10 Halloween nails that are spooky yet stylish

It’s never too early to start thinking about Halloween. If you love spooky season, there are so many ways to nod to the celebration, but Halloween nails are one of our favourite places to start.

It’s true that Halloween manis may have previously picked up a slightly sketchy rep, thanks to the novelty designs (no judgement here, if you love it, rock it). And, if you don’t think it’s possible for Halloween nails to be chic – allow us to prove you wrong.

Whether you like to go all out during Halloween or prefer to keep it low-key, there’s something for everyone. More of a minimalist? Glossy black nails are a classic, or you could even switch in a moody matte top coat to live out your inner grunge-girl. You can give classic Frenchies a vampy makeover by switching out the white tip for blood red or midnight black. And, we’ve even seen the white swoosh transformed into a dinky ghost (you’ll see what we mean below).

That said, maximalist nail art is back on the map for 2024 and we love seeing the intricate artistry going into some truly phenomenal designs. Plus, with 3D designs coming on leaps over the past year, expect this season to be extra freaky, with nail techs able to raise the bar with special effect spiders and snakes, oozing blood and glow in the dark details

Elsewhere, glazed doughnut nails have had an autumnal update, with chrome chocolate and spiced pumpkin latte shades swapped in instead of the signature pearly pink. We’ve also seen delicate details like simple spider webs over a bare base and mystical moons.

As for what’s trending on TikTok, “vampire nails” sees dangerous-looking red and black manis in a whole bunch of renditions from ombre, to stiletto… and aura, which is another major search term.

With more of us tapping into our electromagnetic energy, aura nails have been big news in mani circles for some time. The design sees an ombre blend of two or more colours, but instead of being applied vertically or horizontally, it’s applied spherically to create an “aura” shape. And, heading toward Halloween “vampire aura nails” are trending with one user, @glossytipped picking up over 9 million views for a red and black design that wouldn’t look out of place on the Volturi coven.

Whatever your vibe, we’ve rounded up the best Halloween nail designs on Instagram for you to recreate now.

Check out our favourite Halloween nails to get you in the mood…
“Thing” Frenchies
Anyone familiar with Wednesday or the Addams Family will be familiar with “Thing” the stitched hand that seems to have a life of its own. You can nod to him with a stitched Frenchie, or add in an eye ball or black blood trickle design.

Ghost Frenchies
Try out the genius ghost Frenchies we keep spotting (just tweak the shape and add a ghoul face to your French tips). It’s a dinky detail that even minimalists can get on board with.

Ombre witching hour mani
Take the ombre trend, add in mystical black and purple tones and a 3D crucifix and you have a graveyard smash, that’s actually very wearable.

Blood trickle design
Want something a little edgier? We’ve seen plenty of blood trickle designs that nail the theme but still look fierce.