Valentine’s DIY Nail Art: Heart-Shaped French Tips

February 14 is almost upon us, and if you’re looking for the ultimate mani for the occasion, try this two-color, heart-inspired French. It makes a statement, and is easier to DIY than you might think! We went with classic “Valentine’s Day” colors (red, pink, lilac), but you can also do a completely different palette. For an ultra chic version, try white heart tips over a clear or neutral base; for a more playful take, try pastel heart tips over white. Whatever you choose, steady your hands and follow along with our sweetest nail tutorial yet.

You will need

• nail clipper
• nail file
• base coat
• top coat
• base color(s)
• tip color(s)

We used Cult Nails Nail Lacquer in Charlatan and Inglot O2M Breathable Nail Enamel in #686 as the base shades and RGB Nail Polish in Too Red.

1: To start, clip your nails into a symmetrical point by working from left to center, and then again on the right.

2: File tips into a smooth, rounded point as pictured.

3: Apply a layer of base coat and let dry.

4: Apply two coats of your base color over the whole nail (or, if you want a clear base, skip this step).

5: To create the hearts, first position the brush of your tip color on the left side a nail near the middle [photo A]. Use the brush to create a teardrop shape onto the nail bed, and drag the brush over and down to the center of the tip, staying to the left of the tip [photo B]. That creates one side of your heart. Repeat, mirroring that same shape on the right, to close up and finish your heart [photos C & D].

6: Repeat step five on each nail. Painting the dominant hand (using your non-dominant one) is obviously the trickiest. Steady your working hand on a surface as you go, and don’t worry about the hearts being completely perfect or even. They’ll read just fine when you see them all together!

7: Finish with a generous dose of top coat to ensure your mani lasts through the big day.