Dreaming up your perfect February nail look (or looks)? While you can wear whatever polish color or nail art design you desire any time of the year, two themes stand out in February. On one hand, you could use your mani to pay homage to Black History Month, finding ways to get creative with black, red, yellow, and green. On the other, there's always the option to lean into the femininity of Valentine's Day, adopting shades of pink, purple, and red and layering them with hearts, bows, and all things girly.
To help you make your pick, we compiled over two dozen fitting February nail looks. Pick one or two, or save a few.
Darling Heart Nails
This French manicure makes us nostalgic. While the crisp white tips are classic and mature, the rhinestones and heart doodle art remind us of the excitement of Valentine's Day in elementary school.
Bow-Accented Black French Mani
Bows are super of the moment, so adding them to your nails is an easy way to achieve a fashion-forward manicure in February. Plus, how fun are they against bold black French tips?
Burgundy and Red Colorblock Nails
You can never go wrong with colorblock or squiggle nail art. We love how burgundy and cherry red pair here for a moody and bright nail look. The exact colors are Light's Lacquer Nail Polish ($11) in He's Her Lobster and Midnight Train.
BHM Negative Space Swirl Nails
If you're looking to celebrate BHM on your hands, check out this subtle squiggle nail look. It was created using Lights Lacquer Nail Polish ($11) in Dream St., Zoey, Caramello, Chloe, and Ace. While it doesn't feature black polish, you could easily add some to the mix.
Pearl-Dotted Bow Nails
Here's another bow mani we can't help but smile at. It's so dainty and femme, not to mention easy to DIY. Nail artist Dayanna I. Sapiens created the look using Le Mini Macaron's Cherry Red Gel Polish ($13) and Le Glazed Chrome Powder ($15). She hand-painted the bows with the Le Liner Brush ($10) and topped them with teeny pearl accents.
Metallic Silver Nails
Silver is a winter classic, so a silver swirl mani is a great choice for February. Nail artist Brittney Ellen created the base using Lights Lacquer Nail Polish ($11) in Clueless and the squiggles with Spanglish.
Pink and Purple Squiggle Nails
Hot pink and purple pair well for a Valentine's Day-ready nail look that doesn't look overly planned for the day of love. Truly, couldn't you see this nail art working for spring and summer manis, too? It was created using Peacći Nail Polish ($13) in Sepia, Madam, and Yesss Girl.
Passion Punch Aura Nails
At first glance, this manicure looks like a warm-toned aura nail look. If you look closely, though, you'll notice cute little hot pink hearts hiding in the middle of the fade. The best part? These nails require zero nail art skills. They're the Chillhouse Passion Punch Press Ons ($16), so you can just glue them on and go.
Black History-Inspired Tie Dye
Here, we have another set fit for Black History Month. The tie-dye approach looks downright groovy (and surprisingly easy to DIY). Simply paint a vertical strip of each color on your nails and use a dotting tool to drag each stripe to the right. Voila!
Pink and Purple Valentine's Nails
Prefer purple above all other Valentine's Day colors? You'll love this tri-tone mismatched nail look, which includes double French tips and a Powerpuff Heart. It was created using Peacći Nail Polish ($13) in Madam, In Bloom, and Crayon.
Skittle Nails With Heart Accents
How cute is this peekaboo pink and red heart nail look? To create it, start with your solid base and then use a dotting tool to drag two dots toward your cuticles for the hearts.
Marigold BHM Nails
For Black History Month, yellow represents optimism and justice. To put that concept front and center on your February mani, consider this abstract marigold aura nail look. The gold accents make it look especially luxe.
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Dainty Red Heart Nails
For a more minimalist nod to Valentine's Day, opt for a neutral base with a couple of red hearts thrown into the mix.
BHM Sand Art Nails
Here's another subtle nod to BHM. To fully embrace the colors of the month, you could outline each layer with black polish or fill in the space above the cuticle with the hue.
Red Jelly Bow Nails
Another bow nail look because, admittedly, we're obsessed with the trend. We especially love the ultra-fine bows and jelly base in this set.
Abstract Red Nails
Red is a classic nail polish color all year long, but especially in February. Instead of a solid red nail look, consider this abstract mani. You can perfect the edges using the Orly Half Moon Guides ($6).
Two-Tone Pink Nails
This two-tone pink ombré nail look is bright and playful. What if we told you it's an optical illusion, though? Nail artist Anna created this one with the Death Valley Nails Hard Candy Thermal Nail Polish ($16)—which sold out fast.
Glossy Black BHM Nails
How pretty are these glossy BHM nails? To recreate them, you'll need black gel polish and red, yellow, and green nail foil.
Heart Accent Chocolate Nails
This rich brown Valentine's Day manicure has us dreaming of a box of chocolates. It's like a sweet treat for your nails.
Neutral Groove Nails
Speaking of chocolate, how about this groovy French manicure with '70s-inspired heart accent nails? We're obsessed.
Valentine's Mismatched Nails
If you love mismatched nails, check out this Valentine's Day doodle mani. The nail art is stickers—specifically, the UN/DN LAQR Love Line Nail Stickers ($12).
Graphic Neutral Valentine's Nails
Valentine's Day nails don't have to be ultra bright. Here, you can see how mauve and white pair for a pretty February nail look.
Red Swirl Nails
Here's another pinkish-red swirl nail look we can't help but love. It was created using OPI Nail Lacquer ($12) in Put it in Neutral and A Kick in the Bud.
Pink Skittle Nails
Solid nail looks are fabulous for February, too. This manicure was created using Orly Nail Lacquer ($11) in Oh Darling, Meet Cute, Wink Wink, and Check Yes or No.
Heart Face Nails
Aren't these glossy red and black nails adorable? Polka dots are very Parisian, and the little heart faces only add to the French aesthetic.
Up Next: 15 Velvety Valentine's Nail Ideas for a Luscious Look
Read the original article on Byrdie.
