Fall is in high gear. Leaves are starting to turn and flutter to the ground, and pumpkin patches are calling the name of every influencer in a 20-mile radius. Which means that it’s finally time to start breaking out those October nail designs.
From perfect plaid to sinister sparkles, we’re here for these ghoulishly good designs. This month is the best time to break out your favorite Halloween nail art and beautiful Fall colors. Use these as some inspiration for your own October nails.
Try not to scare your manicurist, but we believe these sets will be a real scream.
35 October Nail Designs For Those Fall Vibes
1. Oogie Boogie Nails
Oogie Boogie said it best himself: There’s trouble close at hand. The main trouble here is that if we had such amazing nails, we’d refuse to touch anything. Can we call out sick due to an epic manicure?
2. Neutral Nails
Sometimes, you just want things to be simple. Like these chocolatey color scheme nails. Or like a really good burger. Well, not if you’ve seen The Menu. Wait, have you seen The Menu? OK, we’re gonna need you to stop reading and go watch The Menu.
3. Orange Floral Nail Design
Florals? For autumn? Groundbreaking. No, seriously, these are some unique Fall nails. And at least they’re not cerulean.
4. Pretty in Pink Poltergeists
On Wednesdays during spooky season, we wear pink ghosts. And instead of trying to make fetch happen, we try to make pumpkin spice trash bags happen. Wait, they already exist? Are people OK?
5. Halloween Symbols
From the bloody French tips to the happy jack-o-lantern, we can’t decide which nail we love most. Luckily, you don’t actually have to choose. Libras, rejoice!
6. Spooky French Tip Manicure
Elegant, artistic, and subtly dark. Oh no, we were talking about The Menu again. But yeah, all those words also apply to this beautiful set of French-tipped nails.
7. Bloody Drip Nails
You’ve got blood on your hands. By the rules of horror movies, you are either the villain or about to be framed as one. You say it’s just nail polish, but can you prove it?
8. National Coming Out Day Nails
National Coming Out Day is observed on October 11 each year, and we’ll take it as a perfect opportunity to celebrate Pride. October and June are already the two best months of the year, so we’re loving this collab.
9. Adora-Boo Ghost Nails
There’s something so ’70s about this set of ghost nails with flower-covered ghosts. Clearly, the ghost didn’t heed the Bee Gees’ advice about “stayin’ alive.”
10. National Dessert Day Nails
Did you know that National Dessert Day is October 14? Mhmm. Sorry, our mouth was full of cake just then. We’re going in for another bite, so let’s just say these frosting-themed nails are perf-mmm.
11. Libra Season Nails
Libra season lasts from September 23 to October 23, and the dark color scheme of this nail design still falls in line with spooky season. A two-for-one special? What is it, our birthday? Oh wait, it literally is.
12. Scorpio Season Nails
Let us not forget about our friends born at the end of the month of October. Seriously. Scorpios hold a grudge like no one else.
13. Happy Haunt Nails
The purple statement nail with the eyes feels like the wallpaper from the Haunted Mansion. We dare you to show us even one happy haunt who wouldn’t want to rock these. Assuming ghosts have nails.
14. Pumpkins and Plaid
With some pretty pumpkin-covered and plaid statement nails, this set is oh-so-cozy. Wrap us up in a flannel, hand us a PSL, and let us argue for a few hours about the merits of candy corn. We like to debate both sides. Keeps things interesting.
15. October Nail Design
These nails are giving haunted garden vibes. Which we didn’t know was a thing until now. Did we just invent the next cottagecore?
16. Sparkly Scream
This nail set answers the question, “What if the Scream mask were bedazzled?” We’d be dazzled, that’s for sure. And, like, probably dead.
17. Black-and-White Patterns
It may be true that nothing rhymes with orange, but black and white match it. And everything. Especially if you’re color blind.
18. Purple and Black Bats
We’ve gone absolutely batty for these purple French-tipped nails. The color makes them less predictable, so we’re happy to make these our personal Bat Signal. If you see them, bring us coffee.
19. National Book Month Nails
If Booktok has taught us anything, it’s that reading is pretty cool when it’s not forced on you by well-meaning teachers and geriatric curricula. Happy National Book Month! Celebrate by reading something banned.
20. Reading Nails
One more for the bookish, because the orange color really vibes with October. Can we let the pumpkins have their moment without reducing them to their spice?
21. Pastel Scream Nails
These nails inspired by Scream are way too fitting for those of us who consider Skeet Ulrich our first crush. Is that a spoiler? While we’re at it, Bruce Willis is a ghost in the Sixth Sense.
22. Glittery Pumpkin Nail Design
These nails sparkle more than Edward Cullen in the sunlight. It’s hard to beat glitter bae, unless you just ate some real garlicky pasta.
23. October Colors
Fun October nails don’t just have to be Halloween-y. They can even be regular weenies, if you aren’t ready to give up hot dog season just yet.
24. Breast Cancer Awareness Nails
October is best known for Halloween, but it’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. What better way to raise awareness than with a bunch of boobs painted on your nails?
25. Save the Tatas Nails
Barbie season might be over, but Breast Cancer Awareness Month keeps the pink train running through October. Show your solidarity and stun in a bold set like this one.
26. Dotted Manicure
If those spots weren’t enough, how about these? If you can handle everyone telling you you forgot to paint half your nail, this design is for you.
27. Classic Monsters
From Pennywise to Freddy to Jason, these nails are just right for those who prefer a Blumhouse-style Halloween. Just remember to clarify that you want Michael Myers on your nails, not Mike Myers. Although Austin Powers is his own Halloween vibe.
28. Pumpkins and Spiders Manicure
Okay, now this is cottagecore. It’s giving adorable-witch-in-her-moss-covered-cottage-on-a-Full-Moon-with-her-friendly-spider-companion vibes. And while that is very specific, it somehow also feels just right.
29. Wednesday Addams Nail Art
Remember what we said before about Wednesdays? Scratch that. On Wednesdays, we actually wear these Wednesday-inspired nails. But if you wear them every other day of the week, we wouldn’t blame you. Except for Mondays. Mondays are for lasagna-eating cats.
30. Maximalist Halloween Nails
There’s a time and a place for minimalism. That time was around 2010. But this is 2023, and maximalism is where it’s at. With tons of colors and patterns, this set is giving everything festive all at once. For those girlies on a manicure budget.
31. Prismatic Coming Out Day Nails
We can’t think of a better way to embrace your sexuality than by rocking these stunning silver nails on October 11. But we can think of a lot of close seconds, tbh.
32. Nude Halloween Nails
Avert your eyes. These nails are nude! Thankfully, their birthday suit is covered up by some adorable critters and symbols. So, they’re still appropriate for trick-or-treaters, even if you’re not spending Halloween on a beach in France.
33. Child’s Play Scary Nails
The only Chucky we like is the one from The Rugrats because, like him, we’re scared of everything. Including these amazing nails inspired by that other Chucky.
34. The Nightmare Before Christmas Nails
Boys and girls of every age, would you like to see something strange? Just scroll through TikTok for five minutes. You’ll find something head-scratching for sure. Or check out these nails inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas if you don’t have five hours to kill right now.
35. Football Nails
Whether you’re in it for the tailgating or you genuinely like football, October is the full-blown season of the sport. Imagine you, with these nails, picking at the chips and queso? Almost as iconic as Travis and Taylor.
She's also a published short story author who has appeared in anthologies like A Murder of Storytellers and the Abstract Elephant. Jacqueline challenges herself to learn one new skill per year, so you can often find her struggling to master crocheting, knitting, and embroidery when she's not writing.
Connect with her on her website or LinkedIn.
- 25 December Nail Design Ideas You’ll Rock All Holiday Season Long - November 27, 2023
- These Cool Winter Makeup Trends For 2023 Are Hot Enough To Melt The Snow - November 9, 2023
- Treat Your Friends (And Yourself) To These Stylish Gifts From Anthropologie - November 2, 2023
Leave a Comment