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Gingerbread is the smell of December in our farmhouse. The kids roll out the dough at the big kitchen table, the oven runs all afternoon and somebody always eats the legs off a cookie man before the icing goes on. A few years ago I started matching my nails to cookie day, and now it is one of my favorite little traditions.
Here are 28 gingerbread nails I gathered from nail artists and bloggers whose work I love. You will find gingerbread men, icing drips, peppermint swirls, cookie houses, gingerbread French tips and a few simple brown sets for anyone who wants the cozy color without the cartoon. Each idea links to the site it came from, and I added how to copy it at home. If you want the real cookies too, our gingerbread recipe and gingerbread house recipe are the ones we bake every year, and our Christmas nail ideas and December nails have plenty more holiday looks.
1. Glossy chocolate with one gingerbread man
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
This is the set I would wear all December. Deep chocolate brown on every nail, with one little cookie man on the ring finger, looks grown up and still a bit playful.
Paint two coats of a dark brown and let them dry. On one nail per hand paint a gingerbread man in a warm caramel with a small brush, then add white dots for buttons and a squiggle at the wrists and ankles. Finish with a thick glossy top coat.
2. Little gingerbread men on a nude base
SaveCredit: Melissa Jane Lee
Tiny cookies on a sheer nude nail are about as easy as gingerbread nails get. The bare base hides growth, so they last through the whole holiday rush.
Paint a sheer nude base. Use a stamp or a nail sticker for the gingerbread men, or paint them with a fine brush in light brown, and add a mini candy cane on one or two nails. Seal with a top coat.
3. Red nails with a gingerbread accent
SaveCredit: Melissa Jane Lee
Christmas red with a cookie on the accent nail is a classic for a reason. It goes with every holiday sweater I own.
Paint most nails in a glossy red. On the ring finger use a sheer nude, paint a small gingerbread man in caramel and outline him in white so he pops. Top coat everything.
4. White French tips with gingerbread men
SaveCredit: Melissa Jane Lee
This takes a regular French manicure and makes it feel like cookie baking day. It is a good choice for long almond nails.
Paint a sheer pink base, then a crisp white tip on each nail. Add one gingerbread man on two nails, sitting just under the white line, and give him white icing dots once the brown dries.
5. Gingerbread man, dots and a cookie house
SaveCredit: Melissa Jane Lee
I like a set where every nail is a little different. A cookie man, cream dots and a tiny house look like a plate of Christmas cookies.
Paint a mix of caramel brown and creamy beige nails. Add white polka dots on one, a white icing roof and window on another and a smiling gingerbread man on a third. Thin white lines at the tips look like piped frosting.
6. Gingerbread men with snowflakes
SaveCredit: Melissa Jane Lee
This one reminds me of the cookie tin my mother kept on top of the fridge. Gingerbread men, snowflakes and cream nails feel cozy and old fashioned.
Paint a creamy white or pale beige base. Alternate gingerbread men and white snowflakes on the accent nails, and add a few white dots for falling snow. Seal with a glossy top coat.
7. Glitter brown with dripping icing
SaveCredit: FXLB NY
These look like a cookie that was dipped halfway in icing. The shimmer in the brown makes it feel like a party nail.
Paint a shimmery cinnamon brown and let it dry. Paint a wavy white drip across the top of each nail with a small brush, then add tiny red and green dots on the drips for sprinkles. Use a thick top coat.
8. Gingerbread men and peppermint swirls
SaveCredit: FXLB NY
Gingerbread and peppermint candy are the best pair on any cookie tray. This set has both, and it makes me smile every time.
Paint some nails white and some caramel. Paint red and white peppermint swirls on the white nails and gingerbread men on the caramel ones, finishing with red heart buttons and white icing lines.
9. Brown with white icing outlines
SaveCredit: FXLB NY
This is the simplest gingerbread nail of them all. A warm brown with a squiggle of white icing near the tip says cookie without a single face.
Paint two coats of a medium cinnamon brown. With a fine liner brush, paint one wavy white line across each nail near the tip, and add a dot or two on a couple of nails. Seal with a glossy top coat.
10. Dark chocolate with an icing drip accent
SaveCredit: FXLB NY
Short nails, dark color and one fun accent. This is my kind of mani for a week of chores and church suppers.
Paint all nails in a deep chocolate brown. On one nail add a white icing drip at the top with a single red dot for a cherry. A glossy top coat makes it look like a chocolate glaze.
11. Plain gingerbread brown
SaveCredit: FXLB NY
Sometimes I just want the color. A warm gingerbread brown on its own looks like fall turning into Christmas.
Look for a brown with a little orange in it, like the outside of a fresh baked cookie. Two coats and a glossy top coat are all you need, and it suits every nail length.
12. 3D gingerbread charms with pearls
SaveCredit: FXLB NY
This is the fancy one on the list. Little 3D cookie charms and pearl flowers make it look like a salon spent an afternoon on it.
Paint a mix of mauve brown, white and pink shimmer. Glue tiny gingerbread man charms onto the white nails with nail glue or builder gel, add pearl and gem clusters to the others and seal around them, not over them.
13. Pink gingerbread with candy cane stripes
SaveCredit: Outfit On Point
Pink gingerbread nails are everywhere this year, and I see why. Soft pink and cookie brown are sweet together.
Paint a mix of sheer pink and caramel nails. Add pink and white candy cane stripes on one, a white icing heart on the caramel nail and a tiny gingerbread man on another. White piping along the cuticle ties it all together.
14. Hot chocolate brown
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
This shade looks like a mug of cocoa after sledding. It is a good pick if you want something cozy that is not too festive.
Choose a milky brown with a little red in it. Paint two thin coats and finish with a glossy top coat. Short rounded nails make it look extra soft.
15. Short cookie nails with peppermints
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
Short nails can carry a lot of fun. These mix gingerbread men, peppermint candies and glittery brown with icing tops.
Paint some nails glitter brown, some nude and some white. Add red and white peppermint swirls, small gingerbread men and white icing caps with tiny red and green dots. Seal with a thick top coat.
16. Gingerbread French tips
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
Brown tips in place of white are a quiet way to wear the trend. Mixed with a cream tip on one nail, they look like icing and cookie.
Paint a sheer nude base. With a tip guide or a steady hand, paint a caramel brown French tip on most nails and a creamy white tip on one or two. Finish with a glossy top coat.
17. Gingerbread hearts with peppermint and icicles
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
This set looks like a Christmas sweater on your nails. The little green heart in the gingerbread is my favorite part.
Paint nails in caramel, white and red. Add peppermint swirls on the white ones, white icicle drips on the caramel, a sweater stripe pattern on one and a gingerbread shape with a green heart and dotted icing on another.
18. Cookie shades, one per nail
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
Five shades of brown, from sugar cookie to dark chocolate, is an easy way to wear gingerbread colors. It is a nice break from heavy nail art.
Line up five browns from light to dark and paint one on each nail, starting at the thumb. A nude, caramel, cinnamon, mocha and near black give the best fade.
19. Traditional icing piping with a dangle charm
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
These look just like a frosted gingerbread cookie. The tiny dangling gingerbread man charm is so cute I laughed out loud.
Paint a warm tan on every nail. With a white gel liner or a thick white polish, pipe swirls, hearts, dots and bows like royal icing. A nail tech can add a dangle charm with a small pierced hole if you want the extra fun.
20. Sparkly gingerbread French
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
A thin brown French tip with a gold glitter line is the most work friendly set on this list. It is subtle but still feels like the holidays.
Paint a sheer pink base. Paint a very thin chocolate or caramel tip, then trace a fine line of gold glitter just under it with a striping brush. Seal with a top coat.
21. Chocolate brown with a star accent
SaveCredit: Live That Glow
I like this when I want a little nail art without a whole cookie scene. The four point stars look like a sparkle on a sugar cookie.
Paint most nails in glossy chocolate brown. On the accent nail paint a lighter caramel, then add one large and one small four point star in dark brown with a fine brush.
22. Red French tips with gingerbread men
SaveCredit: Thriving in Parenting
A red French tip is already festive. Add little gingerbread men to the middle nails and the whole set feels like Christmas morning.
Paint a sheer pink base and add a thin red French tip. On two nails per hand, paint or stamp small gingerbread men with tiny red hearts around them. Seal with a glossy top coat.
23. Gold glitter with gingerbread cookies
SaveCredit: Thriving in Parenting
Gold glitter makes any gingerbread set feel like a party. I like how the white nails look like an iced cookie sheet.
Paint two nails in chunky gold glitter. Paint the rest in a soft white and add brown gingerbread men, trees and dots with a fine brush, like cookies cooling on a tray.
24. Smiling gingerbread faces with pink peppermints
SaveCredit: Thriving in Parenting
This set is pure fun. The rosy gingerbread faces look like they are about to jump off the cookie sheet.
Paint a mix of caramel and white nails. Paint a gingerbread face on two caramel nails with white icing, black eyes and a red nose, and pink and white peppermint swirls on the white nails.
25. Gingerbread hearts with sprinkle dots
SaveCredit: Thriving in Parenting
This one is busy in the best way, like a kitchen table on decorating day. White hearts on brown look like piped icing.
Paint some nails cinnamon brown and some white. Add white hearts and wavy lines on the brown nails, and on the white ones paint a gingerbread man or a candy cane with colorful dots for sprinkles.
26. Gingerbread houses and white bows
SaveCredit: Thriving in Parenting
The little bows make this look like a wrapped present. It is sweet and soft, and great for a holiday party.
Paint a sheer pink base. Add caramel gingerbread houses with white icing roofs on a few nails, a tiny gingerbread man on one and a white bow on two others. A 3D bow sticker works if painting is hard.
27. Pink glitter with gingerbread and sweater knit
SaveCredit: Thriving in Parenting
Pink glitter, a cookie and a cable knit nail is about as cozy as a manicure gets. It feels like a winter morning with coffee.
Paint a pale pink base. Add rose pink glitter to one nail, a gingerbread man on another, a white cable knit pattern on a third with a thin brush and a few gold dots on the rest.
28. Peppermint and gingerbread on white
SaveCredit: Thriving in Parenting
White nails covered in colorful sprinkles look like the icing on a sugar cookie. With a gingerbread man and red peppermints it is a happy, bright set.
Paint some nails glossy red and some white. On the white nails add tiny colorful dots, a gingerbread man and a red and white peppermint swirl. Seal with a top coat so the dots stay smooth.
How to paint a gingerbread man on a nail
Start with a fully dry base. Paint over wet polish and the little arms smear.
Use a thin brush and a caramel or light brown polish. Paint a small circle for the head, a thicker line for the body and four short strokes for the arms and legs.
Let the cookie dry for a few minutes, then add the icing. A white striping polish or white gel liner works for the squiggles at the wrists and ankles, and a dotting tool makes the eyes and buttons.
Seal with a thick glossy top coat so the details do not chip.
If painting feels fussy, gingerbread nail stickers and water decals look just as cute and take a minute.
Gingerbread nails FAQ
What color is gingerbread nail polish? It is a warm medium brown with a little orange or red in it, like the outside of a baked cookie. Caramel, cinnamon and milk chocolate shades all read as gingerbread.
What are easy gingerbread nails for beginners? A solid gingerbread brown, brown French tips, a white icing line on brown nails or one gingerbread sticker on a nude base are all easy to do at home.
Are gingerbread nails good for short nails? Yes. Solid brown, a single accent cookie and icing drips all look great on short nails, and they hold up to dishes and baking.
When should I wear gingerbread nails? Anytime from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. Plain browns and brown French tips look right all winter, so you can start early and keep them through January.
