St. Patrick's Day
Chic, sparkly, and sophisticated.
'Tis the season for green beer, green rivers, green wardrobes, green grass, green... well, all green everything. If your’e the type to express yourself via eye-catching nail designs, these St. Patrick's Day nail art ideas will keep you feeling festive all week long. It’s one way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, plus it’s a fun way to flaunt the color of the day if green clothes aren’t your thing.
The best part about expressing yourself this way on St. Patrick's Day — aside from the general jolly camaraderie of the holiday itself — is that there are so many different pieces of lore to celebrate and decorate your nails with. If you prefer a subtle manicure, try out neutral nails with gold accents. If you prefer a solid color theme, you’ve got an easy St. Patrick’s Day nail idea: paint 'em all green and call it done. If you want to go all out? You've got options. Go for some cute nail designs featuring rainbows, shamrocks, glitter, pots of gold, top hats, and plenty of sayings — they all fit the bill perfectly for this holiday, and you don’t have to be a nail artist to pull them off, either. There are plenty of on-theme nail stickers and decals you buy. Trust, these St. Patrick's Day nail art ideas won't let you down.
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Cool girl nails: check
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Matte meets metallic
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Looking sharp
There’s something so cool about shorter stiletto nails. This set is perfect for St. Patty’s day thanks to the deep green hue (no pinching allowed here), sparkling gold reminiscent of a big pot of coins, and on-trend abstract swirls that make this mani feel modern. This is how you do holiday without literal shamrocks (though, there’s nothing wrong with shamrocks either).
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Comic book style meets St. Patrick’s Day
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Four-leaf clovers
If patience is on your side, you might be able to sit still long enough for your nail artist to perfect each one of these four-leaf clovers. Or, maybe if you’re super DIY-inclined, you could pull this off at home. In any case, if you’re hoping to harness all the luck of the Irish this year, you need these nails.
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Shamrocks & sparkles
Short nails deserve intricate designs too; no saving the nail art fun for the long nail queens and kings only. If you can’t decide between a cute, festive design and an all-out sparkle fest, these festive St. Patty’s day nails have it all — rainbow, a shamrock, and even a leprechaun’s hat — thanks to glitter and decals.
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Glitter gradients & rainbows
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St. Patty’s Day drip
Chrome nails are having a moment right now, so why not try the trend for a holiday look? This green drip topped in metallic powder is on-theme for St. Patrick’s Day but would look equally edgy and cool any time of year. And honestly, they’d be killer Halloween nail designs too.
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Choose your character
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Modern waves
The wavy lines nail trend isn’t going anywhere, so why not make it part of your March mani? You could use a classic St. Patrick’s Day green like this one, a lighter sage green hue, or lean jewel-toned with a deep emerald shade. This is a look you’ll probably want to replicate with different colors again and again.
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St. Patrick’s Day nails for Lucky Charms lovers
Speaking of nostalgia, you could opt for nail art based on your favorite breakfast cereal from childhood (and adulthood, let’s be honest here): Lucky Charms. You’ll have all the shamrocks and rainbows your heart desires, with some additional lucky horse shoes and stars in there too. And hey, none of those boring beige pieces!
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Another one for the real fans
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Classy pearls
This elegant green French mani is extra festive with little pearl accents dotted all over, but isn’t so St. Patrick’s Day-themed you couldn’t wear it any time of year. It incorporates a bright green to pastel gradient. This look is perfect for corporate settings, or if you just want to keep things simple and sweet.
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Decadent jewels
Do you just so happen to prefer something a little more... maximalist on your nails? Channel your inner saint with some seriously ornate bejeweling for St. Patrick’s Day, like this gorgeous set created by @reeseebad. You could choose a clear base like the one used here, or opt for something solid as a base for your jewels.
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Adorn the tips
St. Patrick’s Day-ify your regular white French tips with some sparkling gold and green clovers painted on the edges. Some people are just dedicated to their usual French manicures, and hey, that’s not a bad thing. This is a great way to incorporate a little holiday flair to your go-to look without getting tired of it after a day or two.
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Heart shamrocks
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Sweet hearts
These adorable multi-colored hearts pop perfectly against a grass-green background in this St. Patricks Day nail design. Even though the details are tiny, with the right brush or dotting tool, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to DIY this nail art idea at home. Put a few hearts together and you basically have a four-leaf clover.
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Glitter everywhere
There’s nothing more festive than glitter — it’s just science, OK? An all-glitter manicure with subtle shamrocks will let everyone know you’re serious about St. Paddy’s Day. You could add more gold accent nails if you choose, or opt to have them all coated in a glossy green. They’ll look great either way.
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Gold & green galore
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Abstract art
A dab of green and gold is all you need for simple St. Patrick’s Day nail art. On abstract nails, any random lines or dashes will do, and you don’t have to worry about getting each nail to match up perfectly with its neighbor (if you’ve ever tried to give yourself French tips at home, you know it’s a real challenge).
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End of the rainbow
There is no limit of options when it comes to your St. Paddy’s Day nail art, whether you go for a glam green, all-out with the sparkles, or add in clover decals. Any of these on-theme ideas will have you feeling ready to celebrate the holiday in style.
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