A nail tree goes wrong in one predictable way: it gets too big and too detailed. A small simple triangle with one gold dot reads as a tree. A fully decorated tree filling the nail reads as a school project.
On the ring finger, no larger than a third of the plate. Everything else plain in one of the tree colours.
Simple triangle
One green triangle with a gold dot on top.
Zigzag tree
Made from a single zigzag stroke rather than a filled shape.
Dotted tree
Green dots in a triangle formation.
Outline tree
Drawn but not filled.
Tree with baubles
A triangle with three coloured dots.
Tree with a garland
A fine gold line spiralling across.
Gold tree on green
Metallic on a deep base.
White tree on red
High contrast.
Tree in glitter
Glitter polish inside a triangle outline.
Negative space tree
The tree left bare, the rest painted.
Tiny tree row
Three very small trees along the nail.
Tree on a French tip
Above the smile line.
Forest of trees
Several small silhouettes at different heights.
Tree with snow
White dots over the green.
Pine sprig instead
A branch rather than a whole tree. Far more elegant.
Tree with a star
Five short strokes at the top.
Upside-down tree
Hanging from the cuticle. Unexpected and modern.
Tree in chrome
Metallic powder inside the shape.
Two-tone tree
Light green over dark green.
Tree with a trunk
A short brown stroke below.
Minimal tree
Three short strokes and nothing else.
Tree on matte
Gloss detail on a matte base.
Tree with a pearl star
A flat-backed pearl at the top.
Tree over marble
A silhouette on a veined base.
Tree on toes
Big toes only.
For other motifs, christmas nail art.
Questions people actually ask
How do you paint a Christmas tree on a nail?
A single zigzag stroke down the nail, or a filled triangle. Keep it under a third of the plate and add one gold dot at the top.
Should every nail have a tree?
No. One, on the ring finger, with everything else plain.
What is easier than a tree?
A pine sprig. A stem with short angled strokes either side, and it looks more elegant than a tree does.
