57 Valentine’s Nails You Need To Try This Year

Regardless of any relationship status, Valentine’s nails offer the perfect opportunity to show your nails a little love. When it comes to romance, we highly endorse a self-care sesh, setting aside time to zone out, nourish cuticles and emerge with a design that brings good vibes each time you look at it.

As for which designs to choose? You don’t have to go trad. Go with your heart (it’s a day to celebrate love after all). It’s the perfect time to pull the trigger on that enviable design you’ve been lusting after on your saved list for months. It’s also a good opportunity to express. Tap into the parts of your personality you want to play up, whether it’s playful colours, glitz accents or if you savour elegant simplicity, roll with that.

Want something a little more themed? Red for Vally Day may not be groundbreaking, but it’s an undeniable classic. We’ve seen some stunning manis that remix traditional pinks and reds in a modern, covetable way, whether it’s across the whole nail, ombréd out, or making a guest appearance as an accent, like a French tip or retro swirls (which are proving very popular).

Likewise, hearts and kisses can easily lead into mushy territory, but we’ve been crushing on clean, minimalist renditions that feel cool and grown-up – though we’re here for maximalist multi-layered heart designs too. We’ve even seen manis that incorporate the nail shape into a heart design, using the tips as the point. Clever.

If reds and pinks are not your bag, monochrome black or white heart nails keep things interesting and go with everything. And if you want to stand out, 3D valentine’s designs are bold and beautiful.

To help inspire your decision, we’ve put together an edit of the most beautiful nail ideas that work equally well across acrylic nails, gel nails and every different nail shape. There’s options for long coffin nails through to short and natural shapes. For the romantics, we’ve found beautiful red, pink and heart designs. And we’ve got modern twists on classics with cutout details and heart French tips.