Hi, You’re Gonna <3 These 60 Winter Nail Ideas (2024)

My dream winter day consists of a snowstorm outside with me inside, snuggled under four blankets with a CSI marathon. But when the weather doesn’t exactly catch my vibe, I like to make it up with a snow-y manicure. If you’re recreating the look, pop on some snowflake nail decals, or have your nail artist draw on the snowflakes and then cover them in acrylic powder for a similar raised, matte effect.

My Instagram explore page has been full of aura nail designs as of late (prob because I follow almost as many nail accounts as I do astrology pages). But this abstract mani is one of my favs, complete with its winter-y light blue and white hues, since it feels light and clean for the start of 2023.

Had your fill of flashy holiday nail designs? Give this simple, minimalist manicure a try. The micro French tips, especially when painted black, look understated yet ~editorial~ and require very little skill to DIY. Just cover a makeup sponge in seran wrap, paint the surface with a thin layer of black nail polish, then gently press the tip of your nail into the polish to get a crisp, clean line (à la this French Tip tutorial).

I lived in Chicago through six (!) intense winters, which meant I spent a lot of time indoors, staying warm and drinking hot cocoa. So to pay homage, I’m skipping the frigid temps this year and choosing cocoa-colored nails. And since I like things ~extra~, I’m wearing a shimmery-brown nail polish to make my manicure feel festive.

This icy-blue nail polish with a hint of sparkle screams winter (I mean, Elsa from Frozen would 100p wear this). Pair it with your shiniest silver jewelry to bring out all those sparkles, or throw on a blue sweater to really play up the winter vibes.

If you want your manicure to look like sparkling snow on a sunny winter day, try these glittery ombré tips with a snowflake design. Outline the tip of your nail and fill it in with the lightest color, then do the same with the other two shades, lining them up with the previous color. Then, to get the seamless ombré, melt the shades together by swirling a clean nail brush through the edges of each shade to blend.

Winter is the perfect time to play around with deep, cool-toned shades, like burgundies, merlots, and plums. I’m personally loving how this plum shade—when paired with 2023’s required biker jacket—feels like an edgier, brighter neutral than a classic black. For the more opaque finish, paint on two to three coats of polish, then finish it off with a long-lasting top coat.

Pantone’s trend forecasters are predicting orange to be one of the biggest shades across fashion and beauty this year. So if you’re all about being ahead of the trends, try it first on your nails with a coral-y orange polish. It’s just soft and creamy enough that it doesn’t feel too summery, but it’ll still give you some brightness to help offset some winter blues.

I’ve already talked everyone’s ears off about my Hailey Bieber glazed-donut nail obsession, but it’s! not! over! (And I’m not even mad about it). This winter, Mrs. Bieber has been wearing almond-shaped French tips covered in chrome powder for a glazed finish, creating a new twist on her old trend.

How frickin’ adorable is this penguin nail art? Like, I have cute aggression just looking at it. And with the help of a penguin nail sticker, you, too, will be able to DIY this look at home. Just paint on your base color, draw a squiggly line at your cuticles, fill in the space with white polish, then add snowflakes with a nail-dotting tool. To finish, press on your penguin sticker and layer on a top coat to lock it down.

An icy, shimmery, silver nail color will always feel like a festive staple come winter. So if you’ve already worn it a few times this season or just like to be a little extra, add a swirly French tip in a shiny black nail polish to give it a gloomy edge. These tips don’t have to be symmetrical or perfect whatsoever, so even nail-art newbs can easily recreate them.

Wait, this chocolate-brown nail color looks almost good enough to eat, IMO. It's rich, which makes it perfect for a classic dark winter nail color, and also decidedly neutral, which helps it look good on every skin tone.

Get out your checkered Vans and black eyeliner because grunge is back, bb. But make it a little less angsty than your 9th-grade Sharpie manicure, and a bit more 2023 chic by layering on two coats of an ultra-shiny top coat.

I can’t unsee the coffee-creamer chart whenever I look at this neutral-toned, French-tip mani (but honestly, seeing caffeine every time I stare down at my nails isn’t exactly a bad thing). You can stick with a true gradient across all of your nails, or mix it up a bit for a more “Skittles” effect, as seen above.

Jewel tones are great fall nail colors, because they combine some warmth and richness that brings together the shades of summer and winter. But you can make them feel a bit more wintery by choosing darker versions of the shades you loved last season by incorporating a tortoiseshell accent.

I’m all about celebrating New Year’s for as long as possible, especially on my nails with a disco ball-esque nail design like this one. I love how the mani looks when combined with multicolor confetti, giving it a celebratory feeling, rather than looking like a leftover NYE manicure.

Keep scrolling through this list and you’ll see a lot of blue nails (hey, it’s the quintessential color of winter). But if you’re bored of all the deep shades, try French tips in a shade of cobalt blue. The hue still has a winter vibe (especially thanks to the mani’s festive gold accent nails), but doesn’t feel as blah and understated as the darker blues.

Every single one of the colors in this gradient nail look reminds me of a cozy winter sweater. These shades all have a smokey undertone that makes them match even though they’re all slightly different hues.

Winter is the time of all the glitziest award shows (hi, Golden Globes, Oscars, and Grammys!). So pay homage on your nails with a confetti look that says “Yes, I did attend the Vanity Fair After Party…in my heart.” For a quick DIY, try a confetti polish (like OPI’s Pop the Baubles shown here, or Cirque Colors Kaleidoscope for a colorful version).