Christmas and New Year's Eve nails 2026: ideas, colours and timing in Paris

1. The 2026 timing: when to book what

In 2026, Christmas falls on a Friday (25 December) and New Year's Eve on a Thursday (31 December). The timing follows how long each treatment lasts:

The days before Christmas are in high demand: book online as soon as you know your dates, at any hour, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. During the Christmas school holidays, from Saturday 19 December to Monday 4 January, the salon is open 7 days a week, 10am to 8pm, including 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January; all our bank holiday hours are in salon open on public holidays.

2. Christmas: red and gold

Red is still the colour of Christmas, and the shade is what makes it elegant. Two reds from our OPI range that we apply a lot in December:

• Big Apple Red: the classic, clear red that never dates.
• Malaga Wine: a deep wine red, softer, beautiful with velvet and winter fabrics.

Gold goes on in small touches, never everywhere:

• A gold French: a thin gold tip over red or nude. That is the French design option (€10, 10 min), with white or coloured tips on the shape of your choice.
• A gold line or design on one or two nails: that is nail art level 2 (€20, 20 min), a first freehand design.
• A single gold chrome nail over red: the chrome option (€10). All about this finish in chrome nails.

For a more discreet Christmas, a milky nude with a thin French. And on short nails, anything goes, red included.

3. New Year's Eve: chrome, glitter and holographic

On the 31st, it is all about light. Three finishes, all on a gel polish that lasts 3 to 4 weeks:

• Mirror chrome: a powder buffed onto the gel polish that reflects light like metal. Silver over black for the sharpest look, gold over red, or the Aurora pigment for a pearly white. Option €10, same price for one nail or ten.
• Glitter: set in the gel, it does not flake off. One or two glitter nails, or all ten: it is nail art by level, and your nail artist tells you which one depending on the number of nails and the design.
• Holographic: Halo There!, a holographic OPI gel polish from our range, whose reflection changes with every movement.

And if you prefer a reflection that moves, magnetic cat eye (option €10) creates a band of light that follows your hand: everything is in magnetic cat eyes.

4. Holiday nail art: one accent rather than ten busy nails

A nail loaded with rhinestones and designs dates quickly; a single idea, well executed, stays chic all night. Our nail artists favour one or two "accent" nails over a plain base. Prices follow the levels on our nail art page, each level building on the previous one:

• Level 2 (€20): a first freehand design on 1 or 2 nails, a snowflake, dots, a gold line.
• Level 3 (€25): the design extends to all nails, or combines several techniques (French + chrome + design).
• Level 4 (€35): a personalised, more elaborate design on 1 or 2 nails ("bling" decoration, relief, elaborate combinations).
• Levels 5 and 6 (€40 and €50): the elaborate design covers all 10 nails, up to a full creation.

An inspiration photo in the booking comment helps your nail artist confirm the level. More understated ideas in chic Parisian nail art.

5. Lashes and brows for the holidays

In party photos, people notice your eyes as much as your hands. At the same address:

• Lash lift (€65, 60 min, or €80 with tint): your own lashes curled from the root, for six to eight weeks. Done in early December, it lasts the whole month with no upkeep.
• Lash extensions: classic for a natural look (€80, 60 min), hybrid for a more defined look (€100). They last 3 to 4 weeks, infill at €65.
• Brows: waxing (€15) and tint (€20), for a neat frame under your party make-up.

Lift or extensions? The differences are in lash lift or extensions, and every treatment is on the eye beauty page.

6. Giving the holidays: the gift card

To give the treatment rather than wear it, the You Rêve gift card: a free amount from €15 to €1,000, sent by email as soon as it is paid, with a link to print it, valid for 12 months on every treatment. A few benchmarks: a classic manicure + OPI gel polish costs €45, a Luxury SPA manicure + gel polish €65, a classic hands and feet treatment with gel polish €100.

7. After the holidays: removal, never peeling

Once New Year's Eve is over, a corner lifts and you want to pull at it: please don't. Gel polish peeled off takes the top layers of the nail with it, leaving it thin and fragile for weeks. Removal is done at the salon, by gentle soaking, without harsh filing: €10, or €5 if a new gel polish follows straight away. Why, and how to let your nails breathe in January: gel polish removal after the holidays. If your nails are already damaged, read damaged nails after gel polish or gel.

8. Visiting Paris? What you need to know

• Where: 7 rue d'Argenteuil, Paris 1st — three minutes from the Louvre and the Tuileries, metro Tuileries (line 1) or Pyramides (lines 7 and 14).
• When: open 7 days a week, 10am to 8pm, Sundays included, and throughout the holidays.
• How:online booking in English, French or Chinese, instant confirmation. Walk-ins are welcome, subject to same-day availability — calling ahead is the safest.
• Languages: the whole team speaks French, English and 中文.