snowflake manicure nail polish'Tis the season to jazz up your beauty routine. If festive, bold red lips aren't your thing, then how about a fun DIY holiday manicure to get you in the spirit?

After seeing a bunch of different holiday tutorials around the web showing how to paint every design from swirling striped candy canes to cascading snowflakes, I decided, as a serious nail polish addict, that it was about time I gave it a go. My goal: A snowflake manicure.

With some blue and white polish, and my fave top coat in hand, I was all ready to begin. Would I have the skills to re-create this myself and be able to keep a steady hand? I was about to find out.

Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to re-create this fun look on your own:

First things first, you'll need to gather the necessary materials. I chose to use a deep blue from Essie (Midnight Cami, $5.30, Amazon.com) for the base coat and a white nail polish striper from Art Club (White, $2.89, DiscountBeautyCenter.com).

snowflake manicure nail polish

Next up, the base coat. Apply two coats of the deep blue hue to your nails.

snowflake manicure nail polish

Now it's time to get drawing. Make sure to allow the base manicure ample time to dry before drawing on your snowflakes!snowflake manicure nail polish

Start by drawing three individual lines, as seen above in step one. Then, add two small notches on each line, and follow that up with two additional notches below.

Have fun with each nail, mixing up the direction and starting point of your flakes. If you mess up, no sweat! Simply take a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover, and gently get rid of your mistake. When you're done, make sure your flakes are completely dry (as not to smudge all your hard work!) before before finishing off your at-home manicure with a top coat. I used my go-to, Seche Vite Fast Dry ($3.25, Amazon.com).

snowflake manicure nail polish

Voila! A fun, funky holiday look that will leave all your friends asking, "Oh my GOSH! Did you do that yourself?" Enjoy your fun fingers, ladies!

Happy holidays! Are you a fan of the snowflake manicure?

 

Images via Emily Abbate and Lindsay Mannering