Do you already have an idea for your Valentine’s Day nails? It’s not that we necessarily think V-Day is all that important or genuinely romantic, it’s just that any excuse for a new manicure is a good one!
Valentine’s Day nail designs are not copyrighted or trademarked, so feel free to copy the examples we’ve gathered here or take inspiration from a bit of one design and a bit of another to make your own totally unique Valentine’s Day nail art.
We’ve selected all kinds of different examples of Valentine’s Day nail art that range from simple to complex and from adorable to sophisticated, so no matter your skill level or personal taste, you will find something to like.
1. Upside-Down Heart Mani
So simple yet so sweet! This gel manicure features a simple yet unique take on Valentine’s Day nail designs, with a white upside-down heart painted close to the cuticle on two accent nails, and the rest of the nail painted a baby pink, with just a thin line of the bare nail in between for that ultra-chic negative space.
2. Sketchy Valentine’s Day Nail Art
We love this minimalist touch of nail art over long, almond-shaped nails since it’s simple yet impactful. The nails were painted a matte pink-to-white gradient, which is already a cool look on its own, but then little line-based hearts were added here and there on different parts of each nail to add that sketchy, whimsical touch.
3. Xs and Os Manicure
Some ideas for your accent nails, with a red and white heart pattern on the ring finger and an XO accented by a heart on the index finger. If you’d like your Valentine’s Day nails to be a bit subtler, just keep the color story simpler by drawing on the hearts and XO on the accent nails in the same pink shade as the rest of the mani.
4. Coffee Lovers Manicure
If your V-Day date is going to involve a coffee date or if you’re just a plain ol’ caffeine addict, this adorable Valentine’s Day nail art could be a lot of fun! These coffee and milkshake cartoons can be drawn over any kind of manicure with a skinny nail art brush, while the surrounding hearts can be freehanded or stamped on.
5. Have a Sweet Valentine’s Day Nails
Cupcakes and chocolate? Yes, please! This super-sweet manicure can be done with jelly stampers, so while it looks complex, it can be easily accomplished at home! A coat of a sparkly glitter nail polish completes the playful look.
6. Pearly Pink Valentine’s Day Nails
We love the comeback of pearlescent polishes for Valentine’s Day nail designs. This simple pearly pink look features alternating nails painted with two different shades of pink, as well as white nail art that’s easy-peasy to create.
7. Matte Cupid Valentine’s Day Nail Art
Valentine’s Day nail designs don’t all have to come in shades of red and pink, as proven by this stylish orange and blue manicure. A layer of matte topcoat softens the shades and gives an antique feel that works beautifully with the old-school stamps of Cupid, the word ‘cherub,’ and a heart pierced by an arrow.
8. Wintery Valentine’s Day Mani
February can be just as much about the frost and snow as it is about Valentine’s Day, so we love this combination of love and winter motifs. We also like the uniqueness of having just one hand decorated with playful nail art, while the other is painted a vivid red.
9. More Is More Valentine’s Day Nails
If you’re the extravagant type, you will love this loud and dramatic manicure – extra-long nail extensions a must! The thumb is red, acting as an accent, but white is the perfect base for the other nails, which are decorated with ombres, stripes, and different kinds of hearts for maximum joy and love.
10. Smiling Heart Manicure
Alternatively, keep things simple with more understated Valentine’s Day nail designs like this one! Keep the accent nail mostly bare, with the exception of a cute smiling heart design and some glossy topcoat, and then paint the other nails any other color your heart desires, including this non-traditional avocado shade.
11. Patterned Valentine’s Day Nail Art
This unique combination of nail art patterns works thanks to the cohesive color story, with two different styles of gingham and checked patterns and a lovely dot-accented heart. Simple, clean, yet unique – this would look great even on shorter nails!
12. Valentine’s Day Kitty Cat Manicure
Who needs dates when you can have cats? This kitty cat manicure will cure any heartache, with adorable kitten stamp decorations embellished with stripes, which add a sophisticated touch to the playful manicure.
13. Candy Sparkle Valentine’s Day Nails
This manicure is oh-so-pretty yet shockingly simple to achieve! Simply paint your nails with your favorite pinky nude nail polish shade, and then add a layer of silver glitter and a few small white hearts clustered wherever you desire.
14. Handheld Heart Nail Design
We love when a manicure gets profound and makes us think, and this counts. The art on the thumbs is like a painful metaphor for love, told with just a simple design. No need to go over the top with the other nails when the thumbs already say so much.
15. Heart-Shaped Trajectory Manicure
Paper airplane nail art offers a lot of room for playfulness since every paper plane can hold its own hidden message. The heart shape of the trajectory suggests it’s a love note, so what better Valentine’s Day nail art can be there?
16. Blue Valentine’s Day Nail Art
Red, white, and blue is a classy color combination, and it is wonderfully vivid in this Valentine’s Day manicure. Big red hearts over a layer of white solid polish make the perfect way to contrast against the rest of the glossy blue nails.
17. Cartoon Couple Valentine’s Day Nails
This adorable little cartoon couple will turn your nails into a Valentine’s Day comic! Painted over a nude polish, these little black designs can be added to nearly any type of manicure, but keeping the other nails red is a classic choice for the most romantic day of the year.
18. Sweetheart Candy Manicure
One of the best parts of Valentine’s Day is getting cheeky sweetheart candies and reading what they say! These simple candies are also easy to adapt into nail art, with a design that works nicely over the softly pink nails. A fire design on the ring finger adds a bit of spice to the look.
19. V-Day in the Desert Manicure
Do you live somewhere hot? In that case, this desert-inspired art with cacti and blue skies might be a better fit for your Valentine’s Day nail art! Just make sure to decorate one finger with a heart, so people know what time of year it is.
20. French with a Sketch Valentine’s Day Nails
French manicures ain’t going nowhere, even not during Valentine’s Day! However, you can give your mani a romantic twist by adding a cutesy sketch to your accent nail of choice.
21. Romantic Devil Nail Art Your
Valentine’s Day nails can be sweet, but they can also be a little devilish. These heart with devil horn nails definitely fit the bill! Drawing this kind of nail art over a nude-colored nail is a great idea for keeping things subtle.
22. Squared-off Valentine’s Day Nails
This is another manicure with upside-down hearts painted just above the cuticle, which is a quick and easy way to achieve V-Day nails. We love the contrast between the rounded shape of the red hearts with the square nail shape.
23. Pink, Blue, and Foil Valentine’s Day Nail Art
We’re obsessed with this silver and pastel color story, which is so sweet but stays away from the traditional Valentine’s day reds. The textured foil effect on the accent nail isn’t easy to achieve, but it’s super pretty with these soft colors, while a simple heart is a cute and easy additional design.
24. Olaf Loves You Valentine’s Day Manicure
The cartoon snowman from Frozen is a great winter-time decoration while adding a few hearts cements the fact that you’re rocking Valentine’s Day nail art. We also love the twist with matte, three-dimensional appliqués on the pointed figure, which end up reminding us of a cozy sweater pattern.
25. Love Is in the Air Valentine’s Day Nails
There are so many ways to play around when changing up the nail art designs just a touch from one hand to the other. Nails are totally covered in tiny hearts on one hand, while on the other one, the design is more minimalist, with the lovely figure sniffing the plants on the middle finger.
26. Chocolate Valentine’s Day Nail Art
Chocolate represents commitment and love – two things that can be useful to have in any situation, including relationships, so we think it makes for a nice little decoration even for Valentine’s Day. Just paint the base of the nails a pretty brown and add a heart for good measure.
27. Negative Space Hearts Manicure
There is something stunning yet sinister about this negative space manicure. Despite the sweetness of the heart shape, it still feels dark thanks to the combination of a totally bare nail, burgundy nail polish, and a glossy effect that makes the nails look as though they are moist.
28. Pastel Hearts Nail Design
If the words you want your Valentine’s Day nails to evoke are sweet, cute, or girlish, then this is the design to pick, and we think it’ll work on all nail shapes! All you need is a coat of clear or nude polish, followed by a variety of pastel-colored heart stamps.
29. Lines and Watercolor Valentine’s Day Nail Art
This manicure, as a whole, is a lot of fun thanks to the combination of glitters and mattes on different nails. What really stands out here, however, is the matte watercolor effect topped with line-art hearts as well as the messy lines applied with Spider Gel.
30. L.O.V.E. Valentine’s Day Nails
What better emotion to express on Valentine’s Day than love? This all-caps lettering is quirky and fun, with a few hearts over through to better drive the point home. It’s great over a taupe but would like just as stunning over a pale pink or beige tone.
31. Succulent Valentine’s Day Nail Designs
The obsession with succulents may have ended for some people, but we still love the hearty desert plants. Their cartoon figures also make for the perfect nail designs, and with a few hearts and some pink, it becomes a perfect V-Day manicure.
32. Teddy Bear Valentine’s Day Nail Art
A soft little teddy bear is just lovely on V-Day, and you can draw it on all by yourself by creating small circles and lines. This cute nail design also features a few stars and hearts here and there, which adds an air of romance to the manicure.
33. Hearts and Dots Valentine’s Day Nails
To finish things off, here you have an easy Valentine’s Day nail art that you can do by yourself or have done in seconds by a pro. Over the pink base, tiny little polka dots have a retro feel, while randomly placed black hearts give Valentine’s Day vibes.
Photos via Instagram
