20 Sultry Red and Black Nail Ideas that Break Valentine's Day Rules
Sexy and unique—the perfect combo.
The Gist
Red and black nails are the ultimate choice to break up your typical Valentine's Day set.
With the help of animal print, gold accents, and color blends you can be the ultimate cool girl this love season.
Valentine's Day nail ideas often involve cheery designs in shades of pink and red. But if your idea of romance leans a little darker, you can swap prim-and-proper pink for daring black. Black and red make for a sexy and edgy color combination, allowing you to create a sultry look for the sweet holiday.
Black polish tends to show very little variation, making it an easy pick. Red lacquer, however, has a much wider color palette—choose a bright crimson or cherry for a high-contrast look, or a deep burgundy for something a bit more subtle. Planning out your shades in advance will help achieve the perfect bold look on anything from French tips to heart-shaped designs.
As we continue to schlep through the cold, drab winter months, let this color combo give you a hit of warmth to hold you over into spring. Ahead of your next nail appointment, check out InStyle’s red and black nail designs for inspiration.
01 of 20
Smoky Cat Eye
Cat-eye polish stunns on its own—but with a hint of black marbled in like smoke, this look is next-level mesmerizing.
02 of 20
Royal Flush
Feeling lucky this February 14? Have a clean sweep with these card-inspired nails. If you're feeling extra risky, add two additional aces on the white enamel to show you're only playing to win. This truly is the perfect hand.
03 of 20
Sultry Lace
Clothing isn't the only place lace belongs. For the ultimate seductive set, try this oh-so-lacy black French manicure. If you're feeling really frisky, opt to add kissy prints across the nail beds for an ultra-flirty finish.
04 of 20
Queen of Hearts
This black base with red hearts is stunning. What truly transforms the look is that the red hearts are painted in multiple shades of red for a more complex and elaborate design.
05 of 20
Cherry on Top
Bring luxury to every part of your look with this red and tortoiseshell design. This set has all of the season's top trends. From speckled caramel and black detailing and 3D cherry accents, to gold touches. It's the perfect design that's bound to earn you compliments.
06 of 20
Black Cherries
Cherries on a black-and-white French manicure are major. Make this look even sweeter by using 3D gems for your cherry fruits.
07 of 20
Love in Cartoons
For some lovely nails that draw inspiration from the Sunday funny pages, check out this red and black design, drawn in a cartoon fashion. The matte top coat makes it look like paper, adding layers to the comics-inspired look.
08 of 20
A Leopard in France
Pair your next animal print with a sleek red French tip. It’ll bring some extra pop to this Fran Drescher-approved look.
09 of 20
Aura Halo
A black halo adds even more dimension to this burgundy-on-maroon aura. The combination creates a look that's moody and mysterious.
10 of 20
Leopards Actually Can Change Their Spots
Like we said, every nail design loops better with red and black. Take this leopard print, for example. You might not see red leopards in the wild, but these nails seem to have understood the assignment either way.
11 of 20
Ghostface in Love
Unless you are a year-round horror movie fanatic, then Ghostface is a bit seasonal (We’ll be bookmarking this one for October). However, take a look at the middle finger design—the red heart with devil black outline? That’s a 365-day-a-year iconic design.
12 of 20
Tic- Tac-Toe
We’re not playing games—we love this design. Red and black tic-tac-toe boards are the perfect Valentine’s Day nail, especially with red hearts in place of O’s.
13 of 20
Chrome is Where The Heart Is
It wouldn’t be a round-up of nail inspo without chrome. Chrome is always a good idea. These chrome hearts with crowns pair perfectly with shiny, black, long French tips.
14 of 20
It Girl
These are the ultimate cool girl nails, and they're perfect for any romantic occasion. Pair ruby-red polish with chunky gold accents and animal print, like zebra and cheetah. To complete this look, add a few black-and-white polka dot nails for a fun contrast.
15 of 20
Wisps of Smoke
We love the wispy, smoky element to this red-and-black design. The little black dots and red hearts center this design with a strong focal point in the middle nail.
16 of 20
Outlined Florals
Don't want to go fully to the dark side this Valentine's Day? Opt for a subtle red-and-black design. Add some floral with red petals that quietly fade into black for the perfect girly, yet moody manicure.
17 of 20
Zebra With Zest
What’s black, white, and red all over? These nails, of course. Like we said, any animal print set pairs well with a chic, shiny red nail.
18 of 20
Dragon Skin
Channel your inner House of Targaryen this V-day, with a dragon-inspired set. Pair jet-black polish with this shimmery scarlett red shade to create the perfect "Game of Thrones"—inspired manicure.
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Lucky Set
Not only do we love the Lucky 7 nail stickers here, but we also love how the colors alternate from nail to nail, between the French tips and cuticle accents.
20 of 20
Lucky Love
How cute are these lucky ladybugs? Whether you opt for a 3D version or not, these cute critters will be your best friends for the weeks that you keep this set.
Read the original article on InStyle
