17 Sultry Red and Black Nail Ideas to Heat Up Your February (2025)

Table of Contents

Queen of Hearts Royal Flush Ready, Nail Set, Go! Cruella de Vil-Coded Black Cherries Love in Cartoons Burberry Second Coat A Leopard in France Leopards Actually Can Change Their Spots Ghostface in Love Tic- Tac-Toe Chrome is Where The Heart Is Good Luck, Great Nails Wisps of Smoke Outlined Florals Zebra With Zest Lucky Set

Valentine's nails always lean bright and sweet, with shades of pink dominating the designs. But if that's not your vibe, eschew the standard shade for a vibier mix—red and black. Sexy, warm, and versatile, the color combination turns any design into the perfect moody manicure. Animal print? Better with red and black. French nails? Better with red and black. The deep colors lend a level of sensuality to any manicure.

While shades of black polish vary slightly in intensity and undertones, shades of red lacquer offer a very noticeable spectrum of options, from bright cherry reds to deep, sultry bordeauxs. By carefully choosing your polishes, you can create a bold look with lots of contrast or a subdued blend of shadowy shades.

As winter hits its darkest peak and coldest days, let this sophisticated color combo warm up your look. Ahead of your next salon appointment, check out InStyle’s favorite red and black nail designs.

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Queen of Hearts

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This black base with red hearts is everything. What makes this design stand out even more? Notice how the red hearts are painted on in multiple shades of red for some extra intricacy.

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Royal Flush

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This nail set is quite literally a lucky hand. Nothing says manifesting like painting the best cards on your nails. Feeling extra lucky? Go for the full Royal Flush with two more aces.

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Ready, Nail Set, Go!

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Take inspiration from the upcoming NASCAR season (and the Cars 4 premiere) with some race-inspired nails. Checkerboard flags and shiny red car paint are the palette of the moment. Ka-chow!!

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Cruella de Vil-Coded

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We promise, no puppies were harmed in the making of this cute nail set. Sweet Dalmatian spots and shiny reds make us sure that this favorite Disney villain would be partial to this manicure.

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Black Cherries

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Cherries on a black-and-white French manicure are major. Make this look even sweeter by using 3D gems for your cherry fruits.

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Love in Cartoons

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For some lovely nails that draw inspiration from the Sunday funny pages, check out this red and black design, drawn in a cartoon fashion. The matte top coat makes it look like paper, adding layers to the comics-inspired look.

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Burberry Second Coat

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Bring luxury to every part of your look with this red and black design. Taken from the iconic Burberry print, these nails are for the person who wants to stay designer all the way to the tips of their fingers.

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A Leopard in France

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Pair your next animal print with a sleek red French tip. It’ll bring some extra pop to this Fran Drescher-approved look.

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Leopards Actually Can Change Their Spots

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Like we said, every nail design loops better with red and black. Take this leopard print for example. You might not see red leopards in the wild, but these nails seem to have understood the assignment either way.

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Ghostface in Love

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Unless you are a year-round horror movie fanatic, then ghostface is a bit seasonal (We’ll be bookmarking this one for October). However, take a look at the middle finger design—the red heart with devil black outline? That’s a 365-days-a-year iconic design.

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Tic- Tac-Toe

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We’re not playing games—we love this design. Red and black tic-tac-toe boards are the perfect Valentine’s Day nail, especially with red hearts in place of O’s.

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Chrome is Where The Heart Is

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It wouldn’t be a round-up of nail inspo without chrome. Chrome is always a good idea. These chrome hearts with crowns pair perfectly with shiny, black, long french tips.

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Good Luck, Great Nails

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How cute are these lucky ladybugs! Whether you opt for a 3D version or not, these cute critters will be your best friends for the weeks that you keep this set.

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Wisps of Smoke

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We love the wispy, smoky element to this red and black design. The little black dots and red hearts center this design with a strong focal point in the middle nail.

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Outlined Florals

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A very subtle red and black design, these florals feature red petals that fade to black toward the center.

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Zebra With Zest

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What’s black, white, and red all over? These nails of course. Like we said, any animal print set pairs well with a chic, shiny red nail.

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Lucky Set

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Not only do we love the Lucky 7 nail stickers here—but we also love how the colors alternate from nail to nail, between the French tips and cuticle accents.