27 Grinch Nails Fun Enough to Steal the Show

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Every December our family watches the Grinch at least three times. The kids know every line, my husband does the voice, and somebody always says “Merry Christmas, Grinch” to the dog. So when I started doing holiday nails at the kitchen table, he was one of the first designs I wanted to try.

Here are 27 Grinch nails I gathered from nail artists and bloggers whose work I love. You will find classic red sets with his sneaky face, fuzzy green French tips, sweet pastel versions, hearts that grew three sizes, glitter, snowy Whoville trees and a step by step freehand face for anyone brave enough to paint him. Each idea links to the site it came from, and I added how to copy it at home. Our Grinch Christmas decor ideas will help you match the house, and our Christmas nail ideas, December nails and gingerbread nails have plenty more holiday looks.

1. Classic red with a Grinch face and hand

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Credit: Melissa Jane Lee

This is the set most people picture when they hear Grinch nails. Glossy Christmas red on most fingers, with his sly face on one nail and his green hand holding an ornament on the next.

Paint the thumb, index and pinky nails a deep red. Give the middle and ring nails a sheer nude base, then paint the face and the hand in lime green with a fine brush, or use water decals if you would rather not paint. Outline in black and seal with a glossy top coat.

2. Minimal red with one tiny Grinch

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Credit: Sweet Money Bee

If you only want a wink of the Grinch, this is it. Four plain red nails and one small lime face looks right at church and to the office party.

Paint two coats of a classic red on four nails. On the ring nail paint a lime green base and draw two narrow eyes, a frown line and a few brow hairs in black. A candy cane stripe on the thumb is a fun extra.

3. Fuzzy green French tips with a Santa hat

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Credit: The Pink Brunette

The tips look like his furry green fingers sneaking over the edge of the nail. It is clever, and it reads as Grinch without a single face.

Paint a sheer pink base. With a small brush, paint a jagged green tip on each nail, flicking the polish up in short strokes so it looks like fur. On one nail add a tiny red Santa hat with a white pompom.

4. Green glitter French tips

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Credit: Green Wedding Shoes

This is the grown up way to wear Grinch green. Sparkly green tips on a soft nude base look like Christmas, and nobody at Grandma’s will ask which movie it is from.

Paint a sheer nude or pink base. Use a fine brush or French tip guide to paint a curved tip in a green glitter polish. Two thin coats sparkle more than one thick one. Seal with a top coat to smooth the glitter.

5. Fuzzy lime tips with Grinch faces

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Credit: Glammygo

The velvet texture on these tips feels just like his fur. Two faces in Santa hats make it a full Grinch moment.

Paint lime green tips, then while the polish is still wet press flocking powder or fine green velvet powder into it and tap off the extra. On two accent nails paint a lime Grinch face with a red and white Santa hat. Skip the top coat on the fuzzy parts so they stay soft.

6. One Grinch hand stealing an ornament

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Credit: Nailspiration

One nail tells the whole story. His long green fingers are reaching down to snatch a red ornament, and it makes me laugh every time.

Paint a nude base on all nails. On one accent nail paint the green hand coming in from the side with long thin fingers, add a red cuff of fur at the wrist and a red ornament hanging from one finger. A dot of white on the ornament makes it shine.

7. Pink and lime stiletto nails

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Credit: Melissa Jane Lee

Pink and Grinch green look sweet together, a little like a candy cane gone rogue. The long stiletto shape gives you room for the face and the hand.

Paint two nails soft pink and two nails lime green. On the ring nail paint his face in a Santa hat over the pink, and on the middle nail paint a green hand holding a pink ornament. Finish with a glossy top coat.

8. Sage matte with hands holding hearts

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Credit: Glammygo

This one is soft and sweet. Muted sage green with little hands holding red hearts is the Grinch after his heart grew, not before.

Paint two coats of a sage or olive green, then a matte top coat. Paint small Grinch hands on a few nails with a fine brush, each holding a red heart, and add one or two simple faces. A matte finish keeps the green soft.

9. Swirls and red hearts

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Credit: NailHow

His heart grew three sizes that day, and these nails show it. Green swirls and red hearts make a pretty pattern that works for Christmas and right on into Valentine’s Day.

Paint a medium green base. With a black striping brush, paint loose curly swirls like the fur in the old drawings. Add small red hearts on two nails with a dotting tool and a fine brush, then top coat.

10. Red heart and Grinch coffin nails

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Credit: Glammygo

A big green heart on a red nail sits right in the middle of this set. It feels bold and happy, like the ending of the movie.

Paint one nail red with a green heart outlined in white. Paint a white nail with tiny red hearts and his face peeking from the side, a lime nail with a face, and a green nail with red dots. Seal with a glossy top coat.

11. Short mint nails with a pink heart

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Credit: Glammygo

Short nails are what I wear most of the year, so I love this one. Mint green, pink hearts and two little faces are cute and still practical.

Paint a pale mint base. Add a pink heart on the middle nail, Grinch faces on two nails and tiny red and pink hearts all over the last nail. Keep the nails short and round so the art stays neat.

12. Pastel baby Grinch faces

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Credit: Glammygo

These are the cutest Grinch nails on the list. Big eyes, pink cheeks and tiny hearts turn the grump into something sweet.

Paint a pastel mint base. With black polish paint big round eyes with a white dot, a little smile and a few brow hairs. Add pink blush dots on the cheeks and pink and blue hearts on the plain nails.

13. All lime with a face on every nail

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Credit: Glammygo

If you want everyone to know you love the Grinch, put him on every finger. Bright lime with his yellow eyes on each nail is pure fun.

Paint a bright lime green on every nail. With a fine black brush draw the narrow eyes, heavy brows and smirk on each one, then fill the eyes with yellow. Change the expression a little on each nail to keep it lively.

14. Candy cane, rhinestones and a Grinch

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Credit: Sweet Money Bee

This set has a little of everything. It mixes green glitter, a red rhinestone nail, a candy cane stripe and his face in a Santa hat.

Paint one nail green glitter and one red. Press clear rhinestones of different sizes into a dab of gel or nail glue on the red nail. Paint the Grinch face on the ring nail and red and white stripes on the pinky.

15. Red glitter with a wrapped present

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Credit: Melissa Jane Lee

Sparkly red sits next to one Grinch face and one wrapped gift. It looks like he is eyeing the presents under the tree.

Paint three nails in a red glitter polish. Paint the ring nail lime green with a simple face, and the pinky lime green with a red bow and ribbon. A matte or glossy top coat both work here.

16. Sweater weather red

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Credit: Melissa Jane Lee

Deep red nails with two nude accents look so good with a cream sweater. It is the set I would pick for a Christmas morning photo.

Paint three nails a deep cranberry red. On two nude nails paint the green hand holding a red ornament and his face in a Santa hat. Keep the art small so the red does most of the work.

17. Red French tips with green glitter

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Credit: Melissa Jane Lee

Red French tips are already festive, and the green glitter nails turn them Grinchy. One face in a Santa hat finishes it off.

Paint a sheer pink base. Add red French tips on two nails, a green glitter fade on the ring nail and a solid lime on the pinky. Paint the Grinch face on the index nail with a red hat.

18. Emerald cat eye with one Grinch

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Credit: Glammygo

Cat eye polish has a shimmer that moves when you turn your hand. In deep emerald it looks rich and very Christmas.

Paint a magnetic cat eye gel in emerald green and hold a nail magnet over each nail before curing to pull the shine into a line. On one nail paint a soft Grinch face in a pale shimmer. Finish with a glossy top coat.

19. Dark green with Whoville trees

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Credit: Glammygo

The snowy trees on these nails remind me of the woods behind our barn after the first big snow. Add the Grinch with a red ornament and you have a whole winter scene.

Paint a deep forest green base. With white polish and a fine brush, paint skinny pine trees with branches made of short strokes. On two nails paint the Grinch and his hand with a red ornament, and add a few red dots for berries.

20. Dark green glitter with snowflakes

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Credit: Sweet Money Bee

Short dark green glitter nails with white snowflakes are pretty enough for any winter party. Two little Grinch accents keep it playful.

Paint a dark green glitter polish on most nails and add a few white snowflakes with a dotting tool and a fine brush. On two accent nails paint a small Grinch face in a Santa hat and a green hand.

21. Short nails with stripes and lights

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Credit: Sweet Money Bee

Short natural nails can hold a lot of fun. This set fits red and white stripes, Christmas lights and his face on just a few nails.

Paint some nails green glitter and some white. On the white nails paint wavy red stripes like his Santa suit, a string of colored lights and the Grinch face in a hat. Seal with a thick top coat.

22. Matte red stilettos with Christmas lights

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Credit: Sweet Money Bee

One hand wears matte red, and the other tells a full Grinch story. The tangled lights look like he is about to steal them off the roof.

Paint a matte red on one hand. On the other hand paint nude nails with a black line of tangled lights and red, yellow and green bulbs, then add the Grinch face and hand on two nails. Use a matte top coat on the red only.

23. Neon glitter with string lights

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Credit: Nailspiration

This one is loud in the best way. Neon lime glitter is as bright as his fur, and the string lights add color.

Paint a neon lime glitter on three nails. Paint a sheer white nail with a black wire and colored bulbs, and a lime nail with the Grinch face in a Santa hat. Two coats of top coat smooth out the glitter.

24. Just a tuft of Grinch hair

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Credit: Nailspiration

You do not need his whole face. A wild tuft of green hair over a red collar says Grinch to anyone who has seen the movie.

Paint deep red on four nails. On the accent nail use a shimmery nude base and flick short strokes of lime green upward for the hair, then paint a small red block under it for his collar. Top coat everything.

25. A tiny 3D Grinch charm

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Credit: Sweet Money Bee

This is a salon set for sure. A tiny 3D Grinch figure sits at the very tip of one long nail, with a red and green beaded edge.

Ask your nail tech for a small 3D charm or a sculpted gel figure. The rest of the set is a sheer pink base with a red tip outlined in tiny green beads. Keep the charm on one nail so it does not snag on everything.

26. Grinch toes to match

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Credit: Glammygo

Do not forget your toes. A green pedicure with his face on the big toe matches your fingers for Christmas morning in slippers.

Paint all toes in a bright green. On the big toe paint a lime Grinch face, and on the other toes add a tiny dark green heart. Match your fingernails with the same green and a heart or two.

27. A freehand Grinch face, step by step

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Credit: Scratch Magazine

If you want to try painting him yourself, this one walks you through it. Nail artist Gemma Dawson built up the face in layers, and the result looks just like the movie.

Start with a bright lime base. Draw the nose and frown in thin black lines, then the eyes and heavy brows. Paint fur strokes from the top of the nail down in a darker green, shade around the eyes and under the brows, and finish with white and pale green in the eyes. Go slow and let each layer dry.

How to paint a simple Grinch face on a nail

Start with two coats of a bright lime or yellow green and let them dry all the way. Wet polish smears the fine lines.

Use a thin striping brush and black polish. Paint two slanted, half closed eyes near the middle of the nail, then a long smirk that curls up on one side.

Add heavy brows that dip toward the nose, and a few short strokes on the forehead and cheeks for fur.

Fill the eyes with a dot of yellow or red. A tiny white dot in each eye makes him look alive.

For a Santa hat, paint a red curve across the top of the nail and dot white along the edge with a dotting tool.

Seal with a glossy top coat so the details do not chip.

If painting feels fussy, Grinch nail stickers and water decals look just as cute and take a minute.

Grinch nails FAQ

What color green are Grinch nails? Most Grinch nails use a bright lime or yellow green, close to his fur in the newer movies. A deeper kelly green or emerald works if you want the look to feel more classic.

What are simple Grinch nails for beginners? Green French tips, one small face on a red set, a green and red heart or a single nail with a decal are all simple to do at home. Save the full freehand face for when you have practiced.

Do Grinch nails work on short nails? Yes. Short square or round nails hold one small face, a heart or stripes very well, and they are practical for cooking and chores.

When should I wear Grinch nails? Anytime from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. The green and red heart sets look right through Valentine’s Day too.