Five Must-Try Holiday Nail Looks

With winter and the holiday season right around the corner, now is the time to start stocking up on the best colors for the season, along with any tools you might need to help create your clients festive looks. Here, take a peek at what we think will be trending in nail art this winter.

Artistic Nail Design

Nail art

1. Create a clear nail enhancement using Artistic Putty, Rock Hard Gel or Rock Hard L&P.  Apply bonding gel, cure for five seconds.

2. Apply Are You Ready To Rock?! in a “V” shape, covering only the nail bed and keeping the extension clear, cure for 30 seconds, then apply a second coat and cure for 30 seconds.

3. Place a drop of Stage Dive and Music Is My Medicine on a glass art palette.

4. Using an Artistic Striping Brush, line the “V” shape with Stage Dive, and flash cure for 10 seconds.

5. Outline Stage Dive on top and bottom with Music Is My Medicine, and cure for 30 seconds.

6. Apply Glossing Gel over the entire nail and underneath, and cure for 30 seconds with LED or two minutes under a UV lamp. Use Nail Surface Cleanser and a Lint-Free Nail Wipe to cleanse the inhibition layer of the nail.

7. Apply Bonding Gel to the nail where the stones will be set, and place crystals using Sani Tongs, and cure for 30 seconds.

8. Apply Revive Cuticle Oil and massage into nails and surrounding skin to finish.

 

China Glaze


1. Start by painting nails with Snow.

2. Once dry, use Stripe Rite in Paint It Black to draw a curve pattern over nail.

3. Apply Fast Forward Top Coat over the string to secure in place.

4. Using the edge of a brush or a toothpick, dab De-Light, Grinchworthy, and Ho Ho No in a random pattern on the nail to create lights, and let dry.

5. Finish with another coat of Fast Forward Top Coat to protect your design.
 

CND

1. Prepare the nail using CND’s P.E.P. technique, which is the company’s systematic method of ensuring lacquer adheres to the natural nail plate.  

2. Apply a thin layer of CND Shellac Base Coat, and cure for 10 seconds.

3. Apply two thin layers of CND Shellac Bellini, and cure each layer for one minute.

4. Dip a CND ProSeries Gel Oval Brush into black pigment, and dry brush over two-thirds of the nail, from the free edge toward the center. 

5. Apply a thin layer of Shellac Clearly Pink, and cure for one minute.

6. Use a CND ProSeries Gel Oval Brush lightly moistened with 99-percent isopropyl alcohol to pick up and apply silver paillettes. Apply more near the free edge and fade over the nail. 

7. Repeat with black paillettes to create the desired effect.

8. Apply a thin layer of CND Shellac Top Coat, and cure for one minute. 

9. Wipe with 99-percent isopropyl alcohol to remove top film. 
 

Deborah Lippmann

1. Contour nails into a short almond shape using Smooth Operator 4-Way Nail Buffer.

2. To prep the nail plate, exfoliate then hydrate the cuticle using Cuticle Remover and Cuticle Oil, then cleanse the nails with 2 Second Nail Primer prior to base coat application to ensure all leftover debris is removed.

3. For the base, apply a coat of Gel Lab Pro Base Coat.

4. Apply two coats of Fade to Black, and wait two minutes to dry between coats.

5. Swarovski crystals, in large chunky sizes, should be carefully placed on each nail to create an added visual element.

6. After waiting another two minutes to dry, apply one coat of Gel Lab Pro Top Coat to seal the nails and prevent chipping. Finish the look with an application of The Wait is Over Quick-Dry Drops to ensure faster drying time.
 

Londontown

1. After applying Nail Hardener & Base Coat, apply two thin coats of Jane Austen all over the nail using the flat side of the brush. Let it dry completely using Accelerating Drying Oil.

2. Using the side of the brush, apply Iconic in a straight line on the bottom of the nail and let it dry completely.

3. Apply Kissed by Rose Gold in a half moon shape using the side of the brush overlapping Iconic and dragging it midway up the nail.

4. Apply a top coat for a patent leather-like shine.
 

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