Our Christmas Nail Colour Palette For The Festive Season

You may or may not celebrate Christmas. But most of us will agree that the holiday elicits a specific mood – cosy and wintry, but also glittery and boozy. And we love nothing more than to translate a seasonal mood into a colour palette.  

Then, we like to adapt those shades on our nails.  

And because we believe that choosing a nail colour should be the least of your concerns during the festive season, we’re happy to share our mood board.  

Below, meet the shades that will be adorning our digits this festive season. Plus, product recommendations and tips for a DIY manicure that rivals a professional one. 

1. Oxblood  

You can’t ever go wrong with red. But this year, we’re gravitating toward a deeper, richer shade of oxblood instead. Try the Beauty Pie Wondercolour Nail Polish in Black Cherry Bomb, £15 or Noirberry’s Oxygenated Nail Lacquer in Deep Red Black, £16. Add a shimmery topcoat to make your manicure extra festive. 

2. Moss

Here’s a pastel that’s also appropriate for the winter months. There’s something so cosy about soothing shades of green that have loads of warmth to them. Think mossy olives and sage. J. Hannah’s Artichoke Nail Polish, £22, is the perfect example. Or try Essie’s Nail Lacquer in Win Me Over, £7.99.

3. Pearl

The ‘glazed donut nail’ was summer’s biggest trend. For the festive season, we’re imagining a more opaque, pearlescent interpretation of the look. To create it, use a clean, polished pearl nail paint like OPI’s Nail Lacquer in Kyoto Pearl, £14.30. For a more holographic effect, dust some nail glitter on top like any of the subtle shades in Mylee’s All That Glitters Kit in Iridescent Dreams, £30 (these work best for DIY gel manicures). 

4. Bronze 

Gold may be the first metallic shade that comes to mind when you think of Christmas, but bronze is it’s darker, subtler sister. It’s a great shade to try if a golden manicure has always seemed a bit too ostentatious for you. Try Kure Bazaar’s Or Bronze Nail Polish, £15, for a true bronze. Or Essie’s Penny Talk Rose Gold Nail Polish, £7.99 if you want something that’s more in the light bronze/rose-gold family. 

5. Midnight

While it may not be the most obvious choice, winter blues make for great manicure shades if you prefer cool tones. We like the J.Hannah Nail Polish in Blue Nudes, £22. And the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Aronia Berry, £3.99 is also a great, more affordable option.

6. Pine

You can’t go wrong with a Christmas tree-green – it’s a shade that flatters all skin tones. Try Manicurist’s Nail Polish in Emerald, £14, a rich leafy green. Or NAILS INC’s Want Not Need NailPure Nail Polish, £15, if you want something with a warmer undertone. 

7. Chocolate

Sometimes, we like our nails to reflect our snack of choice. So, during the holidays, it only makes sense to paint our nails in shades of chocolate. Kiko Milano’s Smart Nail Lacquer in 40 Caramel, £3.99, is a beautiful milk chocolate shade. If you prefer taupe-tones, try Nailberry’s Oxygenated Nail Lacquer in Taupe LA, £16. 

At-home manicure tips

What’s the trick to getting your at-home manicure to look like a professionally conducted one? There are a few things to keep in mind. We consulted Charlotte McHale, Clarins Training Manager for advice. Early in her career, McHale was a nail technician, and therefore has a wealth of knowledge to share on the subject.

Here’s what you should know: 

The prep

“Pay attention to hydrating your cuticles,” is McHale’s first piece of advice. 

Try: If you have brittle nails, we highly recommend the Nunale Nail Strengthening Cream, £3.49. With consistent use, it really helps strengthen weakened nails and revives them back to health. 

“Push your cuticles back very, very gently,” McHale advises. “If you don’t do that, when you paint nail varnish on, it goes over the top of a layer of skin. And nail polish isn’t designed to stick to skin. So, it will just come off.” 

If you feel relatively confident, you can then trim the cuticles. “Remember that you’re trimming the cuticle, not your finger skin That is the most painful thing in the world.” 

You want your hands and cuticles to be well-moisturised, but you don’t want any of that moisture to hinder the colour you apply to your nails. “I recommend using a cream the night before – or just generally to look after your nails,” says McHale. “But before you paint your nails, you need to remove any excess oil. I would do that with an acetone-free nail varnish remover (it’s a lot less drying).”

The application

Begin with a base coat. “When you are painting your nails, you should be able to do it in three stripes,” she says. Start about two-thirds of the way down your nail. You want the majority of the polish to land on the middle of the nail and then you just push towards your cuticle to get to the bottom. Then, stroke the rest of it out. 

Do that thrice – one in the middle and one on each side of the nail to get around the edges. You should do that with a base coat, a colour (two coats) and a top coat.  

If you’re doing a standard, non-gel manicure, be patient and wait for each layer to dry before painting on the next one. 

The aftercare

Finish with a rich hand cream. We like the Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, £25.50, that’s loaded with nourishing shea butter, sesame oil and fortifying Japanese mulberry extract. 

“I think a good blob of oil completes any manicure. I like to use the Blue Orchid Oil – along with being a face oil, it’s also a really good cuticle oil,” says McHale. 

Next read: Our Favourite Christmas Nail Art Ideas To Get Inspired By