30 Valentine’s Day Nails That Will Make You Stand Out
Updated on January 20, 2022
Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays where everything around you, including how you present yourself, needs to be made to follow the theme of love, which means that trying on some Valentine’s Day nail designs is in order.
However, not all of us all full of inspiration, so we’ve included some ideas and matching images to get you started or, even better, inspire you to come up with your own.
The best part about Valentine’s Day nail designs is that they can easily be done at home.
There is no need for expensive clothing or other accessories because the only accessory you’ll be wearing on this day will be your nails, and we’re pretty sure that they don’t cost a lot.
To help you get an idea of what you can try out this year, we’ve compiled a list of 30 different nail designs and manicures, all of which look amazing and are definitely in the theme of this wonderful holiday.
Best Valentine’s Day Nail Ideas to Try On This Year
When we started writing this article, we mostly looked for Valentine’s Day nail designs images since we wanted to show you what you can do.
We went ahead and studied what everyone was talking about on social media platforms and dedicated blogs, and in the end, we’ve ended up with the 30 nail designs listed below.
All designs are easy to make at home, require very little experience doing nail art, and require next to no specialized equipment.
1. Valentines Day Nails – Assorted Romance
If you’re the type of person that doesn’t have just one favorite nail design, then choosing what you’ll be wearing on Valentine’s Day can be pretty hard, unless, of course, you decide to just wear them all at once!
As you can see for yourself in the image above, the model used different nail art on each of her nails. However, she made sure that the whole ensemble still looked aesthetic by sticking to the same color palette and making sure that everyone looked Valentine-themed.
She went with classic black nails, red nails, glittered nails, and white nails with a heart design, and they all look amazing together.
Of course, you don’t have to follow the exact example, and you can change the heart design with something else.
As for how you can accessorize with this manicure, try wearing things that follow the same color scheme, namely anything black, red, metallic, or a combination of the above.
2. Valentines Nails – Pastel Pink
If you were to associate holidays with colors, Thanksgiving would be orange, St. Patrick’s Day would be all about green, and Valentine’s Day would be pink and red.
As such, this next nail design for Valentine’s Day makes heavy use of the color pink, five different shades of it to be more precise.
Of course, the model chose not to go for extravagant shades like neon pink, instead choosing something more subtle and elegant, such as pastel colors.
The mix of colors is certainly cute, and while it may not be as provocative as some of our other nail art designs listed later on the list, it’s a perfect idea to try out if it’s your first date or if you just want to feel casual.
The fact that she chose pink means that she has more freedom in terms of what she can wear, as long as the color of her clothes and shoes is also pastel, and that they are warmer colors, like pink, peach, orange, or yellow.
3. Valentine Nail Designs – Pink Wallpaper Nails
Nail art is certainly a pleasant hobby to engage with, and some of the most simple designs that anyone can try at first are simple patterns like the one displayed in the picture above.
Similar to our first entry, this nail art idea uses an assortment of different designs, but they all look good together because they only use two colors: pink and white.
The design is very playful, it’s easy to create, and the best part is that if you’ve just started painting your nails and using gel, it’s perfect for exercising your hands and honing your skills.
Of course, if you’re not too fond of pink, you can always use other colors as well, although we recommend that you stick to lighter colors; otherwise, the contrast with the white will seem a bit too extravagant.
Thus, go for other tints of pink, such as peach or salmon.
4. Valentines Nail Ideas – Love Letter Nails
If you’re an incurable romantic and want your nails to scream both Valentine’s Day and love letters, then you’ll love trying out this idea for love letter nails.
The good news about this design is that it’s pretty easy to pull off since it makes heavy use of nail stickers, but the bad news is that finding something that’s remotely similar will be a bit hard unless, of course, you order them online.
However, if you have the stickers, just apply them the way you would with any other nail stickers, just as long as you first apply a coat of gel (as you can see, some of the nails are white, while others are pink).
On the other hand, if you’re blessed with an extremely steady hand or even make manicures and nail art for a living, you can even go ahead and try writing the messages yourself.
You can even go ahead and write something personal, or at least something simple likeI love you, [His/Her name].
5. Pink Valentines Day Nails – The Cute Heart
Elegance is something that many try to attain but fail to do so because theytry too hardinstead of realizing thatelegance is almost synonymous with simplicity.
That being said, if you want a manicure that’s simple to make yet perfectly embodies the spirit of Valentine’s Day, check out this cute heart-themed nail design.
It only uses two colors, red and pink, with the ring finger being the odd one and an added red heart on top of it.
The idea of having all nails painted a certain way except for the ring finger is pretty much a classic one by now, and that’s precisely why this Valentine’s Day design looks so good.
The trickiest part about this manicure will be designing that extra-small heart, but then again, you can always make it bigger or just use a nail sticker to obtain it.
Not only that, but if you want to try something a bit different, you can try inverting the colors, making all of the nails pink and the ring fingernail red.
6. Red Valentines Day Nails – Hearts of all Types
Assortments seem to be very popular this year, and this next entry does nothing more than reinforce that idea, as the model made sure that each of her fingernails used different types of heart-shaped decorations.
The best thing about this particular idea is that if you happen to have plenty of nail jewelry, stamps, and stickers laying around, and had no idea how you can get rid of them already, or at least how you could mix them all, now’s your chance.
Besides, as you can see in the picture above, even the original model didn’t bother to make sure that the nails from one hand match the ones from the other, so go right ahead and decorate both of your hands with ten different nail designs.
Just take everything you have that glitters or is red, and use them on your nails since you get a free pass during Valentine’s Day.
More so, you can do the same if you have lots and lots of red nail decorations.
7. Valentines Day Nail Designs – Ribbon Heart
Love-inspired art is not something new, but it’s something that never goes out of style, especially during Valentine’s Day.
Because of that, we believe that this particular manicure idea deserves a place on our list, especially since it puts your imagination and your skills to the test, as the heart is drawn by hand.
This manicure idea works because it combines two colors that make for a very romantic, albeit wild combination: pink and black, making it ideal for those of you who have a very rebellious side.
Of course, you’re free to tweak up the design however you please. For example, you can draw the heart on the ring fingernail or draw the hearts on all fingernails.
However, the biggest challenge with this particular design will be symmetry.
You see, if you are drawing the heart and the black ribbon by hand, you’ll need to make sure that you don’t make them look crooked when drawing with your off-hand, so take your time, since you’ll probably want everything to turn out alright.
8. Valentines Day Nail Ideas – Dots and Hearts
From a calendar point of view, Valentine’s Day is during the winter. Since both Valentine’s Day and Christmas share a particular affinity towards the color red, nail designs with a winter theme work well on Valentine’s Day.
For example, if you look at the picture above, something about those while dots over red and pink background will make you think of snowfall, as well as a warm mug of cocoa, and that’s most likely the intended purpose.
What makes this manicure idea great is that the colors used are extremely popular (red nail polish is a must-have in any lady’s beauty kit), so you won’t have to buy anything in particular just to make this design.
Besides, drawing dots is extremely easy if you know how to paint just with the tip of your brush, so if you’re out of time, ideas, or both, this can be your go-to Valentine’s Day manicure and not just this year but all the years that will follow as well.
9. Cute Valentines Nails – Sprinkled Hearts
If you’re particularly fond of French manicures, and you also have a soft spot for cute designs, then you’ll fall in love with our next entry since it has a little bit of everything.
For starters, the design employs that iconic feature common to French manicures: the band of white polish across the tip of the nail, which contrasts with the pale polish below it.
The next visual element that you need to notice is how the band of white nail polish is separated from the rest of the nail via a belt made up of nail jewelry, in this case, pink and red glittering hearts.
This nail design is the epitome of what it means to be cute, and if you’re the type of person that likes feeling young and all glamorous and fun on the inside, then this manicure will go well with the rest of your personality.
10. Sexy Nail Designs – Classic Blood Red
Classics are calledclassicsfor a reason, and while this next entry may seem a bit lazy, one cannot deny that a pair of hands with crimson-red nails are extremely sexy, and that’s why we included this idea on our list.
There is no skill involved in making any intricate designs. The color is extremely popular (as we said earlier, everyone has red nail polish). The best part is that many of you may already wear this manicure o a daily basis.
That being said, you already know whether the color suits you or not, and even if you’ve never worn red nail polish, now’s your chance to try out one of the most popular (if notthe most popular) manicures in the history of manicures.
If you’re still having second thoughts on whether to try this design or not, just take a look at thislist of best Valentine’s Day manicures, and you’ll see for yourself that red is a very common color in most of the entries there.
More Amazing Valentine’s Day Nail designs
Nail designs have always been the subject of trends and fads, so it’s only natural that certain designs are more popular than others.
That being said, the first ten nail designs that we’ve showcased are the ones that everyone is talking about trying out this year.
However, if you just want a nail design idea that looks cute and doesn’t care that it was popular back in 2020, then go ahead and browse these other 20 entries because they’re just as good:
11. Metallic Touch – Valentine’s Day Nails
Elleshows us how to add a bit of a metallic touch to our classic red nails. An extra bout of sparkles are the perfect way to feel a little extra-special and festive.
12. Ikat Hearts – Valentine Nail Designs
If you want something a bit more trendy and outside-the-box, take a look at this Ikat design. Morehas all the fun details.
13. Neon Heartbeat – Valentine’s Day Designs
Why not celebrate the day with a heartbeat on your digits? Make it funky with some bright neons and feel festive too. (via)
14. Love Letters – Valentine’s Day Nails
Nativefeatured this charming design and we instantly fell in love. Turn your nail beds into tiny, swoon-worthy love letters.
15. Pizza – Valentine Nail Ideas
If there really is one true love in our lives, it’s most definitely pizza.Cosmohas all the details on how to make this happen.
16. CUL8R – LUVU – Valentines Nail Ideas
Brit + Cofeatured this adorable idea that includes not one but two Vday-inspired phrases. Draw on a “Luv U” and a “C U L8R” with style.
17. Metallic Ombre – Valentine Nail Design
pshiitshowcased a beautiful and subtle idea for our nails as well. A bit of metallic pastels can go a long way when we’re gearing up for our Vday date night.
18. Heart Layers – Valentine’s Day Manicure
Layer up those hearts with some help fromPopSugar. This is one of the more festive ideas on the list and we’re in love!
19. Foxy Valentine – Valentine’s Day Nails
Hop on over toLiquid Jellyif you want to flaunt some foxiness. It’s a more youthful idea and the kiddos may even want to get in on this one.
20. Pink French – Valentines Nail Design
Pink French tips could be your way of paying homage to the holiday too. We love how the diagonal effect gives it a bit of uniqueness. (via)
21. Blue Violet – Valentine Nail Design
If you want to go with a non-traditional shade, stick with a deep and rich blue. Then draw on your hearts in the spirit of all the love around you. (pshiiit)
22. Red Lace – Valentine Nail Ideas
Le Zoe Musingsfeatured a sexier design that we’re loving too. A bit of red and a bit of lace would be quite the stunning addition to the day.
23. White Hearts – Valentine’s Day Nails
Some simple white hearts would do the trick as well. Grab the tutorial over atJulie AnnaArt.
24. Scrabble Love – Valentine’s Day Nail Ideas
One Nail To Rule Them Allshows us how to flaunt our love for Scrabble and our love for the holiday! Follow along with the directions after the jump.
25. Black on Black – Valentine’s Day Nails
VisitAlyce Paris for a chic, black-on-black look that we’re loving.
26. Heart Tips – Valentine Nail Designs
Cosmofeatured this rad tutorial as well. We’re loving these subtle, heart tips that are both romantic and unique!
27. Glitter Hearts – Valentine’s Day Nails
Of course, an easy and simple glitter heart added to your digits works as well. Grab the details over atThe Beauty Department.
28. Arrows – Valentine’s Nail Ideas
It is Cupid’s holiday after all. You can use whatever colors you like as well to pay home to Valentine’s Day in this kitschy way. (via)
29. Studded Hearts – Valentines Nail Ideas
Demelza’s Worldadded some studs to her simple design. We love the texture and the extra bit of glam.
30. Pink Lines – Valentine’s Day Nail Ideas
Ellehad this pretty, classic manicure featured on their site. It’s modern, it’s subtle and it’s got its own bout of romance wrapped up inside.
Best Valentine’s Day Nail Ideas: Closing Thought
Our list has come to an end, and after browsing through 30 different nail art designs, you’ve surely seen at least 2 or 3 entries that caught your attention and most likely inspired you.
That being said, once you’re done reading our article, go ahead and take your entire batch of nail polish, and start painting those nails until you have something that will draw everyone’s gaze on Valentine’s Day!
If you want to read even more amazing guides on how to make this year’s Valentine’s Day feel more amazing, then go ahead and check out some of our other articles. We’ve covered all of the most popular topics, such asgift ideas for heror even a long list ofkid-friendly Valentine’s Day crafts.
All in all, we hope that this guide managed to inspire you and that you have a great Valentine’s Day, surrounded by the ones you love!