CHRISTMAS NAIL ART: Modern Black, White & Gold Abstract Nails

by - December 02, 2021


Something that I discovered about myself during last year's marathon of holiday nail art that has continued to be true this year is that I really like sort of minimalist or abstract designs with sheer white bases. Honestly, last year's holiday season really taught me the absolute necessity of the sheer white base for nail art and it has definitely continued to be a go to for me throughout 2021. All of this to say... don't be surprised to see the sheer white base popping up a few times during this year's holiday nail art season, including in today's design. 

Keep reading to see how I did this mani!


I've grown quite the affection for sandwiching a flakie topper between two layers of sheer white polish and it's something that I've done a fair bit this past year, but I hadn't tried it with a gold flakie topper and I'm obsessed. Unfortunately, the photos really don't show just how gorgeous this combination is in person because it's a really subtle look, but I promise you... it's so, so delicate and pretty and very much worth trying out. For a slightly better representation of how it turned out, check out my video tutorial over on Instagram and trust me that it's even better in person. 

For this mani, I started by applying a layer of Essie's Sheer Luck, a favorite sheer white in my collection. Next, once that was dry, I applied a layer of my gold flakie top coat. Unfortunation, As Gold As It Gets from Essie is long discontinued, but if you're looking for something that will do the same job there are some really beautiful gold flakie toppers from ILNP and Holo Taco that I think will easily get the job done in the same way. Once that was dry, I followed with one more coat of Sheer Luck to give that sandwich effect. 


For the stamping, I knew that I wanted to apply these sort of graphic abstract snowflake images, but I felt like it would be a little too minimalist and boring if I just applied them over the base, so I started with some drybrush look stamping. I went in with white and polishes and applied the same image in each color, with one coming in from the base and the other come in from the tip. I really, really love this technique to add some visual interest and added fullness to the design without taking away from what's on top of it. When choosing the abstract images I would use for this mani, I really wanted them to feel cohesive so I chose images that had similar elements to at least one of the other images so that it didn't feel messy or all over the place.

Once I was happy with my design, I sealed it in with a nail art top coat and then finished with a quick dry glossy top coat for shine and volume. And voila!


All Products Used
Essie - Sheer Luck
Essie - As Gold As It Gets
Whats Up Nails - Blanc My Mind
Whats Up Nails - Go For Gild
Whats Up Nails - Neither Noir
Apipila Smudge Free Top Coat
Cuticula Limitless Quick Dry Top Coat
Pueen Latex Tape Peel Off Cuticle Guard
Whats Up Nails A020 Floralize Your Texture Stamping Plate
Pict You PY-J052 Stamping Plate
Whats Up Nails Magnified Clear Stamper


I feel like this is very much the type of mani we're seeing a lot of right now and I absolutely love it. I love the sort of sheer base, abstract/grungey/graphic sort of vibe that a lot of nail art trends are leaning into right now. For me, this is definitely the way I personally will likely be leaning into this trend for the holiday season. Also, I so, so very much wish that the photos were doing justice to how gorgeous this sandwiched base looks in person. Seriously, if you have these polishes or ones like them, highly recommend trying it out!

Be sure to keep checking back here on the blog as well as over at @pblnails on Instagram to keep up on all of the holiday themed nail art designs I'll be posting every day in December leading up to Christmas. Also, if you're not already, be sure to follow me on Instagram to see all of my video tutorials for the nail art I post here on the blog.

Thanks so much for reading!

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