25 December Nail Designs to Copy, Plus the Polishes to Use
December nails have to stretch from early-month office parties to Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The easiest plan is a festive base color you can refresh with small details through the month. Here are 25 designs, each with the polish to use and how to paint it.
Each part of the month is illustrated. Colors are approximations of the named shades; check the shade name before you buy.
Quick Answer
December nails move through three moods: cozy winter shades early in the month, classic Christmas reds, greens and glitter mid-month, and sparkly metallics for New Year’s Eve. If you want one manicure for the whole month, choose a deep red, burgundy or shimmering neutral that works for every occasion. The quick reference table below lists the polish to use for each look.
Early December: cozy winter nails
Start the month with cozy, wintry shades that are festive without being full Christmas.
1. Wine crème
Polish to use: OPI Malaga Wine
A deep wine that looks right at every December event.
Photo: @lovefreshpaint on Instagram. Shade shown: OPI Malaga Wine.
Video: @bycheznails on Instagram. Shade shown: OPI Malaga Wine.
2. Navy
Polish to use: OPI Russian Navy
A deep navy that reads like a winter night sky.
3. Soft gray
Polish to use: Essie Chinchilly
A warm gray that pairs with chunky knits.
4. Mauve
Polish to use: Essie Lady Like
A muted mauve for a quieter look.
5. Sweater knit accent
Polish to use: Wine or gray + matte top coat
A raised cable pattern on one accent nail under matte top coat.
6. Milky white
Polish to use: OPI Funny Bunny
Soft and snowy; the perfect base for adding details later in the month.
Mid-December: Christmas nails
As Christmas gets closer, bring in red, green, gold and classic motifs.
7. Classic red
Polish to use: OPI Big Apple Red
A true red in two coats; the most festive single color.
8. Cool cherry red
Polish to use: OPI Got the Blues for Red
A blue-based red that looks rich and elegant.
9. Candy cane stripes
Polish to use: OPI Alpine Snow + red
Diagonal red stripes on white.
10. Red with a gold accent
Polish to use: Red + Essie Good as Gold
Four red nails and one gold.
11. Red and green alternating
Polish to use: Red + emerald
Alternate red and green nails.
Photo: @sbrown.nails on Instagram. Shade shown: red and green alternating.
12. Snowflake on navy
Polish to use: OPI Russian Navy + white
Add a white snowflake to your early-December navy.
13. Red French tips
Polish to use: OPI Bubble Bath + red
Thin red tips over a sheer peachy base.
Photo: @bynicolemv on Instagram. Shade shown: red French tips.
14. Holly accent
Polish to use: Milky white + green + red
Green leaves and red berries on milky white.
15. Pink and gold
Polish to use: Essie Ballet Slippers + gold tips
Sheer pink with metallic gold tips.
16. Mini tree accent
Polish to use: OPI Samoan Sand + green
A small tree on a warm nude base.
Late December: New Year’s Eve nails
End the month with sparkle.
Video: @nailsbypaular on Instagram. Shade shown: gold NYE nails.
17. All-over gold
Polish to use: Essie Good as Gold
Metallic gold on every nail.
18. Black and gold tips
Polish to use: Essie Licorice + gold
Glossy black with gold tips.
19. Silver glitter fade
Polish to use: White + silver glitter
Silver glitter fading from the tips.
20. Pearl white
Polish to use: OPI Kyoto Pearl
A soft pearl glow.
21. Plum with gold stars
Polish to use: OPI Lincoln Park After Dark + gold
Tiny gold stars on near-black plum.
One manicure for the whole month
Short on time? Paint once and add details as the month goes on.
22. Wine, then gold, then glitter
Polish to use: Malaga Wine + gold
Start with wine, add a gold accent for Christmas, then gold glitter tips for New Year’s Eve.
23. Milky white, then snowflakes, then silver
Polish to use: Funny Bunny + silver
Start milky, add snowflakes mid-month, then silver tips at the end.
24. Sheer pink, then red dots, then gold
Polish to use: Ballet Slippers + red + gold
Start sheer pink, add red dots for Christmas and a gold micro French for New Year’s.
25. Navy, then snowflake, then silver
Polish to use: Russian Navy + white + silver
Start with navy, add a white snowflake, then a silver glitter accent.
Layering details over an existing manicure works best when you add a fresh top coat each time. See how to make nail polish last longer for more.
Quick reference: every look and the polish to use
| Look | Polish to use | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wine crème | OPI Malaga Wine | Easy |
| 2. Navy | OPI Russian Navy | Easy |
| 3. Soft gray | Essie Chinchilly | Easy |
| 4. Mauve | Essie Lady Like | Easy |
| 5. Sweater knit accent | Wine or gray + matte top coat | Advanced |
| 6. Milky white | OPI Funny Bunny | Easy |
| 7. Classic red | OPI Big Apple Red | Easy |
| 8. Cool cherry red | OPI Got the Blues for Red | Easy |
| 9. Candy cane stripes | OPI Alpine Snow + red | Medium |
| 10. Red with a gold accent | Red + Essie Good as Gold | Easy |
| 11. Red and green alternating | Red + emerald | Easy |
| 12. Snowflake on navy | OPI Russian Navy + white | Medium |
| 13. Red French tips | OPI Bubble Bath + red | Medium |
| 14. Holly accent | Milky white + green + red | Advanced |
| 15. Pink and gold | Essie Ballet Slippers + gold tips | Medium |
| 16. Mini tree accent | OPI Samoan Sand + green | Medium |
| 17. All-over gold | Essie Good as Gold | Easy |
| 18. Black and gold tips | Essie Licorice + gold | Medium |
| 19. Silver glitter fade | White + silver glitter | Easy |
| 20. Pearl white | OPI Kyoto Pearl | Easy |
| 21. Plum with gold stars | OPI Lincoln Park After Dark + gold | Easy |
| 22. Wine, then gold, then glitter | Malaga Wine + gold | Easy |
| 23. Milky white, then snowflakes, then silver | Funny Bunny + silver | Medium |
| 24. Sheer pink, then red dots, then gold | Ballet Slippers + red + gold | Easy |
| 25. Navy, then snowflake, then silver | Russian Navy + white + silver | Medium |
How to paint the designs in this post
Most of the looks above use a handful of techniques. Here is how to do each one with regular polish at home.
Sweater knit
Paint two coats of the base color and let them dry. Using the same color, draw two columns of small V shapes or overlapping dots down the nail; let each layer dry and add a second to build a raised texture. Finish with matte top coat so the pattern looks like wool.
Candy cane stripes
Paint a white base and let it dry completely, ideally ten minutes. Lay strips of striping tape diagonally across the nail with even gaps, paint red over the gaps, and peel the tape toward the cuticle while the red is still wet. Freehand works too: draw each stripe in one confident stroke with a long striping brush, then clean any wobbles with a brush dipped in remover.
Snowflakes
Use a thin striping brush with white or silver polish. Draw a vertical line, then two diagonal lines crossing it in the center to make six arms. Add a tiny V at the end of each arm and a dot in the center with a dotting tool. Small snowflakes look neater than large ones, so keep each one to about half the nail width.
French and metallic tips
Paint your base and let it dry for at least five minutes. Load a thin striping brush with the tip color, rest your painting hand on the table, and rotate the finger rather than the brush as you sweep from one side of the free edge to the other. For a micro French, keep the line no wider than a grain of rice. Tip-guide stickers or a strip of tape give a cleaner line if freehand is difficult; peel them while the polish is still wet.
Small motifs (holly, trees, bows and hearts)
Keep motifs small and in the center third of the nail. Build them from simple shapes: a holly leaf is two teardrops, a tree is a triangle, a heart is two dots pulled into a point, and a bow is two small triangles meeting at a dot. Use a dotting tool for berries and centers and let each color dry before adding the next.
Glitter tips and glitter fades
Wipe most of the glitter polish off the brush, then dab (do not stroke) it onto the free edge. For a fade, dab heavily at the tip and with less polish each time you move toward the cuticle. A makeup sponge gives a softer gradient. Glitter is textured, so finish with two layers of glossy top coat, letting the first set before the second.
Dots and stars
Pour a drop of polish onto foil and dip the dotting tool into it rather than into the bottle. Re-dip every two or three dots so they stay the same size. For stars, use star-shaped nail stickers or press a small star stud into wet top coat.
Save these ideas for later
Pin this graphic to your nail board so you have the shade list on hand when you shop.
More holiday nail ideas
FAQs
What color nails should I get in December?
Red, wine, white, gold and navy cover December’s main occasions. Wine and red work for the whole month; gold and glitter suit New Year’s Eve.
How long will a December manicure last?
Regular polish usually looks its best for up to a week. Plan a repaint mid-month, or use gel if you want one manicure to last through the holidays.
