Fed up of traditional festive nails? Check out our alternative looks
December's here, so you're bound to be inundated with requests for festive-inspired nail art. However, if you're not a nail art specialist, or by mid-December you're simply fed up with red and gold glitter, here are some alternative Christmas nail designs to introduce to your clients that will keep nail looks fresh from now until the New Year.
Cool Yule
This year festive nails definitely doesn't need to be red, gold or green! Salon System nail expert Julie Anne Larivière has created this gorgeous Christmas alternative which we love, using Gellux in Stormy (index finger and little finger), Gellux Piggy Pink (middle finger) and Gellux Spirited (ring finger). Julie Anne has applied Gellux Mermaid Chrome powder to the index and little fingers to add a subtle sheen, and created star designs using Gellux Piggy Pink, and a cute Christmas tree using Gellux Silver Mist.
Julie Anne's little tip to create your Christmas tree: Start by dotting three dots in the shape of a triangle, two at the bottom and one on top then fill in the rest of your triangle shape with random sized dots.
Black and white Christmas
We really like this black and white festive nail look. To create it, Crystal Nails have recently introduced new colours to their Stamping Colour Gels (Black, White, Gold and Silver) along with two festive stamping plates – Xmas Spirit and Winter Tales.
Firstly, apply buffer to matte the nails, follow this with your first pattern using the stamping plate and White Stamping Colour Gel and cure under a LED lamp for one minute. Apply a second design and cure under the lamp. Finish your design with an application of Cool Top Gel Universal and cure.
Bauble Glitz
How stunning is this Bauble Glitz design, created by Natasha Barker for Sweet Squared using CND Shellac and Lecenté foils.
Natasha has used CND Shellac Masquerade for the base colour, and created the baubles using Lecenté Moonlight Foil with blobs of DuraForce topcoat applied onto the foil dots using a dotting tool to create a raised effect. Detail has been added using CND Shellac in Bellini.
Nude noel
There's no need to go all-out glitter and sparkle; this Christmas nude nails are just as big. Michael and Helena Linsky of Q61 suggest opting for a cool shade, such as a light mocha or beige that's darker than natural skin tones, with a semi-matte finish.
Alternatively, we love this Tom Ford-inspired reverse French mani, using one shade as an all-over base coat, and another painted in a half-moon at the base of the nail.
Vivid red and gold
OK, so you're bound to get requests for traditional reds and golds this month but to give them a contemporary twist, suggest clients try this simple but striking festive nail look using Jessica Phenom Vivid Colour in Jessica Red, and Phenom Vivid Colour in Gold Vermeil with Phenom Finale Shine top coat.
Dotty for Christmas
Dotty nails are still big news, so recreate this subtle nail art look, created by the team at Lashious Beauty, using OPI GelColor in Bagota Blackberry and Dreams On A Silver Platter.
Bejwelled beauty
For stylish seasonal nails, Michael and Helena Linsky of Q61 take inspiration from designer Sophia Webster's trend for bejewelled nails at her AW18 runway show. To make this look wearable every day, embellish a single statement nail with glitters and tiny crystals in pretty hues and keep nails at a neat length.
Christmas kitsch
We confess that sometimes we just love a little Christmas kitsch, and can't resist these cute Santa in the Sky nails! Created by the team at Lashious Beauty, try your hand at using nail stamping plates, hand painted art and shimmer tops coats for some unique festive nails.
Want to share your festive nail art designs? We'd love to see them! Just share via social using the hashtag #LetsGetFestive
