There’s a chance you already know Sarah Haidar by looking at her hands. The content-creator manicurist (she’s technically unlicensed) posts at-home nail tutorials under the alias heluviee on Instagram and TikTok, though many people recognise her hands — or more specifically, her nails — from a manicure they pinned once.
“A lot of Pinterest users repost my images,” explains Haidar. Her nail content was solely on Instagram before she started devoting time to TikTok. “When I started posting on TikTok, I had people who were like, ‘Wait, I’ve saved your hands before — you’re the Pinterest hand girl.’ I just put that on my bio because that’s how people were recognising me.”
Haidar now has over 813,000 followers on TikTok and 550,000 on Instagram. The people definitely want her nail aesthetic. “I think everyone who follows me does so to get more inspiration for nail designs they want to try,” explains Haidar. She normally uses gel nail polish, because it’s an easier medium to create art. “I can immediately cure each step and not worry about it smudging,” she explains. But she’ll use traditional nail polish as well, for anyone following along at home without a gel kit.
Whether you’re looking for a style to bring to the salon or the colour to try at home, here we get into Haidar’s favourite winter nail trends. Think of it as all your nail inspiration in one place.
Ribbons
‘Balletcore’ is coming into the nail world with ribbons. “I feel like it’s perfect for winter because it fits in perfectly with the holiday season,” explains Haidar. More than just popular, ribbon nail art can take all kinds of shapes and colours. “If you just have a pink and red polish, you can paint your whole hand pink, a solid pink mani, and then just grab a liner brush and paint a ribbon on one nail with the red polish,” offers Haidar. “It just gives it a flare. I’ll just do the loop of the ribbon and two strings coming out from the ends.” For a practiced nail artist, this might be easy. For those of us with less confidence, I’d recommend a bow sticker.
Dark red
On TikTok, a specific shade of dark red dubbed ‘cherry mocha’ continues to be a top nail colour trend. “Your traditional Big Apple Red is pretty and expected,” explains Haidar, “but I’m loving that so many girls are wearing darker colours, like deep burgundy red. It has a sexy feel to it.” Haider ties it in with the viral red nail theory. “Not in a sense that women are objectified, but the fact that women get the attention they want when they wear red nails,” she suggests.
Pastel tips
This one is more unexpected. Hiadar says that pastel nail polish is an unexpected trend for winter. But instead of going for a lemon yellow or pale blue single-colour manicure, make it a twist on a French. “It’s my favourite design,” says Haidar. “You can go subtle with a white or beige tip, or you can have fun with multicoloured French tips.” The tones to play with: blue and silver. “I also love a silver French tip in the winer,” offers Haidar.
Blue velvet
Another way to play with blue is with a fuzzy blue velvet manicure. “It’s so perfect for winter,” says Haidar. “I like that it’s not a chunky glitter, but more fuzzy-looking and soft.” If you’re looking for a velvet polish with a similar “shimmery, cozy” aesthetic to use at home, try Nailberry L’Oxygéné Nail Lacquer in Blue Moon, £16.
Glossy black
Black is one of those nail colours that people consider a “classic” colour, but it’s really not. “I feel like people talk about black but no one really gets it,” says Haidar, which is why it’s always an interesting choice. “Even a black French tip, if someone didn’t want to go all-black, is cool,” says Haidar. “The key is to use a super glossy top coat so it pops.”
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