NEW YORK, Feb 12 — Forget classic manicures, as all things cute, fun — and kitsch — are coming to nails as an expression of love this Valentine’s Day. This year, subtlety is nowhere to be seen, with a craze for cute patterns like hearts and swirls, not to mention glitter and colours that channel sizzling passion. And these inspirations have already scored tens of millions of views on social networks.

From Xmas holidays to Halloween, nails are now embracing all kinds of celebrations. And although not everyone’s a fan of Valentine’s Day, it too has gotten the nail art treatment. In recent weeks, influencers and professional makeup artists have been following one another in presenting manicures and nail art entirely dedicated to this celebration of love. Sure, it’s kitsch, but it’s also hugely popular, with tens of millions of views and search interest soaring for these veritable works of art as Valentine’s Day approaches.

The SpaSeekers* platform took a closer look at these love-themed manicures to find the most popular. Contrary to what you might think, it’s not hearts or steamy red shades that dominate the trends, although they’re still well-placed. It is, in fact, ‘swirl nails’ that have recently risen to the top of these manicure inspirations. With more than 56 million TikTok views and a 45 per cent increase in Google searches, this trend involves applying swirls of colour to nails in colourful waves, bringing a playful touch to any look.

Kitsch designs

More classic, it’s a pink version of the French manicure that takes second place in the list of top Valentine’s Day inspirations. This very romantic trend saw search interest rise by 83 per cent on Google, and has generated nearly 2 million views on the Chinese social network. Red nails — a classic —- completes this Valentine’s podium, with a 24 per cent increase in search interest and some three million views on TikTok. At first glance, these looks may seem tame, if not classic, but the rest of the ranking makes room for some more creative ideas.

Further down the list come nail art designs featuring black and white hearts (+24 per cent and nearly 450,000 views), French manicures decorated with hearts (+504 per cent and 20,000 views), ombre glitter nails (+22 per cent and 400,000 views), and red French tips (+22 per cent and 330,000 views). Note that in tenth place, the smiley makes an appearance on pink coloured nails — an original inspiration for Valentine’s Day, but no less cute and creative. All that’s left is to choose which one is the best fit to send the right message to that special someone this February 14. — ETX Studio