Valentine's Day-Worthy Nail Art Tutorial

Celebrate the season of love with DIY Valentine’s Day nail art! We share a heart-shaped nail art tutorial, plus how to get your nails— and hands— in tip top shape for the romantic holiday, ahead.

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with your special someone, Galentine’s Day out with your best girlfriends, or you’re thinking of staying in and binge-watching your favorite romantic comedies, get into the holiday spirit with a fun DIY Valentine’s Day nail art. Nothing says “I love you” quite like the classic red heart emoji, which is why we’ve created an easy red heart Valentine’s Day nail art look that you can recreate at home. We share the full tutorial, plus how to get your hands and nails in tip top shape for your V-Day plans, below.

STEP #1: EXFOLIATE

Exfoliation isn’t just for the skin on your face and body... it can help reveal soft, smooth, radiant-looking skin on your hands, too! Kiss the dry, dull-looking, dead skin cell buildup on your hands goodbye with an invigorating body scrub—like The Body Shop’s British Rose Exfoliating Gel Body Scrub. Start by massaging a dime-size amount of scrub to the tops each hand, paying close attention to your knuckles and other areas that may need some extra attention. Then, rinse with lukewarm water and move on to step two.

STEP #2: HYDRATE

Before you push back your cuticles, soften them up with a relaxing soak. Sprinkle some bath salts or a little coconut oil into a small bowl of warm water and allow your hands to relax for a few minutes. Seal in that moisture by massaging your hands with a nourishing skin care oil, such as this one from Decléor. 

STEP #3: CARE FOR YOUR CUTICLES

After giving them a good soak, it’s time to get your cuticles in tip top shape. Massage a hydrating cuticle oil—like essie’s Apricot Cuticle Oil—onto your nail beds and around your cuticles. Then, use an orangewood stick to gently push your cuticles back towards the roots of your nails. Follow up with a nourishing hand cream, or take things up a notch and move on to step four.

STEP #4: DEEP CONDITION YOUR HANDS  

Give your hands a boost of hydration with a little at-home deep conditioning! Start by massaging a nourishing skin care oil or hand cream into your hands. Then, wrap your hands in plastic wrap and cover them with warm washcloths. Allow your hands to sit until the cloths have cooled before removing them.

VALENTINE’S DAY HEART-SHAPED NAIL ART TUTORIAL

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

●      essie Color Corrector For Nails

●      essie Nail Polish in “Russian Roulette”

●      essie Gel Setter Top Coat

●      Bobby pin or nail art pen

●      Toothpick

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Before painting your nails, you want to ensure that you start with a clean surface. To do so, simply apply a small amount of nail polish remover to a cotton ball and swipe the tops of your nails.

2. Once your nail beds are clean, apply a coat of base coat or primer to each nail. For negative space nail art, we like to use essie’s Color Corrector For Nails base coat and primer.

3. After you’ve primed, apply 1-2 coats of essie’s “Russian Roulette” nail polish to every nail except your ring finger.

4. Once you’ve painted your nails, use a bobby pin or nail pen— we like this one from The Body Shop— to apply three small dots (in the shape of an inverted triangle) on the center on your ring finger nail.

5. Then, use a toothpick to drag the bottom dot downwards, so that it creates a point (note: you may need to apply a small amount of nail polish to your toothpick to fill in and clean up the area).

6. Follow up with one coat of essie’s Gel Setter top coat and you’re good to go!