By Marci Robin , Nicola Dall'Asen , and Tori Crowther
Halloween costumes come with various levels of commitment: We've got the planners who know a whole 11 months prior what their theme is, the creative crafters who get to work two months ahead of time, and the 10-minutes-before-leaving-the-house crew. But, did you know there's a whole other group filled with Halloween spirit? They are your nail-obsessed friends. Now, you might think that a costume takes more planning than Halloween nails, but once you see this collection of intricate and beautiful designs, you'll realize that they're a total work of art in their own right. Spring Nail Color
Countless nail artists on Instagram are just as enthused as you are about the eerie magic of October 31, with some already serving spider-webbed French tips, sleek orange-and-black designs, and candy-corn stripes on their grids. These fun manicure ideas can stand on their own if you're not dressing up or serve as an awesome enhancement to your Halloween costume and/or makeup look. Here are the coolest ways to wear your excitement for the holiday on your fingertips in 2023.
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Who knew ghosts could be so adorable? Bust out the chrome powder for this set by Gabi De la Cruz, which features a pink-glazed base and creepy-but-cute ghosts wearing witch hats.
If you’re pretty dedicated to the French manicure year-round, here’s a way to Halloween-ify it. This manicure by Katie Alice has tiny black bats painted on its dark gray tips. It’s a fun nod to one of our all-time favorite throwback memes (remember the “It’s frickin bats” video?) which just so happens to also make an epic costume.
Want a Halloween nail look that is neither spooky nor gory? Try this one by Texas-based nail artist Nat McMains, who hand-painted enchanted items — a mirror, crescent moon, and crystal ball — onto a pearlescent purple base.
For lovers of both Halloween and Valentine’s Day, we have this hauntingly romantic manicure by Charlotte Bradwell of Cavan Studio in Sheffield, UK. Bradwell swept on a sheer pink base before meticulously painting tiny, lovestruck creatures above it.
For Halloween nails that are slightly more subtle with the theme, try out a design similar to Avril Fernandez’s. It’s an entirely black and white manicure that uses checkerboard, flame, yin and yang, and floral patterns across every nail. The Halloween magic is on both thumbs with two skulls hanging like cherries.
Can’t let go of summer? Try this “summerween” manicure, which combines a neon polish and an ombré paint job (two very summery nail trends) with Halloween-themed art. It’ll make you want to throw on a Fred Waring vinyl (and even maybe play it backwards in search of hidden messages).
Sure, this manicure uses cream-colored polish, but it doesn’t make the look any less eerie. Its snakes, evil eyes, and crescent moons create for a sinister set that skips the dark hues.
This is not one for the coulrophobes out there. This look by Angel City Nails gives Halloween nails a carnival flair. It’s fun and games with its bright colors and smiley face — but add some red splatter for more of a House of Horrors vibe.
When Halloween and minimalism intersect, the result is this look by Bailee Tabag. Its matte top coat and autumnal colors give the Jack-o’-lanterns, spiderwebs, and ghosts style and finesse.
If hand painted icons or nail decals aren’t your thing, but you still want a special manicure for the holiday, this velvet green set is for you. Ask your nail artist for cat eye polish, which uses a magnet to move iron particles in the nail polish creating an illusion of texture that shifts in different lights.
"If scary nails aren't your thing, let us introduce to you this mesmerizing mani by LA-based manicurist Amy Le. The first step is carefully forming the drip effect using a dotting tool and nail art brush in a black base color. Next (the fun part) is adding the chrome powder over the top of the black shade to create this oil-slick effect, which changes colors in different lights. Finally, add some small cute spiders to give it a Halloween-esque finish and seal in with a high shine top coat.
For this manicure you'll need to use a gel polish system (which isn't recommended if you aren't trained), but there are some powders that work with normal nail polish and even certain polishes that give that color changing effect without the need for chrome powders."
If you like the idea of Halloween with all its blood and gore more than the actual thing, then we introduce to you your perfect manicure: the holographic blood drip tips. Vanity Projects Miami nail salon took the effect of blood drip nails and combined them with the French tip and holographic powder effect. In short: we’re in love.
California-based creator Lauren just proved to us that blood drips can make one heck of a stylish manicure. She combined a milky pink base with an accent nail featuring delicately placed blood drips, which make it a Halloween-themed manicure without going OTT if that isn’t your vibe. It’s simply but hugely effective.
Who’d have thought the tortoiseshell nail art would work so well with a ghost design? Not us, but we’re glad Milli of Hard As Nails Studio did because this design is adorable. Combining the chic backdrop of a tortoiseshell-inspired print with a cartoon ghost, this is one of people who aren’t a fan of gore during the Halloween season but still want to get involved.
To get into the Halloween spirit, you don’t always need to dress as a skeleton, when designs look as good as this one by digital creator Kristin Kuyper, you can wear the theme on your nails instead. This requires some patience and a steady hand, first starting with a jet black base shade, then moving onto carefully placing the bones in a white hue. If you aren’t a keen DIY nail artist, take this inspiration to the salon with you.
We honestly didn’t know a themed Halloween manicure could get as chic as this one created by digital creator Melanie. This is definitely a design to try at home, because instead of having to painstakingly hand paint these characters, you simply stick them on. For this design Melanie used the Deco Mani nail art stickers and carefully placed them over the top of her black and white French tips. Chic and easy equals a winning Halloween combo in our eyes.
Ring in the spooky season with a handful of bones — literally! Emily Gilmour expertly created this lettering drawn from bones complete with an adorable skeleton accent nail. Unless you’ve got the patience of a saint, this is one to take to your nail tech for inspiration.
You don’t have to be literal with your nail art during the spooky season, but instead take elements of the season and incorporate different techniques, just like this manicure created by NYC-based nail artist Sky. For this set, grab various shades of blue and green and swirl them together on a palette, then pick them up using a nail art brush and gently guide them onto the nail and it should create this smoky effect. Next up, using a detail brush, add on some stars and moons. Finally, finish it off with a matte-effect top coat and you’ll have this dazzling set.
If you want to partake in the spooky season festivities without it being completely obvious, take this design as inspiration. The matte black hues, monochrome stripes and lime green slime scream Halloween, but only to those who are looking close enough.
These negative space tips with a starry night pattern, created by LA-based manicurist Thuy Nguyen, are the witch glam we didn’t know we needed in our lives. This is one you’ll definitely want to visit the salon for, ask for a reverse French tip with a clear free edge tip, a true black hue and some delicate black stars to embellish the set.
When your Halloween manicure looks this good (and incredibly detailed), it becomes a costume party winner all of its own accord. Florida-based nail artist Vivian created this Nightmare Before Christmas set with a pink twist. Now, unless you’re a total nail art whiz, this is probably one to take to your nail tech for inspiration. If you’re not feeling the patience to sit for a full set, why not take inspiration from Vivian’s design by choosing one or two accent nails? That way, you’ve got the magic of the scene without the commitment of a full set.
Bet you never thought you could love pumpkins on a set of nails so much? These are simply adorable and we want them painted on our nails right away. To try this design at home, start with a neutral-toned base and then choose five other autumnal hues that will form your pumpkin. Begin creating a rounded tip (where your classic French tip would go) with those shades, making sure to create a small indent to form that pumpkin shape. Then, using a detailing brush, go in with a black shade and outline those pumpkins, adding personality with stalks.
If you’re not ready to try a full set of nails, negative space is a great way to hop on the Halloween nail art train. Simply choose your favorite spooky season-themed designs and ask your nail artist (or try at home!) to paint these onto a clear base coat.Go as literal or abstract as you want! Finish off with a super shiny top coat or a matte top coat for different effects.
Playing around with matte and shiny top coats on a black nail polish shade is a super cool way to spook-ify a traditional Halloween character. Take this badass set by Minnesota-based nail artist Sydney who painted on a spooky bat design in a high shine top coat on a matte base to make it stand out without the use of other shades.
Possibly the cutest little ghost we’ve ever seen belongs to this set of nails. Playing with contrasting black and white shades, as well as matte and glossy finishes gives even the simplest of designs an extra special something. This is a great design to take inspiration from to try at home since you can buy matte top coats from most beauty supply stores.
Jazz up a spiderweb design by painting on a jelly nail base like nail artist Gabbi did for this set. If you’ve got a steady hand and a jelly nail polish, this is one you might want to try your hand at recreating at home.
We’ve seen so many versions of the classic French manicure but we’ve never seen a cobweb French manicure before, and it makes a perfect Halloween design. Ask your nail tech to swap out the regular French tip for a spiderweb design, then add on some teeny spiders and finish off with a matte top coat.
When steel blue tips become Halloween artwork! Rosie of Nails Bab created this intricate set complete with a spooky skull, rose, spider, eyeball, and fangs that screams Halloween. You’ll definitely need to visit a specialist nail artist in hand painting if you’re inspired to take this photo to a salon. Who said French tips are boring? Certainly not us.
This chrome green set created by LA-based Michelle Won is our new obsession, it’s that simple. Proving that not all epic Halloween manicures need to be intricate to be incredible, sometimes you just need a long canvas to work on, an epic chrome power, and some super realistic water droplets.
Thought you couldn’t love Gudetama anymore? Allow nail artist Emily Gilmour to change your mind. This accent nail design combining Gudetama and a pumpkin is both the most intricate and adorable thing we’ve possibly ever seen. This nail art is so good in fact, we’d be basing our entire costume around it.
When spooky becomes glitter and galaxy and the outcome looks like this, we certainly wouldn’t be complaining. This design, created by West Seattle-based artist Noelle, is stunning. Incorporating layers of black saturation in the base coat, flecks of holographic glitter and the best part, glowing stars. Noelle added a slightly more transparent white shade underneath the white star to create this glowing effect, proving that tiny details can make all the difference in nail art.
Matte Nails Whilst these aren’t traditional Halloween nails, they sure do deserve a spot on your inspiration list for the spooky season. Created by a sister-owned salon Hey Nice Nails, this manicure uses a reflective glitter gel placed in swirl patterns on half of each nail. It’s finished off with teeny tiny metallic gold stars added to give the set a little extra magic. The best part? They light up in a completely different way with flash on, essentially giving you two nail designs in one!