These small, centralised hearts are versatile – appropriate for work and play. Whether you choose clashing colours or a monochromatic shade pairing, the delicate design is one of our favourites, Valentine’s Day or not.

A subtle twist on the classic French manicure, choose a couple of fingers – here it’s the pinkie and ring finger – to create a heart-shaped tip. 

One of the sweetest heart nail designs going, paint tiny individual hearts onto the base of each nail. Stop the heart from getting lost by painting onto a neutral or skin-coloured base.

Undulating, liquid hearts are very much still in the heart-shaped genre. Use a muddle of pinks and reds to stay on theme. 

If you prefer the heart to face you (and why wouldn’t you), simply flip the micro heart the other way around. Again, a contrasting colour on a nude or neutral base will help the small design stand out. 

Giving the impression of a heart-filled lava lamp, float perfectly rounded multi-colour hearts on a nude-base.

As seen on Hailey Bieber, squat, round hearts are adorable, especially when painted in a classic shade like this. Make each nail different for a cartoon-perfect effect.

Blink and you miss them, painting small white hearts is an understated way to reference the day of love without travelling too far into Kitschville.

Opting for a colour other than pink and red can breathe new life into more traditional Valentine’s Day nail designs. 

Alternatively, you could adorn just one nail with a simple heart for a chic, timeless and subtle manicure. 

Made famous last year when Kourtney Kardashian made Travis Barker her Instagram-official boyfriend with a hand-holding car snap, bright red pointed heart tips add a tougher edge to the style.

Reminiscent of a kaleidoscope, this design deconstructs the classic heart shape and colours to create a beautifully aesthetic effect.

A nod towards heart-shaped designs, keeping the edges straight stops the style becoming cutesy.

Not a problem if the idea of heart-shaped nails doesn’t appeal – that doesn’t mean you can’t play in the colour wheelhouse, though. Experiment with pink and red smiley faces and solid nail colours for the full effect.

Stop me if you think I’ve been watching too much Grey’s Anatomy, but these love-shaped squiggles remind me of a (much more fun) heart rate monitor – what’s more heart-inspired than that?

Sometimes you want the colour without the kitsch, I get that. These multi-tone nails are gloriously on theme without veering into any sort of heart-shaped territory. 

Part Valentine’s Day, part 101 Dalmatians, these heart nails are sleek and chic without a single pop of colour.