11 Dainty Holiday Nail Art Ideas Manicure Minimalists Will Love

Call it the holiday spirit, but if there’s ever a time of year I, whose nails are 99 percent of the time bare or polished in a simple nude shade, am tempted to indulge in an elaborate manicure, it’s now. Every December a festive French, lots of shimmer, velvety textures and even ornate, holiday nail art pique my interest for the celebrations ahead. Right on schedule, my timeline is currently flooded with holiday party manicures. But, a gorgeous nail look doesn’t have to mean ornate (or hours at a nail salon). From dainty snowflakes and candy canes to chrome bow nail stickers, here are 10 holiday nail art ideas for manicure minimalists to indulge in this season.

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Simple Snowflake

Nail artist Iram Shelton is behind this simply stunning textured snowflake design with a milky base. To see the process in motion, click here.

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Cute Candy Canes

Is anything sweeter than dainty candy cane hearts? If you want to turn the look up a notch, consider using a glaze finish or starting with a color base, like red, green or white.

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All of the Lights

This Christmas lights-themed manicure is easier than you think to recreate at home. Start with a sheer nude base, swirl a bit of black polish with a fine-point nail brush and use a dotting tool to add rhinestones.

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Santa Baby

This bright cherry red French manicure by Alexandra Teleki gets a jolly update from Santa. Sophisticated and sweet.

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Bows and Stars

There’s never a more appropriate time to rock bows than the holidays. We are in awe of how nail artist Alyx Lippiatt hand painted this gorgeous green bow and chrome stars, but it’s just as easy to recreate with a nude polish, nail stickers and a glossy top coat.

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Festive French

Add holiday cheer to a classic French manicure with a garland nail art overlay. Shelton used Essie’s In-vest In Style, First Fitting, Paint the Gown Red to create the French tips and garland, and Essie’s Fairy Tailor for the base.

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Furry Friends

Holidays are about spending time with loved ones, and what better way to pay homage to our furry family members than Christmas nail art in their honor?

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Chrome Bows

While chrome is THE top nail trend of the year, for a more minimalist manicure that’s still downright merry, try the trend as dainty bows. Here, Lippiatt used The Gel Bottle’s Blonde Chrome to create the eye-catching design.

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Tiny Tree

We love the way this classic Christmas tree gets a luxe twist with shades of black, shimmery gold and silver.

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Wrapped in Gold

This design reminds me of a perfectly-wrapped present. Between gold glitter, the double French manicure and the subtle bow art, it screams the holiday season.

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Candy Cane Glaze

Celebrity nail artist Zola Ganzorigt is the genius behind Hailey Bieber’s famous nail looks. Here she blends glazed nails and hollow French tips to create a mesmerizing manicure with a holiday twist using OPI Gel Colors in Passion, Alpine Snow, Big Apple Red, Super Gloss No Wipe Top Coat and Tin Man Can chrome powder.