32 Winter French Tip Nails to Try This Season

A French tip is an easy way to wear winter colors without painting the whole nail. Here are 32 winter French tip nail ideas from nail artists on Instagram, with glitter, chrome, plaid, dark shades and classic white.

Each idea has a level. Easy means regular polish and a top coat. Medium means you need a thin brush, chrome powder, magnetic gel or a lamp. Salon means detailed work that is best left to a nail tech.

☰ Jump to a section4 sections

1. 32 Winter French Tip Nail Ideas
2. How to Do French Tips at Home
3. Which Winter French Tip Should You Pick?
4. Frequently Asked Questions

32 Winter French Tip Nail Ideas

1. Blue Ombre Tips With Glitter Outline

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Short almond nails with a sheer base and tips that fade from deep blue to pale blue, each outlined with a thin glitter line. The artist posted it in summer, but the icy blue shades suit winter well.

Level: Salon. The fade is sponged or airbrushed, then outlined with a liner brush. Ask for an ombre French with a glitter smile line.

Shop the look: blue gel polish set, glitter nail art liner gel

2. Gold Glitter Tips

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Almond nails with a nude base and gold glitter French tips. The post is a carousel of the artist’s festive sets, and the first photo shows this gold version.

Level: Medium. Dab gold glitter polish on the tip with a small brush and build it up in two layers.

Shop the look: gold glitter nail polish, french tip liner brush

3. Cloudy White French

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Almond nails with a pink base and soft white tips that blur into the base, which the artist calls cloudy French tips.

Level: Medium. Paint a white tip, then pat the lower edge with a sponge or dry brush before curing to soften the line.

Shop the look: white gel polish, ombre nail sponge

4. Red and White Tips With Snowflakes

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Almond nails with alternating red and white French tips and small snowflakes on a few nails.

Level: Medium. Alternate the tip colors from nail to nail and add snowflake stickers on one or two accent nails.

Shop the look: red gel polish, snowflake nail stickers

5. White Tips With a Gold Glitter Line

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Almond nails with classic white tips and a line of gold glitter under each one.

Level: Medium. Paint the white tip first. Add a thin glitter line along the smile line with a liner brush.

Shop the look: gold glitter nail art liner gel, white gel polish

6. Pearl White Tips

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Almond nails with a sheer pink base and white tips that have a pearl shine.

Level: Medium. Paint white tips, add a no wipe top coat and rub pearl chrome powder over the whole nail.

Shop the look: pearl chrome nail powder, white gel polish

7. Burgundy With Glitter Fade Tips

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Short rounded nails that mix solid burgundy, full red and gold chunky glitter, and nude nails with glitter fading down from the tip. The artist calls it a festive glitter mix.

Level: Medium. For the fade nails, dab chunky glitter on the tip and drag a little toward the middle with a dry brush. Paint the other nails in solid burgundy.

Shop the look: chunky red gold glitter gel, burgundy gel polish

8. Dark Green and Silver Tips

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Almond nails with dark green French tips, silver details and a small evergreen design on an accent nail.

Level: Salon. Ask for forest green tips with a silver liner. The accent nail is painted by hand.

Shop the look: dark green gel polish, silver nail art liner gel

9. White Glitter Tips With a Snowflake

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Almond nails with white tips, fine glitter and a snowflake on an accent nail. The artist’s caption is about a white Christmas.

Level: Medium. Use a white glitter gel for the tips. Add one snowflake sticker and seal it.

Shop the look: white glitter gel polish, snowflake nail stickers

10. Subtle Glitter Micro French

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Short rounded nails with a sheer pink base and a very thin line of fine glitter at the tip.

Level: Easy. Wipe most of the polish off a glitter brush and touch it along the free edge. Finish with top coat.

Shop the look: fine silver glitter nail polish, sheer pink nail polish

11. Tortoiseshell Tips

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Short nails with a milky pink base and thin tips painted in a tortoiseshell pattern.

Level: Salon. The pattern is layered amber jelly with brown and black patches, painted inside a thin tip. It takes a steady hand.

Shop the look: amber jelly gel polish, nail art liner brush set

12. Blue Shimmer Tips

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Almond nails with a sheer base and shimmery blue French tips.

Level: Medium. Swap white for a blue shimmer or glitter polish. Two thin layers on the tip give full color.

Shop the look: blue glitter gel polish

13. Black Micro French

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Short rounded nails with a sheer pink base and a thin black line at the tip.

Level: Medium. Use a long liner brush and black gel. One slow stroke from side to side gives the cleanest line.

Shop the look: black gel polish, french tip liner brush

14. Pink Base Micro French

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Short rounded nails with a glossy pink base and a thin white tip.

Level: Medium. Keep the tip no wider than a millimeter. A sheer pink builder gel gives the smooth base.

Shop the look: sheer pink builder gel, white gel polish

15. White Tips With a Silver Swirl

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Almond nails with white French tips and a silver chrome swirl on an accent nail.

Level: Medium. Draw the swirl with liner gel, cure, and rub silver chrome powder over it.

Shop the look: silver chrome nail powder, nail art liner brush set

16. Short White Micro French

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Short natural nails with a sheer base and thin white tips.

Level: Easy. On short nails, a thin tip looks cleaner than a deep one. Follow the natural free edge.

Shop the look: white nail polish, french tip guide stickers

17. Candy Cane Glazed Tips

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Long almond nails with a pink glazed base and red and white striped tips. The artist calls it candy cane glaze.

Level: Salon. Ask for a double French in red and white with a pearl chrome glaze over the top.

Shop the look: pearl chrome nail powder, red gel polish

18. Burgundy Tips

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Almond nails with a nude base and deep burgundy French tips.

Level: Medium. Paint the tips in a dark red gel. A deeper tip suits almond nails.

Shop the look: burgundy gel polish

19. Foil Tips With White Snowflakes

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Almond nails with a sheer base and tips covered in multicolor transfer foil, with a white snowflake painted over each one.

Level: Salon. The color comes from nail transfer foil pressed onto foil gel. The snowflakes are painted on top with a fine brush.

Shop the look: nail transfer foil set, nail foil gel

20. Glass Plaid in Winter Blue

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Long almond nails with a see-through plaid in gray and blue with thin white lines. The plaid covers most of the nail, so it is a loose take on a French tip.

Level: Salon. Ask for a jelly plaid: sheer blue and gray bands crossed with thin white liner on a clear or nude base.

Shop the look: blue jelly gel polish, nail art liner brush set

21. Black Cat Eye French

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Almond nails with a sheer base and black magnetic tips that show a silver shimmer. The artist posted it as a Christmas set.

Level: Medium. Paint the tip with black cat eye gel, use the magnet, then cure.

Shop the look: black cat eye gel polish, nail magnet wand

22. Off-White Square Micro French

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Short square nails with a sheer pink base and a soft off-white tip.

Level: Medium. Off-white looks softer than bright white on a square nail. Keep the line straight across.

Shop the look: off white gel polish

23. White Tips With Rhinestones

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Almond nails with white French tips and small rhinestones near the cuticle.

Level: Medium. Press the stones into wet top coat with a wax pencil and seal around them.

Shop the look: nail rhinestones clear, wax pencil for nail gems

24. Black Tips With Stars

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Almond nails with a pink base, black French tips and small stars. The artist says the set is Christmassy but classy.

Level: Medium. Add star stickers or studs to two or three nails after the tips are cured.

Shop the look: star nail stickers silver, black gel polish

25. White French With Pearls

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Long almond nails with white tips and a small pearl under each one.

Level: Medium. Place one flat-back pearl at the center of the smile line and seal with gel top coat.

Shop the look: flat back nail pearls

26. Cats in Christmas Jumpers

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Short almond nails with a pale pink base. Each tip is a tiny knitted jumper in a different color, with a cat face painted above it.

Level: Salon. This is detailed hand-painted character art. Take the photo to a nail tech who does freehand work.

Shop the look: nail art liner brush set, gel polish color set

27. Bright Winter Tartan

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Short rounded nails with a multicolor tartan in orange, green, red and blue over a sheer base. It is a full-nail plaid, so it works as a bold swap for a plain tip.

Level: Salon. The artist mixed colors with top coat to make them sheer. Wide sheer bands go on first, then thin crossing lines.

Shop the look: jelly gel polish set, nail art liner brush set

28. Metallic Purple Tips

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Almond nails with a sheer base and metallic lilac French tips. The artist calls the shade icy purple.

Level: Medium. Use a metallic or chrome lilac polish for the tips.

Shop the look: metallic purple nail polish

29. Sugar French With Snowflakes

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Long almond nails with a milky pink base and white sugar-texture tips. The accent nails have white snowflakes and small hearts.

Level: Medium. Paint a white gel tip and sprinkle fine white glitter or sugar powder on it before curing. Do not top coat the tip, so the texture stays.

Shop the look: white sugar glitter nail powder, snowflake nail stickers

30. Red Velvet French Tips

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Almond nails with a sheer pink base and deep tips in sparkling red velvet.

Level: Medium. Paint the tip with red cat eye gel, pull the shimmer toward the free edge with a magnet and cure.

Shop the look: red cat eye gel polish

31. Pearl French With Snowflakes

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Almond nails with pearly white tips and small pearl snowflakes on accent nails.

Level: Salon. The snowflakes are built from tiny pearls set in gel. Take the photo to your nail tech.

Shop the look: flat back nail pearls, pearl chrome nail powder

32. Pearly Glazed French

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Almond nails with white tips and a pearl chrome glaze over the whole nail.

Level: Medium. Finish any white French with a no wipe top coat and pearl chrome powder.

Shop the look: pearl chrome nail powder

How to Do French Tips at Home

1. Shape your nails and push back the cuticles. Wipe each nail with alcohol.
2. Apply a base coat, then one or two coats of a sheer pink or milky nude.
3. Paint the tip. Use a thin liner brush, guide stickers, or a silicone stamper: put polish on the stamper and press your nail tip into it at an angle.
4. Clean the smile line with a flat brush dipped in remover.
5. Add any extras, such as a glitter line, chrome powder or a sticker.
6. Seal with a glossy top coat and cap the free edge.

Which Winter French Tip Should You Pick?

• Short nails: a micro French in white, black or fine glitter.
• Parties: gold glitter tips, black cat eye tips, or a burgundy and glitter mix.
• Christmas: red and white tips, candy cane tips, foil tips with snowflakes, or dark green with silver.
• All winter: burgundy, tortoiseshell, blue shimmer or cloudy white.

Frequently Asked Questions

What colors work for winter French tips?

Burgundy, dark green, navy, black, icy blue, silver, gold and white are the shades nail artists post most in winter.

How long do French tips last?

With gel, expect about two to three weeks before the grow-out shows. With regular polish, expect about five to seven days. A fresh layer of top coat every few days helps.

Can you do French tips on short nails?

Yes. Keep the tip thin so it does not cover too much of the nail. Several looks in this list are on short nails.

What base color should I use?

A sheer pink or milky nude is the usual choice. It hides the natural free edge and makes the tip color stand out.