By Ashley Hubbard | | Updated on | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links that we collect a share of sales from. Click here for more details.
Mardi Gras is the furthest thing from subtle. More is absolutely more when it comes to Fat Tuesday, and your manicure should be no exception. So, we found the best Mardi Gras nails to help you stand out in the crowd and give the floats a run for their money.
Exactly 47 days before Easter marks the end of the Carnival season and the beginning of Lent. And it’s celebrated in a big way, especially in the Big Easy. Meaning, New Orleans. Not your great uncle’s favorite chair that no one else is allowed to sit in.
But you don’t have to be headed to NOLA to get in on the festivities. Just grab some beads, masks, feather boas, and these ideas for a Mardi Gras-inspired manicure. And King Cake. And Paczki. You know, once your nails are dry.
Purple, green, and gold are going to be your standout shades for these designs. From there, you can adorn them with whatever you’d like, like beads, babies, or the fleur-de-lis. Or beignets. You need sustenance to keep up with all the activities!
15 Mardi Gras Nails
1. Jester Nail Design
Jokes on you if your Mardi Gras nails don’t look this good. Dad jokes, to be specific.
2. Mardi Gras French Manicure
A French manicure for Mardi Gras is perfectly on theme, don’t you think? And if there’s a little dusting of beignets, that’s perfectly okay too.
3. Heart Bead Nail Design
This nail design is tugging at our heartstrings. Here we just thought that was Geppetto being handsy again.
Polka dots may not be what you envision when you think of Mardis Gras, but we call this look “Deconstructed Mardis Gras Beads.” It’s all in the phrasing.
5. Holographic Purple Nails
Okay, we know we said more is more, but the fact these holographic nails are the “simplest” ones on this list says everything you need to know about Mardi Gras.
The good news about how long it will take to recreate these nails is that you can practice saying “laissez les bons temps rouler” perfectly. Your high school French teacher will be so proud.
How many licks does it take to get to the center of these Gobstoppers? Sorry, is that not what we’re doing here? Excuse us while we remove our fingers from our mouth.
These may be traditional Mardis Gras colors, but there’s nothing traditional about these nails. Except for that familiar feeling of poking our eyeballs every time we move.
These nails will have you wishing you were eating down in the bayou with Bobby Boucher and his momma. Or at least not in this meeting that could have been an email.
You’ll be ready to catch all the beads with these targets on your fingers. Next up – a game of horseshoes. What? We’re positive that these look stable enough. Stable, get it?
Ashley Hubbard is a freelance writer and creator. As a Darcy Magazine contributor, she covers all things related to nails, entertainment news, pop culture trends, and more. Additionally, she regularly writes interview-based celebrity stories for Coping with Cancer magazine and has written for other publications, including Let's Eat Cake, Roadtrippers, Greatist, and Healthline. She has also been featured by Impact Travel Alliance as a creative who is transforming travel, and by Matador Network as a vegan travel blogger you should be following on Instagram.
Ashley is a Nashville unicorn (born, raised, and based), queer, vegan, and dedicated to leaving a positive impact through her life, work, and her website,Wild Hearted.
When she's not writing, she's traveling, reading a book, trying not to kill her houseplants, worshiping her dog, or having an existential crisis. Follow her onInstagram,TikTok,FacebookandTwitter, andLinkedIn
Latest posts by Ashley Hubbard (see all)
60 Trendy Valentine’s Day Nail Ideas To Fall In Love With - January 18, 2024
These Facts About Ayo Edebiri Will Make You Love “The Bear” Star Even More - June 12, 2023
75 Interesting Facts That’ll Get You Crowned the Winner of Trivia - April 17, 2023
King cake is first served on King's Day (January 6) and lasts through the eve of Mardi Gras to celebrate the three kings' coming and honor them with a delicious homage to their jeweled crowns. Hidden in the cake's interior, or under a slice, is a small plastic baby.
The baby inside the king cake is such an important tradition that each year during Carnival, the New Orleans NBA team unveils a seasonal King Cake Baby mascot (which is absolutely terrifying, by the way). Finding the baby in a slice of king cake can mean good luck.
A blend of coffee cake and cinnamon roll, king cake is usually iced in yellow, green and purple – the colors of Mardi Gras -- and is frequently packed with fruit fillings and decadent cream cheeses. Hidden within these season sweets also lie a special surprise: a plastic king cake baby to continue the fun.
King cake season winds down around February 28th, the last day of the month, because that is when Mardi Gras ends. This is also why king cakes are colored green, purple, and gold: to symbolize the colors of Mardi Gras. However, king cakes in New Orleans tend to start disappearing around Fat Tuesday.
Something like king cake is available year round, but those faithful to New Orleans tradition know it only has its cultural significance during Carnival season. That season will fly by this year, between the kick off on Jan. 6 and Fat Tuesday bringing down the curtain on Feb.13.
Remember, finding the baby inside the king cake not only makes you a “king,” but it also comes with some responsibilities. If you are so fortunate to find the baby in your slice of cake, you will be responsible for hosting the next Mardi Gras celebration and providing the next king cake!
It is believed that the king cake tradition originated in France and was brought to New Orleans in 1870. The French version of this local delicacy is made of an almond-filled puff pastry that gives off a flaky texture. It also features a decorative pattern and is sometimes topped with a paper crown.
A classic king cake if there ever was one, Randazzo is a favorite among purists, and for good reason—the family has been making this beloved recipe since 1965. Their hand-braided, cinnamon-infused cake is covered in "Randazzo" icing and topped with the traditional tri-colored sprinkles.
Originally, king cakes were a simple ring of dough with a small amount of decoration. After the rich dough is braided and baked, the top of the cake is covered with delicious sugar toppings in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold (purple for "justice," green for "faith" and gold for "power").
Most king cakes are traditionally decorated in royal colors of purple, which signifies “justice,” green for “growth,” and gold meaning “prosperity and wealth.” These colors can be seen as chosen to resemble a jeweled crown honoring the three wise men and their gifts during the visit of the Christ Child on Epiphany.
A plastic baby, representing Jesus, is hidden inside the cake, which for some is said to bring good luck. But it also comes with responsibility. The person who gets the baby in their piece of king cake becomes the king and as such must provide the next king cake for all to enjoy.
Yes, New Orleans has a cake season. It's technically called Carnival, and it starts on January 6, known as Twelfth Night or the Epiphany. The date marks twelve days after Christmas, when the three wise men came to visit the baby Jesus.
But more specifically, it's a frosted seasonal treat that Mardi Gras partygoers eat between January 6, otherwise known as King's Day or Twelfth Night, and Fat Tuesday. Typically, king cake is made of a rich, brioche dough and a wide array of fillings, such as cinnamon, chocolate, and cream cheese.
The bejeweled-looking bread is meant to symbolize the gifts given to baby Jesus, and inside the bread is a little plastic baby, symbolizing the newborn messiah. If you get the baby in your slice, you have to cook tamales for everyone on Feb. 2, or Candelaria Day.
It is believed that the king cake tradition originated in France and was brought to New Orleans in 1870. The French version of this local delicacy is made of an almond-filled puff pastry that gives off a flaky texture. It also features a decorative pattern and is sometimes topped with a paper crown.
The New Orleans tradition, borrowing heavily from European influences, is believed to have begun in the 1870's. As part of this celebration, it is now traditional to bake a cake in honor of the three kings - the King Cake. King Cakes are oval-shaped to symbolize the unity of faiths.
Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
