are plenty of tutorials online you can copy. The good news is that you don’t need any other color than the two you have here. They can be mixed together to recreate the marble, watercolor look.
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6. FESTIVE FRENCH MANICURE
If you’ve already got a French manicure and you only have a few minutes to jazz up your nails, the easiest thing you can do is add a touch of glitter. In fact, just like the red base coat I suggested, I would highly recommend you always have a glitter top coat to hand. It’s amazing how instantly revamped these classic nails are with the addition of some sparkle, and the mistletoe is once again a little added extra!
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7. ELEGANT CHRISTMAS NAILS
See… I told you glitter was great! Another great and simple look, the black tip is easy enough to recreate yourself, and the Christmas tree-shape might take a few shots but practice makes perfect. Add those random glitter sparkles over the top and what do you have? Five minute festive nails!
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8. CHRISTMAS GIFT NAILS
Not just great for creating that candy cane design from earlier on, nail foils are a great way to add something really beautiful to your manicure. Simple red nails (again with the red!) are instantly glammed-up with the addition of a few silver foil strips, and the bow embellishment is another great way to add a bit of bling.
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9. CUTE MANICURE IDEA
Sometimes you just need to go cute and what cuter than this adorable reindeer design? Pick your favorite nail and make that one your feature nail, or go all-out and have each one differently festive-themed like you can see here. Who cares if you can’t pick your favorite – have them all!
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10. HOLLY & CANDY CANE NAILS
In order to keep your festive nails for longer, always make sure you add a base coat before applying any designs. This will give the polish something to stick to, and when you apply a top coat too, it seals in your finished masterpiece giving you chip-free nails for longer. Plus it helps to avoid that awful staining that you can often get with bright colors such as red and green…
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11. MATTE CHRISTMAS MANICURE
If I could give you one nail tip for this season, it would be to buy a bottle of a matte nail polish. You can apply it over any glossy color to achieve the matte effect you can spot here, giving you at least two ways to wear every single bottle of nail polish you own. Alternatively, you could opt for matte nail polishes just like this one which just so happens to be perfect for Christmas!
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12. SANTA MANICURE
Even short nails need a festive revamp from time to time and if you have shorter nails rather than longer ones, you should try something cute and simple like these Santa nails. Easy to achieve on both fingers and toes, it’s a classic way to remind yourself it’s Christmas!
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13. RED & WHITE SNOWFLAKE NAILS
If you want a super-sharp finish, you need to forget about using Q-Tips to clean up those edges. A quick slick of petroleum jelly around the nail will help wash off any color that gets on your skin, and an old (or new) lip brush dipped in nail polish remover is the easiest way to mop up any accidents.
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14. CANDY CANE & CHRISTMAS TREE DESIGN
Embellishments are an easy and simple way to revamp any nail design and when it comes to Christmas nails, that’s definitely true. These nails would be simple and almost bland without the gold additions, but with the help of some nail glue and a few shiny extras, you have 3D nails that are bound to make an impact.
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15. SANTA’S HAT NAIL DESIGN
Rounded nails are a beautifully classic nails and this Santa Claus inspired look gives you just one way to wear them. Treat each tip like a Santa’s hat and once again, add that glitter to the feature nail, and you have a look that is classical stunning, and pretty festive too!
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16. PERFECT FESTIVE DESIGN
You’ve got Christmas trees, there’s glitter, even a few baubles! These are perfect Christmas nails if you can’t make up your mind which look you want to go for. It’s blingy enough to stand out but at the same time, still relatively understated so it doesn’t look like Christmas overload.
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17. PINK CHRISTMAS NAILS
If you want a look that will last the entire festive season, go with glitter. Glitter is renowned for being a real pain to get rid of and often needs a lot of going over with a remover-pad. If you want something that won’t easily look chipped, or will just longer than a few days before getting smudged, a glitter top coat or finish is the way forward.
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18. CUTE REINDEER DESIGN
With a white backdrop, there’s no Christmassy look you can’t achieve. This reindeer is a simple enough addition once you realise it’s all just circles of color, and you could even carry the look on to each nail either side if you want something more than just one feature nail.
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19. SIMPLE & ELEGANT NAILS
In order to get a clean, smooth finish like these beautiful nude Christmas inspired nails, you need to be prepared to be patient. Quick dry polish might help you get the look quicker but these can actually be quite bad for your nails. They typically dehydrate them and over time, this can lead to an uneven nail bed. When you have an uneven nail bed, looks like this won’t be easily achieved unless you want to look at falsies.
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20. PINK & SPARKLY NAILS
Who said pink wasn’t a christmassy colour? With the right mixture of textured glitter and the odd bauble / pink bow, this is a look that could be created for any number of colors including peach, blue, and many other pastel shades.
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21. EASY TUTORIAL
If you need to dry your nails quickly, which you often will with layered designs such as this triangle Christmas-tree look, have a bowl of freezing cold water to hand. After you’ve applied each layer of polish, blow them dry for a couple of minutes and then completely submerge them in the water to harden them quicker!
22. WHITE & RED FRENCH MANICURE
It’s a French manicure but just festively done! A simple red and white combo matches the festive theme perfectly and the look is given a perfectionist finish with the silver nail foil strip. It’s simple yet very effective… Great to wear with beautiful red lips too!
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23. CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a Christmas pudding so why not add a sweet-touch to your nails this year? A simply brown and white combo is easily completed with the little hint of mistletoe and what’s even better is that these are EASILY done by hand. You might not get it right first time but with a bit of practice, this will take you only a few minutes to complete.
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24. CREATIVE DESIGN
Don’t be afraid to go a little outside of the lines when it comes to your Christmas nails this year. Let the kids grab a brush and lend a hand, or have a bash at it yourself. Looks just like this one are easily achieved with a bit of practice, and doing them at home could save you a small fortune over going to the salon.
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25. CHRISTMAS BAUBLES DESIGN
If you have peeling or dry nails, you may find that super-glossy looks like these festive bauble-inspired nails are hard to achieve. Before applying any polish or falsies, make sure you’re taking care of the nails themselves. Use an acetone-free remover as much as possible, and always give your nails time to breathe every now and again between manicures. Last but certainly not least, massage in cuticle cream. Your nails instantly look better when you have good cuticles.
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26. GINGER BREAD NAILS
On first thought, brown might not be a color you would normally associate with Christmas but when you add a featured gold-glitter nail, you have a look that actually looks pretty festive, don’t you think? The gingerbread men features add a little bit of cute-factor but just the matte brown nails alone with the one gold feature nail would be festive enough. These nails almost look good enough to eat!
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27. GOLD REINDEER’S
Did you know that appropriate storage of your nail polishes is essential for making them last? Ideally you should keep them in the fridge or at the very least, in a cool and dry place. If they are kept in a warm place, or in the path of direct sunlight, the color or shade can alter and you may even find they go thick and stodgy.
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28. SPARKLY RED & GOLD DESIGN
Gold glitter instantly Christmasses-up any look so this is one of those bottles I would always suggest you have to hand. Plus gold glitter goes with practically every other colour you can think of. You don’t even need to necessarily ‘keep within the lines’ for this one, making it easy to do at home. Using an old, thin lip brush (or angled liner brush), you can create the straight lines without the worry of using tape.
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29. REINDEER ACCENT NAIL
Here’s a little tip for all those leftover bottles of almost-dry nail polish you have at home. Rather than throw them out, give them a new lease of life by dropping a little bit of nail polish remover into the bottom. It helps you get a couple more uses out of the old, dry nail polish you had left over from last Christmas!
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30. RED & GREEN FESTIVE DESIGN
What’s wrong with a bit of classic painting? Think of your nail like a blank canvas and get as creative as you look. The detail on this featured Christmas tree nail is pretty amazing and with the right artist, could be anything festive you wanted it to be. Look at your favourite Christmas cards and get those designs painted on your nails instead!
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31. GREEN GLITTER GRADIENT
Normally the focus is on the tips when you add a bit of glitter to your nails for Christmas but with this look, things are somewhat reversed. Rather than adding a contrasting color glitter on the tips, add it to the base. It’s like ombre nails but much more festive looking!
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32. CANDY CANE HEART NAILS
Candy cane nail art is very popular at Christmas and here is another cool nail idea inspired by the sweet treat. These nails feature a festive, dark green color with a candy cane accent nail. The accent nail has two small candy canes that make a cute little heart. You can create this look at home with similar nail polish colors while the candy canes can be created with stencils or stickers.
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33. CHIC SNOWFLAKE NAIL DESIGN
Looking for chic festive nails? Then these could be for you! Here we have matte black nails with beautiful silver snowflakes. This is a gorgeous nail idea that will look amazing for Christmas parties. A design like this will suit all nail lengths and shapes.
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34. BOLD BLUE SNOWFLAKE NAILS
Make a statement this Christmas with nails like these. Here we have bold blue nails with glitter and snowflake accent nails. This is a fun and festive idea, perfect for the exciting time of year. You can recreate this look with similar color polishes and a snowflake stencil or sticker. Also, you can try other colors like red or green, too.
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35. SPARKLY SILVER SANTA NAIL IDEA
Santa’s suit is usually red but he has had a glam makeover for this next nail look. These nails are an amazing sparkly silver with two Santa accent nails. One design is his face and the other his suit. This is a cool nail idea that combines the magic and sparkle of Christmas with one of it’s iconic characters.
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Norma35!
32. CANDY CANE HEART NAILS
cane nail art is very popular at Christmas and here is another cool nail idea inspired by the sweet treat. These nails feature a festive, dark green color with a candy cane accent nail. The accent nail has two small candy canes that make a cute little heart. You can create this look at home with similar nail polish colors while the candy canes can be created with stencils or stickers.
Source: @amkuch15
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33. CHIC SNOWFLAKE NAIL DESIGN
Looking for chic festive nails? Then these could be for you! Here we have matte black nails with beautiful silver snowflakes. This is a gorgeous nail idea that will look amazing for Christmas parties. A design like this will suit all nail lengths and shapes.
Source: @lifeisnails
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34. BOLD BLUE SNOWFLAKE NAILS
Make a statement this Christmas with nails like these. Here we have bold blue nails with glitter and snowflake accent nails. This is a fun and festive idea, perfect for the exciting time of year. You can recreate this look with similar color polishes and a snowflake stencil or sticker. Also, you can try other colors like red or green, too.
Source: @nailsbyjema
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35. SPARKLY SILVER SANTA NAIL IDEA
Santa’s suit is usually red but he has had a glam makeover for this next nail look. These nails are an amazing sparkly silver with two Santa accent nails. One design is his face and the other his suit. This is a cool nail idea that combines the magic and sparkle of Christmas with one of it’s iconic characters.
Source: @kt_tk1
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36. GLAM GOLD CHRISTMAS NAILS
Bring a touch of glamour to your look this holiday season with these nails. The nails are white with beautiful gold glitter designs. We love the little Christmas tree, it is so cute and festive. You can create a similar tree to this with tape and there are tutorials online to help you out.
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32. CANDY CANE HEART NAILS
Candy cane nail art is very popular at Christmas and here is another cool nail idea inspired by the sweet treat. These nails feature a festive, dark green color with a candy cane accent nail. The accent nail has two small candy canes that make a cute little heart. You can create this look at home with similar nail polish colors while the candy canes can be created with stencils or stickers.
Source: @amkuch15
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33. CHIC SNOWFLAKE NAIL DESIGN
Looking for chic festive nails? Then these could be for you! Here we have matte black nails with beautiful silver snowflakes. This is a gorgeous nail idea that will look amazing for Christmas parties. A design like this will suit all nail lengths and shapes.
Source: @lifeisnails
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34. BOLD BLUE SNOWFLAKE NAILS
Make a statement this Christmas with nails like these. Here we have bold blue nails with glitter and snowflake accent nails. This is a fun and festive idea, perfect for the exciting time of year. You can recreate this look with similar color polishes and a snowflake stencil or sticker. Also, you can try other colors like red or green, too.
Source: @nailsbyjema
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35. SPARKLY SILVER SANTA NAIL IDEA
Santa’s suit is usually red but he has had a glam makeover for this next nail look. These nails are an amazing sparkly silver with two Santa accent nails. One design is his face and the other his suit. This is a cool nail idea that combines the magic and sparkle of Christmas with one of it’s iconic characters.
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36. GLAM GOLD CHRISTMAS NAILS
Bring a touch of glamour to your look this holiday season with these nails. The nails are white with beautiful gold glitter designs. We love the little Christmas tree, it is so cute and festive. You can create a similar tree to this with tape and there are tutorials online to help you out.
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37. FESTIVE HOLLY NAILS
Next, we have a very festive look! Here we have dark green nails with two accent nails. One is gold glitter and the other has Christmassy holly. It is a cute, vibrant and stylish look that can be worn for any occasion during the holiday season. Recreate the whole look or try just the green and the holly.
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38. CHRISTMAS WREATH NAIL IDEA
A traditional Christmas decoration is a wreath and these nails have been inspired by them. The nails are dark green and gold with a stunning accent nail. On the accent nail, there is a beautiful green wreath with a glam gold bow. You can paint a Christmas wreath or buy 3D versions to stick on your nails.
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39. CUTE SNOWMAN NAILS
We couldn’t have Christmas nail art without showing you snowman nails! Here we have festive, red nails with a snowman accent nail. The snowman is very cute and Christmassy. You can use snowman art like this with any nail color.
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40. ADORABLE DEER, WINTER NAILS
Deer are another iconic character for Christmas. These nails have been inspired by these cute animals and feature an adorable deer. You can recreate this pretty blue and white look or use the deer on festive colors like red. This nail design would look cute with some glitter, t
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41. CHRISTMASSY NUTCRACKER NAILS
Our next idea is inspired by another traditional decoration. These nails feature an amazing nutcracker solider design. This is a beautiful festive manicure. You can recreate the silver look or put the cute solider with any other festive color. A design like this will take some effort, but the result will be worth it. You can put as much or as little detail on the nutcracker that you like.
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42. FESTIVE POINSETTIA INSPIRED NAIL ART
The Poinsettia is a beautiful, Christmas plant. Our next nail idea uses this plant to create stunning nail art. The nails are a sparkly dark red with two accent nails. Both accent nails are white with a Poinsettia plant design. This is a chic, festive look that will look amazing for the holiday season.
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43. CHRISTMASSY PLAID NAILS
If you are looking for stylish and sparkly Christmas nails, this next design is for you. Here we have a beautiful nail look that features red, black and gold plaid with two accent nails. One is gold glitter while the other has a shimmering deer. This is a stunning nail idea. Recreate the whole look or try just the plaid.
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44. ELEGANT SNOWFLAKE NAIL IDEA
Add elegance to your Christmas look with nails like these. The nails are a very soft and light color with silver glitter tips. There is also a beautiful snowflake. Nails like these would be perfect for a Christmas party or formal event. A design like this will suit any nail length and shape.
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45. GREEN STRIPE NAILS
Next, we have a fun and festive nail idea that will make your manicure stand out from the crowd. The nails are a stunning, sparkly green shade with two stripe accent nails. We love these nails because they have candy cane style stripes but with a unique and Christmassy color.
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46. CUTE CHRISTMAS LIGHT NAIL ART
Our next idea is inspired by beautiful Christmas lights. Each nail has red glittery tips with bright lights. This is a cute idea and not only is it great for those who love Christmas, but also fans of Stranger Things too. Recreate the whole look or use the light design as an accent nail.
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47. GLAM CHRISTMAS NAILS
When deciding which nail look to try next it can be difficult to choose. So, why not have a different design on each nails like this! These nails are a soft and light color with festive art on each nail. One of the nails has lights with gems, the next has a bauble, then a snowflake and finally tinsel. Recreate the whole look or just try one.
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48. PRETTY PINK SNOWFLAKE NAIL IDEA
Next, we have another pink idea. This one features white and pink snowflake nails with one glitter accent nail. Pink is a pretty and elegant color that looks beautiful with snowflakes. You can choose a bright pink like this or choose a softer tone like a pastel pink.
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49. WINTER WONDERLAND NAILS
One of the best things about Christmas is the snow! These nails have taken inspiration from the wintry Christmas weather to create winter wonderland nails. The nails are a stylish grey shade with white snow and trees. This is a chic and festive look that will look amazing for the holiday season.
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50. CHRISTMASSY GREEN AND GLITTER NAILS
If you are going to a Christmas party, consider choosing nails like these. The nails are dark green with a sparkly design. This is such an elegant and Christmassy idea that will look stunning on any nail length and shape. Try a glitter look like featured, or try a different glitter color like silver or gold.
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51. FESTIVE SNOWFLAKE NAILS
The last Christmas nail idea we have to share with you is this festive snowflake look. There is a different design on each nail. One has a snowflake, the next has polka dots, then a Christmas jumper design and finally a red nail. This is such a stylish idea! Recreate the whole look or use one or two of the designs.
