We promise that there is a New Year’s nail design that will go well with your evening plans and your attire, whether you choose the typical New Year’s sparkle, a bright hand-painted confetti party, or chrome stars.
Maybe you plan to be in PJs for the night. No problem, we’ve got a manicure for that.
There is so much inspiration on Instagram to choose from and we’ve selected the most creative designs. Resourceful nail artists are using stamps, stickers, wraps, chrome powders foil, and more to bring their visions to life. Some of these mini works of art will feel on-theme all the way from Christmas Eve through Valentine’s Day, and others — like one manicure that features a clock striking midnight — are singularly honed in on New Year’s Eve.
A disproportionate amount of nail art we’ve curated will have you breaking out the most shimmery polish you own. We’re talking: sparkly swirls, festive glazed donuts, rhinestone-laced nail art designs, and even on-trend aura nails with a colorful glitter twist. If you’d prefer your sparkle with your champagne or blended with confetti inside poppers, that’s okay too. Nail artists are also using matte blacks, French tips, holographic finishes, and gold to get into the spirit.
Ahead, find our favorite New Year’s nail designs to recreate at home or to screenshot and take to the salon. Whether you turn your fingers into a champagne glass — you’ll see what we mean below — or simply wrap your nails around the stem of one at midnight, we’re wishing you the best and brightest year to come. With nails as good as these, you’re sure to have the sparkliest, most glamorous year yet.
Instagram / _by_shelley/ 1/31Chrome Winter Night SkyIt’s the perfect manicure for Christmas, New Years Eve, and beyond. For this nail art design, sweep on a base coat. Then, buff a chrome powder into the nail to create a silver ombré effect. Finish the look with a few hand-painted white stars (or you can grab some nail stickers) and an ultra shiny top coat.
Courtesy of Mimi D2/31Dripping in GoldLos Angeles-based nail artist Mimi D designed a New Year’s look that ticks plenty of boxes: it’s festive, it will match the sparkly eye makeup that you’re sure to be wearing on the big night, and the translucent base layer means you can let the same nail look grow out well into the new year without anyone suspecting a thing. It’s also simple to recreate at home with a clear base coat and your favorite color of glitter polish (we like Essie Rock at the Top).
Instagram / califreenails 3/31Aura Gold StarsIf you don’t want a “traditional” NYE manicure, try this aura manicure created by Michelle Won. The trend allows you to showcase the energy you plan to emit in the new year right on your fingertips. This particular manicure features the vibrancy that makes this trend so popular, dainty gold stars, and multi-color gems.
Instagram/@audreyfaithartistry4/31Deck the HallsHead to the salon for a version of this sweet look before Christmas, and keep it all the way through the New Year. Look closely and you’ll see the gold half-moons and classic crystals are actually hanging Christmas ornaments, thanks to Audrey Faith’s addition of a thin gold line. The base coat is Gel Bottle Inc in Diana, then she used decals to create the textured design. Thanks to a simple palette of silvers and golds, the nail art will carry you to 2023. (Or opt for more traditional red and green decals to place it squarely in the Christmas category.)
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Instagram / heynicenails 5/31Cobalt IridescenceWe can’t think of a better hue to ring in the new year than cobalt blue — the nail polish shade of the year. Add some iridescent foil underneath and you’ve got a winning combo. If you want a super slick finish, we always recommend a visit to a professional for this one. If you’re creating this look at home, grab some holographic or iridescent foil, a bright blue nail polish (we particularly love Essie Butler Please for it) and a tiny nail art brush to create your swirls.
Instagram / Vanityprojectsmia6/31Dipped In GoldWe’ll never not love a French manicure and this set from the Vanity Projects nail salon in Miami is no different. This set looks like it’s literally been dipped in gold and that’s the energy we want to bring into 2023.
To achieve this look, you’ll need a bold gold polish shade or a chrome powder to give it a reflective finish. If you don’t have long nails or extensions, you can do this design with a micro-French tip, which looks great on shorter nails.
Instagram / skyynailsintl7/31Great Gatsby GoldMatte black and gold nails will always be a classic, elegant combo. This particular look is easy to create at home with the help of striping tape (which you can order from Amazon or a craft store). Paint a gold shade all-over your nails and wait for it to dry completely. Next, lay the tape where you’d like the gold hue to peek behind your black polish. Then, paint the black polish on top of your striping tape.
The next step is key to getting clean lines: Carefully remove your striping tape before the black nail polish has dried. The slightly wet polish ensures that there is no chipping as you remove the tape. Top the look off with a matte top coat and marvel at your work.
Instagram / clawslondon8/31Pink Golden GlazeFor the minimalists, take note of this beautiful manicure. It features a sheer, gold chrome finish, which you can request from your nail artist. When paired with perfectly-shaped almond nails, you’ve got a winning set — one that’ll take you right through January, too.
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BY ANGELA TRAKOSHIS
Instagram / hardasnails_studio9/31Hypnotic SwirlsConsider us fully hypnotized with this swirl design created by Hard As Nails Studio. With a manicure like this, your party trick for the night will be pointing your phone’s flash toward your nails — dazzling every attendee with this shimmer.
Instagram / sadiejnails10/31Snowy Opal StilettosTake glazed donut nails to the next level with this epic stiletto shape and opal-toned iridescent finish. To get a manicure like Sadie Jordan’s, you might want to make an appointment with a professional, who can create the perfectly-shaped extensions.
Instagram / paintbyjaz11/31Seeing StarsThis starry by Jaz manicure is festive enough that it’ll see you from the holidays through the first week of January. Plus, it’s perfect if you love moodier polish shades.
Instagram / nailsbymh12/31Starry NightThis high-shine starry nail look by Michelle Humphrey is a minimalist manicure lover’s dream. To create this nail art design at home, use a beige nail polish as your base. While your nails are still wet, add dainty silver stars (which you can get from a craft store). Finish the look with a super shine top coat.
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BY ANGELA TRAKOSHIS
Instagram / @julieknailsnyc13/31Everything in AbstractionHoliday nail art, but make it fashion. Celebrity nail artist Julie Kandalec is bidding adieu to 2022 with this understated — and yet completely celebratory — abstract French manicure. To create the look, she applied OPI Center of the You-niverse as a gel base color, then “sandwiched chrome pigment between two layers of non-wipe top coat, giving it the alien-like raised surface.”
Instagram / Vanityprojectsmia14/31Space GemsNot sure what to wear for New Years Eve? Allow these nails to be the star of your look. Take this as inspiration to your favorite nail salon or recreate it using silver chrome powder, colorful gems, and matching nail polish.
Courtesy of Mimi D15/31Pure AlchemyAnother Mimi D original, this double-moon look — especially when seen on a sharp almond-shaped nail — brings a bit of witchcraft to any New Year’s celebrations. “I created the textured moon with clear gel, then added gold chrome on top of it,” she explains. Make this look your own with either one or both crescent moons.
Instagram / @coyarose16/31Five CheersWith this conceptual design, you can pour (actual) champagne using poured champagne (nail art). Nail artist Nicoya Grobman took a French manicure and turned it into a champagne flute thanks to the creative addition a hand-drawn “stem.” “I stuck clear caviar beads onto wet top coat to create the look,” she explains. Recreate the delicate stems with liquid gold eyeliner like Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter.
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BY ALLURE EDITORS
Courtesy of ManiMe17/31Olive MartiniIf bubbly isn’t your thing, will a classic cocktail suffice? These 3D-printed nail wraps, courtesy of Allure editor favorite ManiMe, are designed to resemble the most sophisticated of New Year’s beverages: an olive martini. Scan your nails and ManiMe custom-cuts a sheet of wraps that will shape perfectly to your fingers, all the better to curl around the stem of a martini glass at midnight.
Instagram / @coyarose18/31The Dark ForestChristmas may be behind you, but a little reminder of one of the best parts of the holiday season can live in on Grobman’s forest display. Using slightly different shades of blue, she’s able to create the illusion of perspective, as though you’re looking in on the woods from afar. (Learn how to recreate the whole look in her step-by-step YouTube video.) For more of an enchanted forest vibe, layer this look with the pearlescent top coat from Harry Styles’s Pleasing.
Instagram / @bycheznails19/31Winter WonderlandAn ode to the nail sticker just as much as it is an ode to the season, this complicated-looking design is actually the handiwork of these Born Pretty snowflake stickers. Nail artist Emily Zheng used China Glaze Deck the Malls as a base coat, adding two or three coats to make sure the shade is opaque. “Because I cannot create snowflakes for the life of me, I used these nail stickers [from Born Pretty,” she wrote on Instagram. “These are the best nail stickers I’ve ever used — they were easy to apply and lay completely flat on the nail.”
Instagram / bycheznails20/31All That GlittersAnother New Year’s look from Zheng, she created this manicure with only a standard polish brush. She breaks down exactly how to try it at home: “Start with the base color and let it fully dry. Then create the glitter gradient by first painting a thin layer of glitter polish on three-fourths of your nail. After that dries, paint another layer on only the top half of the nail. Finally, concentrate the last layer of glitter on the upper one-fourth of your nail.” You’re left with an all-glitter ombre reminiscent of midnight fireworks.
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BY ALLURE EDITORS
Instagram / @nailsbychenoa2321/31Festivity ExplosionBright white creates a vivid background for these gold and black accents, which Chenoa Marie created using a range of nail design skills. She freehanded the firework using a “really skinny” nail art brush. “Make short lines on the top and long lines on the bottom, then add in a few glitter lines,” she says. Nail tape, gold foil, and nail stickers make up the rest of this full-bodied look. And if you don’t know how to use one of the tactics on display, well, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for.
Instagram / @disseynails22/31Unique SnowflakesNail artist Dayanna Issey continues the elevated French manicure trend with hand-drawn snowflakes layered over her frosty French. She used Lights Lacquer Lyla as a base coat and the brand’s white creme Paper Snow for the accent and tips. The snowflakes can be accomplished with a dotting tool and thin nail brush— just be sure to practice your drawing elsewhere before committing to painting atop that gorgeous gradient.
Instagram / @heygreatnails23/31A Roaring StartThanks to the artist Aiste’s inspired use of glitter polish, this zebra print manages to scream “Happy New Year!” (It also looks like the nail art Carmela Soprano would wear to a New Year’s Eve party, which we appreciate.) She used shades from UNT Global’s Fantasy Peelable collection of peel-off paints, and we also recommend a combination of Essie No Place like Chrome and Now or Never.
Instagram / @betina_goldstsein24/31The Evil EyeAs nail artist Betina Goldstein wrote last New Year’s Eve, “not taking any chances.” It’s safe to say that sentiment carries over into 2023. For this New Year’s manifestation, she left the nails translucent and hand-painted an evil eye atop gold-leaf paper. Recreate the eye using a dotting tool, toothpick, or bobby pin.
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BY ALLURE EDITORS
Instagram / @glitter_shine_nails25/31The IllusionistNail artist Jessica Flanagan lives up to her Instagram handle @glitter_shine_nails with this understated festive look. She started with a base layer of shimmery, creamy white, then chose a few accent nails to decorate with five-pointed-star stamps. Of course, this can be recreated with any colors you choose, but we’re partial to the white-on-white design that leaves the stars just this side of sparkly.
Instagram / @misspopnails26/31At MidnightLeave it to Miss Pop to create a design that looks like it’s about to pop right off the nail bed. A holiday look from New Year’s past, Miss Pop used Essie shades No Place Like Chrome, Mod Square, Hay There, In the Cab-ana, and Butler Please to dust her fingertips with confetti. To create the look, she works backwards, starting with her accent colors and then adding the background. “First I paint splotches of color over the nail,” she says. “Then, using a striper brush dipped in silver, I outline confetti shapes.” The result is a burst of confetti that, we hope, mirrors what you’ll see come midnight.
Instagram / @sierrasnails_27/31The UnburdeningSierra Unsicker based her accent nail, which reads “let that sh*t go,” on a favorite t-shirt. She debuted this nail look in November, and though it’s fair to say the message holds all year long, there’s something extra special (and dare we say spiritual?) about letting sh*t go around the new year. The set took about two and a half hours from start to finish, she says, and she “used a tiny brush and Ageha Sharp Liner art gel in white to paint the stars and write the words.”
Instagram / @nails_and_soul28/31The Merry AnarchistThis design from nails_and_soul is so artfully rendered, we won’t even recommend trying to copy it polish swipe for polish swipe. Instead, embrace the abstract chaos of the silver and black accents embellished with gold leaf.
The artist followed a three-step process to create the look, she tells Allure. First, she tapped gold foil onto the nail. Then, she drew on and around the foil with black polish and silver glitter. As a finishing touch, she added gold foil on top of the polish. It’s a beautiful mess, just like the year ahead is sure to be.
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BY ALLURE EDITORS
Instagram / @audreyfaithartistry29/31Check It TwiceHere, Audrey Faith has created a design that’s the exact opposite of chaos. There’s something peaceful about the straight lines of this eye-catching grid, which is layered over The Gel Bottle Inc in Supernova. Once the silver glitter base is dry, she hand-paints the gridlines using a long striping brush and white art gel. “Art gel has a thicker consistency to hold the tight lines,” she says.
Instagram / @audreyfaithartistry30/31The JokerCan’t freehand and don’t own a dotting tool? This design, also from Audrey Faith, looks supremely professional — but just might be the easiest look to recreate on our list. Just paint your nails with black polish (here, she used The Gel Bottle Inc in Black Glass) and use tweezers to strategically place colorful foil squares. You can start at 11:50 and be done just in time for midnight.
Source: https://www.allure.com
