Tempting Red and Black Heart Nail Design Ideas
What’s the manicure equivalent of dark chocolate with red wine? It’s tempting red and black heart nail designs! These aren't the typical sweet ideas that appear each February. No, these beauties live in that delightful space between edgy and enchanting. Stay and see this collection that ranges from soft heart accents to bold emotional confessions. Which of these ideas will you try first?
Tempting Red and Black Heart Nail Design Ideas
Matte Red with Negative Space Hearts
Let’s start with a straightforward design that would be appropriate for Valentine’s Day. Hearts symbolize love. If you send someone a red heart emoji nowadays, it’s recognized as love and support or maybe something more. And if you’re a nail pro, it’s smart to perfect your heart-drawing skills.
Of course, it’s challenging to draw symmetrical hearts. If you’re aiming for a balanced shape, consider using a stencil or stamp.
This simple matte red manicure with hollowed-out hearts was created by Imarni, a London-based manicurist to celebrities like Hailey Bieber, Zoe Kravitz, and Rita Ora.
LDS Bouncy Blush Collection - Rubber Base Gel Polish
Lavis Gel Polish 094 - Roses Are Red
Lavis Matte Top Gel - 0.5 oz
Glossy Black and Broken Hearts
What do black hearts mean? It could show you care about something in a sad, hopeless way, or that it brings out the dark humor in you. A black heart can also put out goth or witchy vibes.
Again, here are flawless hearts drawn by Imarni. How does she achieve such perfection? WikiHow has tips that might help. They suggest starting with two circles side by side. Then draw an upside-down triangle touching the bottoms of the circles. Finally, outline and fill in the heart shape.
Lavis Gel Polish Super Black - 0.5 oz
Red + Black Heart Nail Design
Let’s put the red and black together for a high contrast nail design. Should you paint the hearts first or do the black background, then add them? It really depends on the polish and your patience. If the red polish is richly pigmented like painting gel, you can do the black base and paint the hearts later. Otherwise, you might need two coats.
With lacquer, it’s trickier because each layer you add may dissolve the coat underneath and muddy the color. It may be simpler to paint the red hearts, then brush the black polish around them.
Why Are We Wearing These Shapes? The History of Hearts as Symbols
Did you know that Cro Magnon hunters used hearts in their pictographs? It sounds wild that someone ten thousand years ago was using this symbol in messages. However, we don’t know if it meant the same thing it does today.
Ancient Egyptians also featured the heart in hieroglyphics. For them it was a test of worthiness. If your heart was good and weighed less than a feather, you would get the good afterlife with Osiris. Otherwise, a demon ate your heart and that was lights out.
Romans and Greeks used hearts in their sculptures, but it wasn’t what you think. Instead, archaeologists are pretty sure the shape represented plants, like ficus leaves, and had nothing to do with love.
At some point, Christians started featuring heart images in artwork and manuscripts. They focused on the Sacred Heart as a symbol for Jesus, so in a way this was the first time it meant love. This icon hit maximum popularity in the Middle Ages about a thousand years ago. It may have finally started people using hearts to communicate human to human love.
Glossy Love Notes on Matte Nails
Starting in the 1400s, and definitely by the 1800s, hearts were commonly recognized as emblems of love. People also began using Xs and Os as kisses and hugs to sign letters. Now with our globalized connections, most modern cultures understand what these symbols mean.
If you want your nail art to have a raised texture like this, you don’t need acrylics. Try painting gel as it is thicker, sets glossy, and won’t settle like regular gel polish.
LDS 04 - Black - Draw Painting Gel Nails Polish Nail Art - 0.5 oz
LDS 05 - Red - Draw Painting Gel Nails Polish Nail Art - 0.5 oz
Cartoon Hearts
Here’s a fun pop art twist on a French manicure with black and red hearts. You could achieve a similar look with nail stickers instead of drawing the hearts.
Playing Card Vibes
Here’s a unique way to gamble with your heart(s). This red and black heart nail design idea reminds us of playing cards. Did you know that when the Chinese invented cards a thousand years ago, they didn’t have the hearts suite? Instead, it was German card makers in the 1400s who added hearts.
Modern Art
If there’s any doubt, the word written on the ring finger makes it clear. These nails celebrate love. The style feels like contemporary artwork.
Remember the famous I ♥ NY sculpture? Heart symbols are logographs that stand in for “love” on everything from Valentine’s Day cards to candy packaging and text messages. They represent “lives” left in video games and even signify healthy food on restaurant menus.
Heartbeat Nails
Red glitter polish tracks a heartbeat across glossy black nails. The ring finger line forms a heart shape instead of the typical EKG spikes.
Cat Eye Heart Nails
These beauties look like red hearts on a black background, but that is deceptive. It’s true that the artist started with extensions painted black. Next, she added silvery cat eye polish in heart shapes. A magnet brought the glittery particles to the surface. Then a coat of translucent red polish turned the hearts scarlet.
Rhinestone Red Heart with Wings on Black Nails
Let’s wrap up with a beautiful black and red nail design. Here the heart is made of crimson crystals filling a silver outline. The nails on either side have feathery wings decorated with diamonds. We’re certain this manicure gathered lots of compliments.
Rhinestones
Conclusion
After seeing all this red and black heart nail art, are you tempted? What design ideas will you try? Tag us on social media so we can ♥ your creations.
Check our home page for the hottest deals on nail colors you’ll love and the supplies you’ll need to follow your dreams.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_symbol
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/language-in-the-wild/202401/how-xo-came-to-mean-kisses-and-hugs
