30 Valentine’s Day-Inspired Manicures You’ll Love
Valentine’s Day, whether or not you have a significant other, is that one day of year when we all celebrate love and friendship
Photo: Unsplash/@sharonmccutcheon
Valentine’s Day, whether or not you have a significant other, is that one day of year when we all celebrate love and friendship. It’s when you buy heart-shaped candy, purchase something frilly, and/or opt for fashion and beauty products in pretty shades of pink, red, burgundy, and white.
Nails are no different. It’s fun to dream up cute Valentine’s Day-inspired designs to put on your nails whenever February rolls around. And it’s even more fun to look online to see how other artistic people emblazoned their uñas with hearts, pink glitter, the word “love,” flashes of classic romantic red, and more. We wanted to give you some V-day nail inspiration to take to the salon, so we did the scrolling on Instagram for you, finding 30 incredible examples of fabulous Valentine’s Day designs. Check them out!
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Garfield Heart Nails
Why keep your V-day nail art to only hearts and the like? This adorable mani by Home of Deva also features everyone’s favorite cartoon cat, Garfield. The stark white background anchors the playful design perfectly.
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Hearts French
A fun idea for Valentine’s Day nails that also keeps the look classic is the heart-shaped French mani. You will see this in the form of a single, upside-down heart that creates a French manicure. This one by Mia of the Sparkle SF salon, however, layers corazones in red, orange, gold, and burgundy to create an artsy layered ‘60s/’70s look.
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Ombre Heart
Not all heart art is created equal. This radiating ombre heart, by Anastasiia Morozova, adds more interest through heartbeat-like echoes in various shades of pink and red. Commenters on Instagram have likened it to the aesthetic of The Powerpuff Girls cartoon.
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Cheetah, Red, and Hearts
Leopard print is not only on-trend — it’s a classic. In fact, it often appears on Valentine’s Day. This adorable mani by Nails by Heather combines leopard with negative space hearts, and equally-classic red. The result is the perfect balance of 1950s sex kitten and 2020 nail trendsetter.
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Fuschia and Sugared Hearts
Red is probably the first go-to color that people opt for when February 14 rolls around. But there are other fabulous hues that you can wear in celebration. Fuschia is vibrant, fun, and also tied to love. Yuli S. created these long fuschia acrylics, that get added V-day oomph with the addition of “sugared” hearts.
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Powerpuff Girl Pink and Lavender Ombre
Another adorable cartoon-themed Valentine’s Day look we love is Nails by Dev’s sweet Powerpuff Girls manicure. The detailed art was handpainted and featured an equally-cool pink-to-lavender ombre background.
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Pastel Hearts
Candy hearts are a trend within the trend of Valentine’s Day-themed nails. Some are exact copies of the small heart-shaped sweets, with messages written on them. Others are a bit more inspired instead of exact, like this pretty mani by Aleasha Rennie. Anchored by a lilac background, pastel hearts in yellow, green, blue, and light pink playfully seem to float down the nail.
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Red French with Gold Hearts
It is really easy to go extra AF with any themed nails. Valentine’s Day nails, if not done correctly, can go from cute to tacky in an instant. Whether you are naturally a minimalist or want to celebrate V-day in a more subdued manner, take a look at GLOSS LA’s (Taylor Gonzalez) perfect option. A thin red French manicure over a barely there base is glammed up with tiny gold hearts.
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Red Glitter, Gold Roses, Hearts, and Kisses
Definitely on the more-is-more side are these fabulous V-day uñas by Cheyenne’s Nails. You have vivid red glitter, red glitter hearts, small gold roses, and red glitter kisses on long acrylic nude nails.
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Pink, Glitter, and White Hearts
Maja Markowicz created a sweet, feminine mani that’s just perfect for Valentine’s Day. A light pink base is given some subtle sparkle with a touch of glitter, and small white hearts add a touch of cuteness. The overall look is so subtle that you could rock it any time of year.
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Leopard and Hearts
Nail art is just that — art. From rich colors and beautiful patterns and sparkling accents, talented nail techs are able to elevate uñas from mere nails to amazingly decorated canvases. Claws by Sandy started with matte pinky-nude nails and layered on painterly leopard print in red, pink, and black. Strategically-placed hearts complete the look.
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Candy Hearts
V-day nails don’t have to be long acrylics packed with designs. Short nails can get in on the fun too. Just take a look at these adorable ones from Sierra Unsicker. A white background features printed candy hearts that are hand-painted by the artist.
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Heart Punch Nails
A fabulous idea for making your acrylics Valentine’s Day-themed is punching out little heart shapes in them. Sirena Reena’s Boutique created peachy-nude press-on nails with the romantic detail and shared it to her Instagram. Added bonus? These uñas come in matte, but you can also get them in a glossy finish.
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The Simpsons, Candy Hearts, and Crystals
Okay, we have seen several great interpretations of candy heart nails (and there are several more out there). But have you seen candy heart nails with Simpsons characters (done by @_allured and inspired by Giuli’s Nails)?! Lisa Simpson is giving Milhouse the side-eye on these adorable uñas, which also feature candy hearts and crystals.
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Black and Neon with Hearts
You don’t have to stick to traditional “Valentine’s Day” colors to get the loving message across. Hearts look cute in all colors, including fun, cheery neon. Tony T Nguyen of TONY & NAIL BRAND created these dope uñas in matte black with neon French tips and sunny neon yellow hearts.
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Roses, Glitter, and Pastel
You also don’t have to opt for a heart design on your nails. Why not try some classic, spring-ready roses? This mani by Alecia’s Nails features beautiful 3-D pink roses, flanked by silver glitter and a dusty rose hue.
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Plum Glitter, Love, and Kisses
A breath of fresh air from the sea of pink and red Valentine’s Day nails are shades of purple. Mani Maniaczka created these festive plum and pink nails that offer something just a bit different. Not only do you have glittery purple, but these uñas also include the word “love” (where the “v” is a heart), and black and plum kisses.
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Pastel Heart French
@misako_nails has created a super subtle nod to Valentine’s Day that can be worn any day of the year. A barely-there base gets a pretty boost with a peach heart French tip. Totally neutral, yet totally perfect for V-day.
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Black, White, and a Touch of Red
Two neutral manicures that have the perfect amount of Valentine’s Day details are these similar manis by Home of Deva. The two (the first on press-on nails and the second on natural nails) have black and white palettes highlighted by pops of red and feature 3-D roses, hearts, crystals, and an interesting detail where the word “love” forms the border on a French manicure.
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Red, Hearts, and White
You can show your love for Valentine’s Day using only one nail per hand, while keeping the rest of your manicure super classic. That’s exactly what Viridiana Gutierrez-Melin did in this cute manicure. All the nails are a classic, throwback red, except for the ring fingernails, which are white and feature one or more hearts.
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Red Heart French
Another perfect balance between a classic mani and one that celebrates V-day is this one by Latin Witch ClubX Freida. A regular French manicure is replaced by one featuring hearts in classic bright red. Not only can you go for this modern yet vintage-looking option, but you can have fun trying out different heart colors.
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Roses, 3-D Hearts, and Marble
These Valentine’s Day nails are extra in such a pretty way. Every nail is shouting out the day of love and friendship, with hearts, roses, and a marble swirl made up of pink, red, and white. The effect is so feminine and fun.
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Whisper Pink and Hearts
Whisper pink is such a flattering nail color any time of year, but is also so fitting for Valentine’s Day. This mani on acrylics, by Hot Nail Salon, is mostly in this soothing pastel hue. The ring-finger nails, however, are clear and topped with tiny pastel hearts. The result is V-day (or any day) perfect.
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Hearts, Crystals, and Pink Ombre
This next pink manicure turns up the volume on the Valentine’s Day inspiration. The pink is punchy, with an ombre effect included, there is a large number of hearts included, and crystals add some sparkle. This pretty look was created by Vanessa Iniguez.
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Goth Black Rose
For those who like their Valentine’s Day nails to be more on the elegantly goth side, we have this amazing manicure. Alina Hoyo’s work includes black glitter, black French tips, black crystals, and beautiful, detailed nude shaded rose on nude, stiletto nails.
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Heart French in All the V-Day Colors
Remember how we encouraged trying out different hues on your heart-shaped French manicures? This fabulous mani, by Nails by Cela, does just that. Each nail is a different V-day color, in shades of burgundy, red, pink, and coral. The effect is so fun and perfect for Valentine’s Day.
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Pink, Marble, and Hearts
This festive mani by NAILS.NINETYNINE is unapologetic in its saccharine awesomeness. There is a ton of pink, hearts galore, and a pink and white marble accent nail. These nails just scream “Valentine’s Day.”
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XO, Hearts, and the Lightest Pink
Ashley from Purpose + Passion Blog created this adorable Valentine’s Day-ready mani. The almond-shaped nails are in white and whisper pink, with V-day details — tiny hearts and an “XO” added to the pointer fingernails.
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Flamenco-ish Red and Black with Roses
Sometimes, you want to forgo the sweetness of Valentine’s Day and go straight for the romantic, moody drama. This nail design, by Indiglow Nails Sheffield, is a wonderful option. In a style that brings to mind flamenco, we see rich red roses against a stark black background. You also have red foil against black, which just adds more striking detail to the V-day look.
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Neon Hearts
Our final fabulous Valentine’s Day nail look is this glowy manicure by NAILSBYCHRISTIANNA. The super cool effect allows these hearts, in fun pops of color, to appear like they are made from neon lights. It’s a fun, totally cool, and unique way to show that your heart glows for V-day.
