Carnival Nails: 14 Bright Ideas with Glitter, Colour and Shine

Carnival nails are the one manicure of the year where you can wear glitter, bright colour and high shine on the same hand. Carnival falls in February or early March, from Rio to Venice, Cologne and Cádiz, and the best designs still shine after several days of parades and confetti.

How to choose carnival nails

Choose the costume first and the nails second. A Venetian mask in black and gold, a samba outfit in turquoise and pink and a clown costume in primary colours each need a different palette. Take one main colour from the outfit and repeat it on the nails.

Keep to one loud element per hand. Holographic shine, a cat eye beam, glitter and a pattern on the same nails compete. For glitter and colour together, put the glitter on one or two accent nails, usually the ring fingers, and keep the others in a single shade.

Length matters too. With crowds, costume zips and drinks in the street, short or medium nails with a rounded or almond tip are safer than long square ones, which catch and break at the corners.

How to make carnival nails last through several days of parties

Heat, sweat and glitter make-up are hard on any manicure. Do your nails two or three days before the first party, so you have time to fix a nail that lifts.

1. Prep. Push back the cuticle and remove it from the nail plate, lightly buff away the shine, then cleanse and dehydrate the nail.
2. Base. Apply a thin base coat, run the brush along the tip to cap the free edge, and cure as the instructions say.
3. Colour in thin coats. A thick coat can wrinkle, stay soft underneath and lift, so apply colour in thin coats (most of our shades cover in one), capping the free edge and curing each coat.
4. Keep gel off the skin. Clean any gel from the cuticle and side walls with a small brush before curing. Gel on the skin causes lifting, and uncured gel on skin is the main cause of gel allergy.
5. Top coat. Finish with a hard, glossy top coat and cap the edge one last time.

For that last layer we use Diamond Top Coat, a no-wipe top coat that cures hard, glassy and scratch-resistant. With a base and a top coat, our gel polish wears for up to 3 weeks without chipping or lifting.

How to wear glitter with gel

The easiest glitter is the kind already mixed into the gel. Our shimmer and holographic builder gels are self-levelling and go on like any other layer. Loose glitter gives more texture: tap it into a thin, uncured layer of clear gel, cure, then seal with top coat until smooth, as in our glitter nail ideas.

Set stones in a small drop of gel, cure, then run top coat around their base so no edge catches on a costume, as our guide to nails with rhinestones shows. Elegelli does not sell glitter or stones; use glitter and flat-backed stones made for nails.

How to remove glitter gel nails after carnival

Never peel or pick at glitter, because peeling pulls away layers of the natural nail and leaves it thin for weeks.

1. File the top coat with a medium file until the surface is dull and the glitter layer is broken up.
2. File any builder gel down layer by layer, including the holographic, silver and gold shades, as it does not soak off. Stop before you reach the natural nail.
3. Soak off the gel polish in acetone, following the product instructions, then gently push the softened gel away. Remove cat eye gel as its own instructions say.
4. Finish with cuticle oil.

Glitter and metallic carnival nails

1. Holographic carnival nails

B034 Prisme Holographique is a holographic, multi-reflective builder gel that breaks light into rainbow flashes under parade lights. It suits almost any costume. Over the base, apply a thin layer and cure for 60 seconds under LED or 120 seconds under UV, then a second thin layer for density, and seal with top coat. As a builder gel, it also strengthens the nail.

2. Silver metallic or golden nails

A full metallic manicure suits a sequinned costume. B033 Argent Sterling is a pure metallic silver for white, blue and silver outfits and cool skin tones. For a softer warmth, B030 Or Solaire has a golden reflection that flatters tanned skin and matches gold masks and jewellery. Shiny finishes show every bump, so lightly buff away the shine and let a thin, self-levelling first layer even the nail, then apply a second thin layer, curing each. Our gold nail ideas show more ways to wear gold.

3. A glitter fade from the tip

Apply a sheer nude gel polish and cure, then a thin overlay of B025 Poussière de Diamant, a transparent builder gel with a subtle shimmer that adds strength, and cure. Brush a second thin layer of Poussière de Diamant over the outer third of the nail and tap fine silver glitter into it, dense at the tip and sparse towards the middle. Cure and seal with top coat. The gradient needs room, so on short nails keep it to one or two accent nails.

Bright carnival nail colours

4. Neon pink nails

B022 Rose Pop is a bold neon pink builder gel that gives colour and structure in one step. It looks brightest on tanned or deep skin and suits short almond nails with white, black or turquoise costumes. Apply two thin layers rather than one thick one, and cure each. Keep glitter off these nails, because the colour is the loud element. Our neon nails guide has more ideas.

5. Turquoise and fuchsia nails

Turquoise and pink are the colours of feathers and samba costumes. Paint 092 Lagoon, a vibrant turquoise, and 090 Fuchsia, a bold fuchsia, on alternate nails, or wear Fuchsia on the ring fingers only. Both usually cover in one coat, so add a second only if you see streaks. For a clean cuticle line, leave a hair-width gap and tidy the edge with a fine brush before curing.

6. Coral nails with golden tips

This warm pairing suits daytime parades, tanned skin and gold jewellery. Paint the nails in 004 Coral Pink, a juicy, vibrant coral pink, and cure. With a fine liner brush, pull a thin tip of 033 Honey, a golden, creamy shade, across the free edge in one movement, then cap the edge. On short nails, keep the tip to 1 or 2 millimetres. Cure and finish with top coat.

7. A five-colour skittle manicure

A skittle manicure puts a different colour on each nail and needs no line work, so it is the easiest design here for beginners. Use Rose Pop, Lagoon, 106 Violet, a soft floral purple, Coral Pink and 100 Mint, a fresh mint green, in the same order on both hands. To keep every nail in gel polish, use Fuchsia in place of Rose Pop. It suits short rounded nails and multicoloured costumes.

Cat eye carnival nails in jewel colours

Cat eye gel polish contains magnetic particles that a magnet pulls into a beam of light. Apply one thin coat, hold a magnet over the uncured layer, then cure straight away. Work one nail at a time so the particles do not drift before curing. Elegelli does not sell magnets, but any standard nail magnet works with our shades, and our cat eye nails guide shows the different beam shapes.

8. Jade cat eye nails

Cat Eye 008 Jade Mirage has a soft jade glow, like the green stones on carnival masks. It goes with green, gold and black costumes and flatters warm and cool skin tones. For a centred beam, hold the magnet flat over the middle of the nail; for a diagonal beam, tilt it towards one corner. Keep the other nails free of glitter so the beam is the only shine on the hand.

9. Rose cat eye nails

Cat Eye 004 Rose Eclipse has a luminous rose-red beam, for a red manicure whose light moves with your hand. It suits red or pink costumes and medium almond nails, where the beam has room to travel. To make the tip glow, hold the magnet close to the free edge, so the light gathers there and the cuticle area stays darker. With a busy costume, wear it on the ring fingers only.

10. Golden cat eye nails

Cat Eye 001 Golden Veil gives a soft golden glow with a refined beam, a quieter way to wear gold than a full metallic. It matches gold Venetian masks and warm skin, and of the three it suits the office best afterwards. For a narrow, sharp beam, hold the edge of the magnet close to the nail; for a wide glow, hold the flat side further away.

Carnival nail designs with dots, French tips and swirls

11. Confetti dots on a milky base

These dots look like fallen confetti and suit short nails and beginners. Start with a thin overlay of B003 Milky White, a milky white builder gel, and cure. With a dotting tool, place small dots in Fuchsia, Lagoon, Mint, Honey and Violet, in two or three sizes and at random. Gel dots spread if left too long, so cure each nail or two straight after dotting, then seal with top coat. Our polka dot nails guide explains how to keep dots round.

12. Rainbow French tips

A rainbow French puts a different colour on each tip over a sheer or milky base. Use Coral Pink, Honey, Mint, 110 Ocean, a vivid deep blue, and Violet, one per finger in rainbow order. Draw each tip thin with a fine liner brush, and cap the free edge with the tip colour. On short nails, a tip of 1.5 millimetres looks neater than a deep one. Cure each colour, then finish with top coat.

13. A mask-inspired gold swirl on a dark nail

This design borrows the gold scrolls of a Venetian mask. Paint the nails in a black gel polish or 108 Pacific, a deep purple, and cure. With a fine liner brush, draw thin curls in Honey from the side of the nail towards the tip. Cure, set a tiny stone in gel at the centre of one curl, then seal with top coat. Freehand curls take a steady hand, so try them on a plastic nail tip first; on short nails, one curl on the ring finger is enough.

Mardi Gras nails in purple, green and gold

14. Mardi Gras nails

Purple, green and gold are the colours of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Alternate Pacific, 046 Fir Tree, a deep forest green, and Or Solaire across the nails, or wear purple and green with a gold accent on each ring finger. Cure each colour and seal with top coat. Or Solaire is a builder gel and is filed off afterwards, while the gel polish nails can be soaked.

Carnival nails on short nails

Short nails carry bright colour well, because a small area of strong colour looks neat. The skittle manicure, turquoise and fuchsia, neon pink and the confetti dots work at any length, while the glitter fade and the gold swirl are better kept to one or two accent nails.

How to tone down carnival nails for the Monday after

Gel does not wipe off like ordinary polish, so plan the Monday with the design. If the loud element is on one or two accent nails, file and repaint only those in a calmer shade. A full bright set is better replaced with a quiet finish such as Milky White or Golden Veil.

Frequently asked questions

What nails should you wear for carnival?

Match one main colour of your costume and keep to one loud element per hand, such as glitter or a cat eye beam. Short or medium nails with a rounded or almond tip are the most practical.

What colours are carnival nails?

Carnival nails use bright colours such as neon pink, fuchsia, turquoise, coral, violet and mint, often with gold, silver or holographic shine.

How do you make glitter nails last through carnival?

Apply thin coats, cap the free edge with every layer and seal the glitter under a hard, glossy top coat. Do the manicure two or three days early to fix any lifting in time.

What are the Mardi Gras nail colours?

Mardi Gras nails use purple, green and gold, the colours of the New Orleans celebration. The simplest way to wear all three is purple and green on alternate nails, with a gold accent nail.

Can you wear carnival nails on short nails?

Yes, and short nails often carry bright colour best. Skittle colours, confetti dots and a single neon shade all suit them.

How do you remove glitter gel nails?

File the top coat until the glitter is dull, file builder gel down, then soak off gel polish in acetone and remove cat eye gel as its instructions say. Never peel it, as peeling thins the natural nail.

Pick your carnival colours from our gel polish shades, add shine with our builder gels, or choose a beam from our cat eye gel polish range.