Valentine’s Day Nail Art From Nailing Hollywood
A Valentine’s Day nail design by Whitney Gibson of Nailing Hollywood. (Photo: Whitney Gibson)
What better way to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit then with a little nail art? We asked four artists from Nailing Hollywood, the nail artist agency founded by celeb nail stylist Jenna Hipp, to show us their best designs. Whether you’re a nail art beginner or you’ve got a arsenal of striping brushes and decals, we have a look you can master. Check them all out below and if you’re not following Nailing Hollywood on Instagram, do it now. The feed serves up endless #ManiMonday inspiration.
Beginner: Top of Heart Manicure by Debbie Leavitt
Debbie Leavitt is known for her natural nail look, but decided to shake things up for Valentine’s Day with this jewel-toned manicure. For a look like this, rounded nail is best. Leavitt started with Nailing Holllywood Optimal Strength Base Coat ($11) followed by two coats of jewel tone polish (try Nailing Hollywood Bask, Jacaranda, Nightfall, Red Room, or Swim). If you like the multi-color look, paint each nail a different color, or pick one color for all ten nails. Paint two half circles using your favorite metallic or glitter polish. The two half circles should come together to look like the top of a heart. Clean up any edges with a Q-Tip soaked in nail polish remover and finish the look with a top coat.
Intermediate: The All-About-U Nail by Whitney Gibson
Whitney Gibson’s client list includes cool girl Rooney Mara, bombshell Miranda Kerr, and funny gal Tina Fey so of course she was going to come up with a rad V-Day design for us. To get the look start with a pink that suits your skin tone (if you’re not sure what works, Gibson recommends a pale pink with a touch of coral, since warmer colors tend to be most flattering) and apply two coats. Here Gibson used Nailing Hollywood in Tulle ($10). Next, grab your striping brush and paint a silver ‘U’ shape that mimics your nail shape. Use the same striping brush to outline the rest of your nail (grab a friend if you need some help!) and finish the look with a quick dry top coat.
Advanced: Animal Print Hearts by Pilar Noire
Pilar Noire has worked for everyone from Teen Vogue to DVF, Kendall Jenner to Lady Gaga, so she knows how to make nail art pop and this leopard print design is no exception. Start by painting nails with two coats of Nailing Hollywood Strike ($10) and let the nails dry completely. Use your nail polish brush to create spots in a ‘V’ formation on the nail and let them dry. Next, take a striping brush or a toothpick to outline the spots in a loose formation. (Noire used Nailing Hollywood in Valentina to outline her spots.) Finish with Vinyl Gel Top Coat ($10) and let dry.
Expert: Kiss-Tac-Toe by Brittni Rae
“This nail look is perfect for Valentine’s Day because of the heart and lip details,” says celeb nail stylist Brittni Rae, who created this flirty look for Yahoo Beauty. This is one of the more advanced designs, so get your embellishments and striping brush ready. Rae started with a coat of Nailing Hollywood’s Optimal Strength Base Coat. To get the ombré effect, use a sponge to apply three shades along the nail. Rae used Nailing Hollywood in Hint, Fever and The Roosevelt and finished the ombré look with a coat of Unicorn ($10) for extra sparkle. Create the tic-tac-toe board by starting with two coats of Nailing Hollywood Patent and use a striping brush to create the lines of the board. For the accent nail, apply two coats of Nailing Hollywood Strike and use a striping brush to paint tiny hearts and lips onto the nail. Seal in all of your hard work with the Vinyl Gel Top Coat.
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