50 Scary-Good Halloween Nail Art Ideas for October

Long almond shaped nails with black, white, and orange drip French tips and spider nail art.

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Spider Web French Tips

Glam and gloom meet with this elegant, spider web French tip nail design. We love the addition of the silver crystal, which gives the impression of a glistening dew drop falling from a wet web.

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Costumed Ghosts

Short purple nails with hand painted ghosts wearing Halloween costunes.

Possibly the cutest little ghosts we’ve ever seen belong to this set of nails. The ghosts are all dressed up for Trick or Treating underneath a starry sky, masquerading as a witch, vampire, Jack-o’-Lantern, and Frankenstein.

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Metallic Stars

Long oval shaped nails with orange gold, black, and silver foil French tips and star nail art.

This look borrows from Fourth of July nails with all the stars and stripes. The orange-gold foil tips paired with silver and black reads as Halloween-themed without going full-fledged with spiders, gore, and ghosts.

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Candy Corn

Negative space nails with double-layered orange tips

Nothing screams Halloween like candy. These candy corn nails are a tasteful take on All Hallows’ Eve and only require a couple of shades of orange polish and a steady hand to replicate.

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Frankenstein French

Red french tip nails with black sewing cross sтιтch details.

If Frankenstein went to the salon for a manicure, he would definitely get this look. The signature sтιтching paired with a candy apple red French tip is a fun twist on the classic bright green we think of when monsters come to mind.

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Itty Bitty Bats

Oval nails with purple ombre shade and small hand painted bats.

To recreate nail artist Amy Tran’s simple Halloween nail design, use a toothpick dipped in black nail polish to create the points of the bat. From there, connect the points, creating swooped wings and a diamond-shaped body.

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Spooky Swirls

Short square nails with mismatched designs, including pumpkin french tips and swirls.

This mismatched mani totally gives subtle The Nightmare Before Christmas vibes. The Jack Skellington-esque, black and white striped French tips and the dramatic swirls are our fave.

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Horror Movie Mani

Oval nails with hand painted characters, symbols, and slime from Ghostbusters and Candyman.

Movies give us endless beauty inspiration (think Barbie nails), so why not channel your favorite scary flicks with inspired nail art? This look features the classic Ghostbusters insignia and Slimer on the one hand, while the other shows the outline and eye of the тιтular Candyman character.

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Ghosts on a Grid

Almond shaped nails with black French tips, orange plaid, and ghost nail art.

Light orange, plaid-like grids combined with black French tips are a ghoulishly good combo. Add adorable hand-painted ghosts and the design gets even better.

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Ghostface Nail Art

Stiletto shaped nails with black and white striped wavy French tips and hand-painted Ghostface art.

What’s your favorite scary movie? If it’s Scream, then you need to bookmark this mani for your next appointment. Wavy, black and white striped French tips compliment the spooky portrait of Ghostface and his weapon of choice.

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Space Webs

Negative space nails with indigo spider webs

Universally accepted as a symbol of Halloween, spider webs have been a go-to design for most novice nail artists. This subtle, negative space manicure take on the pattern, (which features a gradient of purples) can work with any office setting or costume. Plus, all you need to bring it to life is a toothpick and the polish of your choice.

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Gold Drip

Matte black nails with sparkling gold polish dripping from cuticles

Fake blood is to Halloween what fireworks are to the Fourth of July. This dripping manicure is the perfect amount of kitschy and classic. To DIY, use a toothpick with a hefty drop of polish on the end. Dollop it on your nail and lightly draw it towards the cuticle to create the drip appearance.

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’80s-Chic

Clear nails with neon and black abstract '80s designs

Halloween is the perfect time to throw it back to your favorite retro era. Still keeping with the ’80s but with a more subtle finish, this negative space mani with delicate pops of color is the ultimate inspiration.

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Black Flames

Translucent nails with flaming black tips

It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think Halloween (unless you’re a Hocus Pocus fanatic), but these black flame nails give off a scary vibe. We love the almond-shaped style and how the curves mimic those of the flames. To craft your flames, use a toothpick or polish pen to outline your flame and then gently fill it in.

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Día de los Muertos (Day of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ)

Dia de los Muertos orange patterned manicure with sugar skull accent nail

For those who celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ), this design is worth considering. The sugar skull-inspired design will require a steady hand, so you may want to book an appointment for this screensH๏τ-worthy nail look.

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Bloody Statement Nail

Short nails with white nail polish. One accent nail has a red blood drip.

Those who don’t plan on straying from neutral colors this season will love this look, where a single milky white nail gets a blood drip. It’s simple, yet oh-so bold and full of character.

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Spooky Ghosts

French manicure with two ghost-shaped, white tips

What is Halloween without ghosts? This manicure blends together the spooky design with classic French tips.

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Spell Caster

Stiletto nails with the word 'spooky' written in hand-painted bones.

Cast a (literal) spell with a bone font design on your nails. Go with ‘spooky’ or choose another word that fits on your fingers, like ‘bad witch’ or ‘haunted’.

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Neon Ghosts

Long square nails with neon ombre and ghosts with neon hearts and flowers.

Halloween doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom—just look at these neon nails as proof. Happy ghosts paired with colorful flowers and hearts have us feeling nostalgic for the ’90s. If there ever were a Lisa Frank Halloween mani, this would be it.

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Gucci Snake

This Gucci-inspired snake manicure by Hang Nguyen is almost too good. It’s all in the details. We can’t stop staring at the shiny translucent lacquered base, the glinting red ribbon of the spooky snake’s body, or the itty-bitty split tongue.

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Dripping Black Talons

If you’re looking for a festive Halloween manicure that makes you feel like the chicest vampire, look no further. This glossy nail design has red blood dripping from the tips, and if you look closely, the black base actually has a drip effect, too.

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Pop Art

Rainbow neon manicure with black outlines

Pop art isn’t going to stop inspiring Halloween looks anytime soon. To bring the style’s bold and vivid brights onto your nails, cop this look from nail artist Narina Chan. It’s modern and scene-y, just like a buzzy art installation.

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In Sтιтches

Alicia Torello is an editorial manicurist based in NYC, and her designs are colorful and varied, ranging from maximalist to minimalist in nature. These easy-to-recreate sтιтch nails belong to the latter category. They’re chic, doll-like, and just a little bit off-kilter. In other words, they’re perfect for a low-key Halloween. Do they remind anyone else of the movie Coraline?

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Gory-Good

Long square nails with bloody eyeball and sтιтch nail art.

3D eyeballs, silver sтιтch staples, and blood splatters? This design is definitely reserved for only the bravest of ghouls out there.

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Red Rum

Red manicure with black tips and stacked mixed-metal rings

This manicure is simplicity at its best. Grab your favorite red nail polish to create the thin, blood-red base, and finish off by painting tips black to recreate the look. It’s darkly romantic, and we’re nothing short of obsessed.

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Drip Tips

These free-flowing, drippy French tips in the classic Halloween shades of black, white, and orange are just adorable. The shiny stars and teeny spiders serve not-so-scary, yet still festive vibes.

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Peek-a-Boo Nails

Short round nails with black and white nail polish and ghost French tips.

Orange and black nails are arguably the most classic choice for Halloween. And with the addition of a sweet ghost peek-a-booing over a French tip accent nail, the look becomes even more festive.

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Black Details

Clear acrylic nails with black lines, arrows, and dots

The clean lines paired with black and white tones make this nail design just witchy enough. Nail artist Elizabeth Garcia created this manicure look, leaving us questioning how she ever got those lines so straight and perfect. Our guess is nail striping tape, like China Glaze’s Stripe ‘Em Striping Tape ($10).

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Lunar Look

Feeling a little out of sync this Halloween? It could be because of the phases of the moon. Reminiscent of a werewolf, this artistic creation is truly genius, and Halloween color-appropriate, might we add.

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Blood Ombré

Oxblood.to bright red ombre manicure with jeweled accent nail

If you can’t decide what to be for Halloween, let this easy-to-recreate nail art idea be your guide—the simple red ombré (which can be created with a sponge and layered polish) gives off serious vampire and evil witch vibes. What’s more, the strategically placed crystals only add to the drama of the simple nail look.

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Floral Accents

Clear nails with gold branches and red flowers

Betina Goldstein gives us the simple nail look of our dreams, with gold and amber floral nail art. The combination creates the image of sugar skulls in our minds. It is perfect for any setting, and the fall-inspired colors are just what we need for the upcoming season. Plus, it’s easier to create than her other skull creation, as, when you look closely, it’s just lines and dots.

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Black and White Beads

Chanel inspired black and white beaded short nails.

These beaded nails serve as a reminder that even the most theme-heavy holidays can still be chic. Channel your inner socialite with this black-and-white mani that gives off major Chanel vibes.

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Fall Foliage

Black manicure with multicolored brushstrokes

This abstract marble effect reminds us of the fall foliage that is sure to be covering the sidewalks this Halloween. The mirror-like shine captures your attention and adds to the beauty of the overall look. Your friends will ask how you managed to conjure up this design.

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Eerie Green Checks

Short nails with wavy black and white check print.

This is yet another nail design you can DIY with just nail polish, a toothpick, and steady hands. For the wavy checkerboard print, paint a green base before using a toothpick to create tiny black squares on top. The best part? They don’t have to be perfectly symmetrical as you’re going for a curved look.

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French Sтιтch

French manicure with sтιтched tips and vampire mouth accent nails

Throw in some sтιтch details if you want to Halloween-ify your French mani. A couple of heart-fanged accent nails will strike the right balance of scary meets sweet.

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Zodiac

Keep it simple with these constellation nails painted against a black sky—how Halloween-appropriate. Personalize it by tracing your own astrological constellation as an accent nail.

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Stellar Spiders

Pale pink nails with spider, moon, and star designs

These tiny spiders and starry skies are out of this world. They’re a perfect seasonal pick for Halloween—and lucky for us, they only require a toothpick, nail polish, and a few gemstones to bring them to life.

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Realistic Spiders

Clear nails with minimalist spider designs

If you want to take spiders to a new creepy level, copy this negative space manicure that looks like spiders crawling over your nails. They’re a bit more intricate but still doable. Just be sure to have a bottle of nail polish remover nearby for touch-ups.

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Magic Metallics

This mystical, metallic manicure resembles a magic potion that could very well keep us in eternal youth forever. (They’ll also keep you in a nail salon for around an hour to bring them to life.) And with black, purple, and holographic witchy siren vibes, who knows what kind of magic you’ll find yourself stirring up.

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For the Angels

Clear manicure with silver sparkles and almond shape

If an angel costume is more your speed, this sparkly, glammed-up look is for you. It’s far less complicated than it seems: All you need is a sparkle-infused nail polish and one hand to paint it on—bonus points for the clear base color to keep things mess-free. Luckily, Jinsoon makes the perfect shade—Absolute Glitz ($18).

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Spirited Set

Long black stiletto nails with white text from a Ouija board.

Dare to play with this set inspired by the iconic Ouija board, which is used in seances to supposedly contact those beyond the grave.

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Beetlejuice Tips

Hand-painted nails inspired by Beetlejuice characters.

Try a throwback mani this Halloween, with a nod to one of the quirkiest spooky flicks in ages: Beetlejuice.

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You’re a Cat, Duh

Dress up the usual all-black feline manicure with a spotted leopard look. It takes no time at all after picking up black, brown, and beige polish at your local drugstore.

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Whimsical Witch

Pearlescent pink nails with metallic and colorful gem details

This ultra whimsical nail look compliments the sparkliest of wings for a modern fairy, witchy design. Adorned in shimmering crystals, you’ll be as bejeweled as Tinkerbell with her pixie dust in Neverland.

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A Spooky Bit of Sparkle

Light pink nails with black and silver sparkly splotches

If you’re not into a full Halloween getup this year, go for a sparkly glitter-dipped manicure for a still seasonally appropriate look. This DIY take includes full-on edgy glitter for a fun design.

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A Black Cat Is Essential

Clear nails with black cat ears manicure design

Black cats are a Halloween essential, so why not paint a few on your nails for good measure?

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The Disney Fanatic

Stiletto shaped nails with orange nails polish and black moon, bat, and spider nail art.

If there’s one thing a true Disney fan loves to do, it’s look for hidden Mickeys. Spoiler alert—the main mouse can be seen masquerading as itty bitty bats in this design.

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The Halloween Minimalist

Half-black, half-white manicure holding Carolina Herrera Good Girl stiletto perfume bottle

Skeletons and the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ alike will love this minimalist nail art manicure. It uses only two shades (Jinsoon’s Absolute White and Polka Black, $18 each), one brush, and a little bit of smudging. Halloween nails in just three steps—voilà!

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Witches Magic

Instead of an intricate, painstakingly detailed manicure, opt for glossy black paint and a few nail adhesives, like the stars pictured here. It’ll add to your witch costume, albeit subtly, but it’s also chic for the week post-holiday. See? We’re saving you time and money.

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Spooky Spots

Alomd shaped leopard print nails in neon orange and black.

Leopard print gets a Halloween makeover with bold and bright colors. Although they might look complex at first glance, all you need to land this design is a toothpick and your polishes of choice. And in case you mess up a bit, that’s okay—each spot is unique, after all.