Silver Tip Nails Give the Classic French Manicure a Chic Winter Twist

Silver tip nails are this winter's most beautiful take on the French manicure.

We usually wear silver as jewelry or—on fancy occasions—in the form of a glittery skirt. Now, silver is also elevating even the most elegant manicures with just a few simple steps! The great thing about it: The silver tip nail designs can vary from subtle to striking, depending on the occasion and mood you're going for.

Here, we'll show you nine great examples of silver tip nail designs that are suitable for both everyday wear and special events (such as weddings, parties, and even New Year's Eve). For the metallic version of the French manicure, all you need is silver-colored nail polish and/or silver, as well as base coat and top coat to set them.

1. The classic “silver tip nails”

These “silver tip nails” are simple, but make a huge impression. Here, as with a French manicure, only the tips are painted with silver nail polish, while the base polish is clear or a very neutral pink. The silver tip should be drawn precisely, but if you're doing your own nails and don’t have a steady hand you can use nail foils or a special nail design tool for the tips. To make it last longer, be sure to apply top coat over the nail. Et voilà!

2. Silver glitter rain

This glittery nail design with is just as chic as the French manicure, but even more eye-catching. To do this, first coat the nail with clear nail polish or nude-colored polish after the base coat, and then immediately apply silver-colored glitter particles to the front part of the nails. (The best way to do this is with a cosmetic sponge.) The base coat must still be "wet" for the glitter to hold. Then fix with top coat.

3. Curved "silver tip" nails

These silver tip nails require a steady hand and a little practice. Silver-colored nail polish is artfully curved around the tips of the nails to create a wave-like design. The procedure is a little more complex and requires a practiced hand, so it's best to have it done in a nail salon.

4. Rosé meets silver

For this nail design, you need base coat, rosé and silver-colored nail polish, and top coat. First apply base coat to the nails, then apply the rosé-colored polish. Decorate the tips (in this example, the corners have been filed down) with the silver polish and finish with another top coat over the entire nail. The rosé has a particularly delicate effect.

5. Fun and playful

When silver tips are combined with another nail design, the result can be beautiful. First decorate the nails with base coat, then with clear polish or alternatively nude or subtle pink polish, apply silver polish to the tips and place a small semicircle in any color on the nail bed. This creates an eye-catching look from top to bottom!

6. Silver as a highlight

If you don't want to make silver the star of your look, combine silver-colored polish or silver glitter with another nail design. In this example, one hand has been designed as a French manicure with small hearts and the other with a silver-colored checkerboard design. There's even glitter polish under the silver pattern.

7. An elegant silver-colored border

The silver elements don't have to be all over the nail. Even small details make a nail design more eye-catching. Here, a thin, curved silver-colored line has been drawn across the nail to complement the classic white-tipped French manicure. Admittedly: This delicate design requires either professional tools or—even more likely—a trip to the nail salon.

8. Party silver tip nails

Silver is cool, silver is elegant, and silver is super trendy when it comes to winter 2024-2025 nail design. So why not combine it with chunky glitter to create a super wow effect!

9. Silver flames

Yes, you can also conjure up creative French nails in silver on short nails. How about flames as a nail design for your next manicure, for example?

This article was originally published by Glamour Germany.