Heart nails are making a strong comeback and not just for Valentine’s Day. This type of nail art has become one of our favorites because it’s versatile, fun and can be adapted to any style: from minimalist, neutral manicures to designs full of color and texture like cat-eye and chrome.
Whether you love small, understated hearts, bold designs or more abstract versions, this manicure is the perfect way to add a cool, romantic touch to your hands. Here we gathered the cutest and most inspiring ideas for you to find your favorite design. Get ready to screenshot for your next salon appointment (or try to DIY manicure yourself!)
For this festive nail design, paint three of your nails red then trace some strips in shades of pink and white in the style of a serpentine nail design. On top, paint small hearts and dots for a cute and dainty result. Go for a monochromatic look and wear a red outfit.
If you love minimalist manicures with a romantic touch, this design is ideal. It combines a nude or translucent pink base with pastel-pink Frenchie tips and white mini hearts that add a sweet and delicate detail. It’s perfect for short to medium nails and works for both Valentine’s Day and everyday wear. If you’re not such a fan of pink, you can change the tips to any shade like baby blue, lilac, or butter yellow.
Emojis on nails are trending this year, making it the perfect design for heart nails. Select your emojis of choice (the below design used the sparkle emoji and pink heart emoji) and apply it to a minimal clear base. If you think the design is too much to wear on all fingers, combine the design with a pink French tip. This design combines two trends: neutral nails and emojis.
This design is the pure spirit of Valentine’s Day. It combines nude and pink bases with bright red accents like candy cane stripes and little hearts that give it a fun and flirty look. It is ideal if you like to play with different designs on each nail without losing harmony, and it works perfect for any length and shape.
If you’re a lover of the French manicure, but want to flip it upside down in the coolest way, ask for pink-tipped almond nails with red hearts on top. This combination looks great any time of year, especially when paired with denim and white garments. Plus, the colors project joy and love.
This design opts for an ultra glossy black base with negative space hearts outlined with silver glitter. The contrast is elegant, modern and not cheesy at all, ideal if you love Valentine’s Day but with a more sophisticated and mysterious mood. Proof that black can also be romantic!
For those who love textures, we suggest painting a nude matte base with velvet hearts on top. There are already stickers with this texture that just stick to the surface, but nail experts can also do it from scratch by first applying nail polish and then a layer of clear acrylic.
The most important thing here is that the border is precise and that each of the hearts is well distributed. This kind of velvety textures go great with warm sweaters.
A revamped classic: red nails combined with a milky pink base and little red hearts as an accent. It’s feminine, romantic and very easy to wear, perfect if you want something cute without looking overdone. Red never fails when it comes to love.
These French nails with pastel borders and hearts will take you straight into spring. It is ideal for both long and short nails, although it looks even better if you play with the square-edged tip. All these colors should be in your spring nail polish collection.
If you like bold nail art, this design is for you. Pink cat-eye hearts combine an intense pink base with the magnetized cat-eye effect to create tiny hearts. You’re left with a luminous finish that changes according to the light. It’s romantic, modern, and ideal if you want a design that stands out.
Another variation that will make your hands the center of your look are these nude nails with a red metallic heart in the center. They look stunning with almost any outfit and the accessories give a total upgrade to your nail look. Remember to apply a top coat of glitter to keep the nail design intact.
This is one of the nail designs with hearts that you will see the most, and all the nail artist accounts on Instagram prove it. It’s all about leaving the base transparent or nude, and painting a pattern of colorful hearts on each nail. Throw on your favorite outfit, cute accessories, and you have your look complete. Play with ring layering to play up your heart-nail designs.
Shiny gemstones and miniature diamonds are elements you should definitely incorporate into your heart nail art. Get inspired by this nail design that looks elegant and understated, perfect for those who like a little sparkle. And if you’re not a fan of rhinestones, miniature pearls are a great alternative.
This design takes romance to another level with 3D jelly hearts that look like crystal drops on the nail. The nude base keeps the look balanced, while the translucent red adds that playful, glossy effect that steals the show. This look is ideal if you want a bold manicure that’s different and totally Instagrammable.
Make your nails the ultimate accessory with studded nail art. Start with a totally natural base and add red hearts on top outlined by metallic-gold dots that look like studs (which add some edge, but are still cute.) Give them a try with your favorite rings and get ready to make everyone look at your hands. Remember: elongated and rounded nails visually lengthen your fingers.
A version of this story was originally published in Glamour Mexico.
