It’s that time of year again – the season when love is in the air. Whether you’re dressing up for a night on the town with your significant other or you just want to look festive, Valentine’s Day nail art doesn’t have to be complicated and you don’t need to go to nail school to learn it. Keep your nails fast and easy, so you have more time to enjoy the day.
Easy Hearts
If you want to give a sophisticated nod to the holiday, nothing is easier than a base coat of either pink or red topped with a freehand heart design. Use a black or metallic extra-fine point Sharpie to keep the process easy. Overlap two hearts or keep a single heart on each nail. Top with a top coat, and you’re ready to go!
Random Hearts
Everyone has that one glitter polish with the giant heart shapes in it. Commandeer the hearts for Valentine’s Day! Paint your nails whatever base coat you like, and then take individual hearts from the heart-filled glitter polish. Place the hearts randomly wherever you like in little dabs, then top with a top coat. This is so much easier than fighting with the polish and ending up with thick globs of clear polish, with only one or two hearts per nail.
Embellished French Tip
Use either the traditional colors for a French tip manicure or choose a hot pink. Use white or a sparkly silver or gold to go over the tip and then add designs you like to the nail. Make Xs and Os, draw hearts, or spell out the word “LOVE” on your nails. If you have a hard time painting the tips freehand, use transparent tape to make a border, then pull it off while the white polish is still wet. This prevents smearing.
Conversation Hearts
Grab all your pastels for this one. Choose a pale background color and then make some freehand hearts on your nails in different colors. Try to vary the angles and positioning. If you have a hard time drawing the hearts, tackle the top by drawing two small half circles and then draw diagonal lines to a point. Toothpicks can help if your nail polish brushes are too big. Let the hearts dry and then write messages on them with extra-fine Sharpie markers like the ones you find on conversation hearts.
If you really want to go in depth learning about nail art, check out the schools in your area…
Super Simple Office Manicure
A beautiful manicure is all well and good for Valentine’s Day, but sometimes you can’t get away with exotic nail art at the office. If that’s the case for you, don’t worry, you can still celebrate with your fingertips. Choose a color that works well at the office. Some conservative companies frown on reds or hot pinks, so this might mean you have to go with pale pink or even beige. Find some Valentine’s nail art stickers that you love and take them with you to work. Before going out for the evening, jazz up your nails with the stickers and go over them with a coat of fast-drying top coat to seal your work.
Don’t forget to clean up the edges of your cuticles with a pointed cotton swab. Once your nails are dry, you’re ready to go have a great Valentine’s Day.