14 Halloween Nail Ideas You Can Do at Home (That Still Look Good in November)

Halloween nails have two problems: most designs need a steady hand and a drawer of specialty polish, and most of them look ridiculous on November 1. These fourteen fix both. Every one uses shades you'd wear anyway (deep red, forest green, chocolate, black, milky nude), so the set still works for the rest of fall, and none of them need more than a dotting tool and a toothpick.

The palette

• Blood red: Ruby or Mamacita (shimmer)
• Witchy green: Emerald City
• Black and near-black: Luxxe (jet black) or Latte Body (oxblood that reads black)
• Bone and ghost: Frenchie (white) and Blyss (milky)
• Pumpkin: So Extra (neon orange) or Caliente (amber)
• Chocolate: Sultry
• Silver: Little Star

14 Halloween nail ideas, easiest first

1. Blood-red glossy set. Ruby, two coats, high gloss. Zero art, maximum Halloween. Wears straight through November.
2. Black French tips (with tiny bats). Milky base (Blyss), thin Luxxe tip, and if you're feeling it, one small bat or sparkle on the ring finger. The goth micro French. Tip technique in our French manicure guide. Design and video by @verdandinails
3. Blood drip French. Blyss base, Ruby dripping down from the tip: a wavy line with two or three drops pulled toward the cuticle with a toothpick.
4. Witch green with one black accent. Emerald City on four nails, Luxxe on the ring finger.
5. Tortoiseshell (the spooky version). Same blot method as our tortoiseshell tutorial, but Sultry, Latte Body and Luxxe instead of the caramel. Reads like a cauldron.
6. Ghost accent nail. Frenchie on a nude base, painted as a soft blob shape with a wavy bottom edge, then two black dots for eyes (dotting tool, Luxxe). One or two nails per hand; the rest stay nude. Design and video by @cutieclesandcurls
7. Pumpkin French. Blyss base, So Extra or Caliente tip. Brighter than it sounds, and it becomes a Thanksgiving mani in November.
8. Spider web on one nail. Luxxe base, Frenchie lines: three lines from one corner, then curved connectors between them. Toothpick, patience, one nail only.
9. Plum with a black cuticle curve. Latte Body base, inverted French line in Luxxe at the cuticle. Moody, not costume.
10. Dripping black. Luxxe drips over Blyss. The blood drip in black; reads as ink.
11. Emerald and gold flake. Emerald City with a pinch of gold flake pressed into the wet top coat on one or two nails. Uses Whole Lot of Money if you'd rather paint the gold.
12. Matte black stiletto. Luxxe under Velvet Matte Top Coat. The suede finish makes black look expensive instead of costume-y, and on a stiletto shape it's the whole costume.
13. Silver flames on matte black. Luxxe, matte top coat, then flame outlines in Little Star with a striping brush: three or four tongues rising from the tip, thin lines only, no fill. The trick is leaving most of the nail black. Sketch the flame shape first on a printable almond template.
14. Glow-in-the-dark special effect. Not one of ours, but the most Halloween thing we've seen this year: a multicolour glow-in-the-dark effect polish that looks like nebulae when the lights go off. Shown here by one of the artists we work with, over a BarBella base. Design and video by @manimaeve

Artist spotlight

Several of the looks in this post come from nail artists who work with BarBella Co. polish. Go follow them; their feeds are the best Halloween inspiration you'll find:

• @manimaeve
• @verdandinails
• @cutieclesandcurls

Made something spooky with our polish? Tag @barbella_co and we'll feature it.

Plan it before you paint it

Every design above is easier if you sketch the placement first. Our printable nail art templates come in all five shapes, life-size, so you can test where the drip goes or how big the ghost should be before it's on your hand.

Making it last past the party

Prep, thin coats, capped edges, cuticle oil. The full method is in our at-home manicure guide. Do the set the weekend before Halloween and it lasts through the first week of November, which is when the pumpkin French quietly becomes a fall French.

Halloween nails FAQ

What colours are best for Halloween nails?
Deep red, black, green, orange and white. You need two of them, not all five.

How do I do Halloween nails without nail art skills?
Pick a colour set and one accent nail. Ideas 1, 2, 4 and 12 above need no art at all.

Can I do Halloween nails with dip powder?
Yes, for the solid-colour looks. Our dip powder guide has the method.

Every BarBella Co. gel polish is vegan, 10-free, HEMA-free, and Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty-free. Where nail care, health & conscience go hand in hand!

The whole Halloween palette is in the gel polish collection.