Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we are starting to think about what nails were going to be rocking for this annual holiday. Whether you’re going on a date or having a self-care night, having a set of lush nails is a great little treat for you this Valentine’s.
Rebellious Red
It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day-inspired nail article without some red nails making an appearance, would it? So, if you’re a lover of all things red and want a daring nail to look at this Valentine’s Day this next look might be perfect for you. This manicure includes pointed red ombre nails with red gemstones on top, how sexy!
The red gemstones really make this look as they are bold and eye-catching, just what you want from your Valentine’s Day nail set. Adding gemstones to your nails is super fun and easy, they level up the look and add a little jazz to your nails.
OPI does an incredible selection of red nail polishes that are seductive and rich, perfect for any Valentine’s Day nail looks you may want to try.
OPI Red Hot Trio Nail Lacquer
Barbie x Valentine’s Day
Calling all Barbie fanatics, this first look is for you! This manicure set is giving Barbie x Valentine’s Day vibes ate were so here for it. These nails are long, pink, and covered in hearts, perfect for any Valentine’s Day plans. This manicure has a clear base, pink shimmery tips and hearts drawn onto the tip of the nails. They look incredible!
If the pink shimmery nail polish caught your eye in this look, then don’t worry, we’ve got the perfect nail polish to help you achieve that shimmery pink look. Essie does a beautiful baby pink sparkly nail polish called Pink Diamond which would look fantastic for any Valentine’s Day nails. Essie also does another more muted pink shimmery nail polish called Pink Shimmer which is an ideal shade if baby pink isn’t quite your cup of tea.
If you’re struggling to get the fine lines of the tips of your nails for the coloured tip and plain base or you want to try painting the love heart doodles on your nails yourself then a nail art liner brush is something you need asap. These thin brushes are perfect for nail art, dividing up sections of colour on your nails and for correcting any errors.
Baby Hearts
This next look is the definition of cute! The set includes a clear base and adorable mini baby hearts all in different shades of pink and red at the top of the nail. If you were looking for a proper Valentine’s Day-themed nail look, this one fits the criteria perfectly. These nails give off soft glam vibes and would look amazing no matter what you’ll be styling on a special night. They are cute, arty, and simple, what more could you want?
Just when you thought this manicure couldn’t get any better, it does! Thanks to them being so festive there are loads of press-on nails you can buy online that look like this style, so you don’t need to run down to the salon to achieve this look. You can also get love heart stickers that you can stick on the top of your nails too, this look just keeps giving! We are totally obsessed with these nails and love the fact that they are super easy to do from the comfort of your home.
PaintLab Red Hearts
Hearts on Fire
Our next nail look is one that’ll definitely catch your attention. Looking very similar to the fire heart emoji, these nails are a creative spin on the classic heart that we will see a lot of on Valentine’s Day.
Having little flames coming out of the heart gives the design an edge and makes the manicure look fierce and bold. We are in love with these nails and how effortlessly beautiful thanks to their clear background that allows them to give off minimalist chic vibes.
This look is a fun and sassy manicure to rock this Valentine’s Day, you can use nail polish pens to help create this stunning set and play around with the designs and adapt them to your own vibe and style.
A Moment for Chrome
These chrome nails are a lovely manicure idea for Valentine’s as they aren’t overly super Valentine’s Day nails that have hearts on, but they are still pink and cute enough to be on theme. These are perfect if you’re looking for a chic manicure set that is not too extravagant.
The chrome finish of these nails has given them a lovely shine and made them look bougie and chic. Having a chrome finish really does level up any manicure and is sure to get attention. If you like the chrome metallic aesthetic but don’t want an arty design to accompany it, why not try some chrome press-on nails for the big day? They are super easy to use and still give off that bougie chic aesthetic that the nail inspo does so well.
3D Nails
Lover of the 3D gel nail look? If so this next set of nails might tickle your interest. 3D nail art is an artistic take on a manicure and can really give your nails that wow factor. This manicure set is truly breathtaking as it includes decorative bubbles formed using hard gel, an ombre base and metallic detailing on top. These nails are very glam and very extravagant.
A way you can re create the metallic detailing seen on these nails is by using nail foil. Nail foil can help give you that artistic take on your nails and add a little extra glam to your manicure set.
Lover of the 3D gel nail look? If so this next set of nails might tickle your interest. 3D nail art is an artistic take on a manicure and can really give your nails that wow factor. This manicure set is truly breathtaking as it includes decorative bubbles formed using hard gel, an ombre base and metallic detailing on top. These nails are very glam and very extravagant.
A way you can re create the metallic detailing seen on these nails is by using nail foil. Nail foil can help give you that artistic take on your nails and add a little extra glam to your manicure set.
Sheer Queen
We all were obsessed with Hailey Bieber’s Donut Nails that took the internet by a storm last year, so if you’re still on that hype, then you’re going to love this next set of nails we have lined up. Styling a more bronzed sheer take on the Hailey Bieber Donut nails, this set is perfect for Valentines Day if you’re looking for something a little more simple but still something with some glamour. These nails give off a sheer vibe and remind us of a sandy aesthetic mixed with a champagne vibe.
To create this sheer shimmery nail set a glittery nail polish combined with a light nude colour would be perfect to achieve both a pigmented colour alongside a sparkly nail polish to get that sheer look.
Moody Grey
For those of you who are excited to celebrate Valentine’s Day but are not so excited to see an explosion of pink and red colour don’t panic, this next manicure is a more cool toned look. This manicure gives off a moody dramatic energy with long pointed nails combined with nail art and a grey ombré base which creates drama across the nails. These nails are a more daring look, as they are unique and different to the usual Valentine’s Day style.
If you’re trying to recreate this look or maybe something similar but a little different there are a few options available that you can do. Firstly, you can go for an ombré base with cool tones by pressing the nail colour you desire on a piece of tissue and printing that on top o your nails. Essie does a lovely selection of cool tones colours that would be ideal for a mini king the ombré base in this look.
Alternatively you can source some press on nails. Etsy is a great site to try and source some nails that give off a similar aesthetic to the ones that we have used to inspire us. Of course they won’t look identical unless you go to a salon, but if you are open to different designs along the same colour tone, then Etsy will be your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Essie – Serene Slate
Pink Swirls
When rocking a set of 3D nails you really can let your creative juices go and this next manicure set doesn’t disappoint. Now these nails may be a little harder to recreate at home so if you’re wanting this manicure heading down to the salon may be the safest bet, but for the brave few there are some aspects of his manicure you could try on your own nails.
The metal balls are a cute little decorative feature that hasn’t gone unnoticed on this manicure set. You can purchase crystals, metal balls, and charms that you can use to decorate your nails.
If the pink undertones that look almost swirly thanks to the 3D gel caught your fancy, then you’ll be thankful to know that an easy alternative of simple swirls aren’t super hard to recreate at home as long as you have the right tools in your kit. By using a thin nail brush you can create the swirls as if you were simply painting them on a canvas. It takes a little getting used to but once you’ve got the hack of the brush movements you’ll be creating show stopping swirls in no time.
This look had a lot of hard gel to create the texture that these nails have so if your after the textured look, getting some buildable gel is a good place to start. Using builder gel you could play around with its texture and try to recreate something similar in texture to this look.
So Sparkly
We couldn’t not include a sparkly look in our collection for Valentine’s Day, so here it is looking glamorous like always. These nails are long and eye catching, perfect for any Valentine’s Day plans you might have. Nothing brings sass like sparkly nails and the beauty of them being simple yet pretty means that we can achieve these stunning nails from the comfort of our home.
Wonder Colour does a metallic nail polish that is more of a silver than a sparkly colour if you don’t want something super glam. OPI do a lovely nail lacquer that would be a perfect base on your nails when adding nail glitter sprinkled on top to add that sparkly sass.
Red x Chrome Hearts
For our last Valentine’s Day nail-inspired look we have a fusion of the chromed aesthetic that we previously spoke about and the baby hearts. If you were torn between the two styles this look will be an answer to your prayers. This manicure set has a clear base and chrome red hearts dotted around the nails. Unlike the baby hearts that we saw earlier, these hearts are bigger and either take over the entire nail or pop up on the edge of the nail as if they are floating up and down the nail bed.
This manicure is gorgeous and has a lovely glossy finish to it. Getting a good topcoat nail polish is a great way to achieve that glossy finish to your manicure. Beauty Pie does a brilliant topcoat polish that will give your nails a super shiny glossy wet finish and protect your nails from chipping. Barry M also does a great nail hardener that will give off this same look and most importantly protect your stunning manicure from wear and tear.
Words By: Sophia-Fai Roche
Header Image: @nailsbymei
