20 Halloween nail art ideas to take your manicure to a spooky level

Are you the kind of person who goes absolutely batty for all things Halloween? Do you also love nail art? If so, consider this post our Halloween trick and treat to you. We’ve gathered some spook-tacular nail art we spotted online to get you inspired. It’s pretty impressive how some people are using all things ghouls, goblins, and ghosty to create to-die-for Halloween holiday nails. Even if you don’t usually go for seasonally inspired nail art, once you get a look at these nails, you’re gonna want to do something special this year.

Whether you rock long nails or short, we’ve got ideas for you. Some of these designs may be a little too complicated to recreate on your own, so be sure to bring your phone along so you can share your inspiration pic with your nail artist when the time comes. Some of these looks you just might be able to do on your own, which is great if you want to be budget-friendly and get your creativity on at the same time.

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Who says Halloween can’t be cute?

Halloween is known for being spooky, but there are no rules against going the cute route. You can adorn your nails with glitter and cute ghosts, if you prefer. You can also go with a color palette that isn’t necessarily ᴀssociated with the holiday.

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This is definitely a design to go batty for.

The black stars and that black bat, combined with the matte pinkish hue over the rest of the nail, is so delightful and unexpected. There’s something both punk rock and refined about the combination. You could opt out of using bats and go for a black cats instead.

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So you can tell someone off without actually telling them off.

We are loving that these nails unapologetically say “Bite Me.” We also love the color palette chosen. These colors aren’t necessarily ᴀssociated with Halloween, but what with the whole “bite me” and the fangs, it’s clear that the design is Halloween-inspired.

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When you want your nails to be bloody terrifying.

These nails scream, “Get away from me or I’ll gouge your eyes out and I have proof that I’ve done it before!” They are genuinely frightening and so perfect for Halloween. The way the nails look razor sharp and how the red is just the perfect shade of fresh blood is the stuff that horror movies are made of.

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Nails that say boo for you.

Consider incorporating the word “boo” and some ghosts into a black and white design. That way you don’t have to say boo to anyone because your nails will say it for you. Also, this is one of those kinds of designs you could try to do yourself.

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Why are shadows so creepy?

Don’t these nails give you all the creepy feels? The way the shadows seem to be coming out of the darkness and reaching out to grab an unsuspecting victim and do who knows what to them. What is it about shadows at night that makes the so creepy?

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In case you don’t want to scare your kids.

Perhaps you have a child who scares easily and the last thing you want to do is have the kid stay up all night because he is terrified of your nails. We get it. In that case, you can go with a color palette that says Halloween in a rather soothing way, like this sparkly orange and peachy number.

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How about some Franken-nails?

Frankenstein was put together from pieces of corpses that were sewn together. Eww! Fortunately, there is nothing that nasty about creating some Franken-nails. You don’t need to sew anything together, you just need some green and black nail polish and a bit of creativity.

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These nails are a nightmare.

Well, they are not an actual nightmare, but they are a tribute to the wonderful movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. If you’re a fan of that movie, it has a lot of inspiration to offer up for nail art. You could get all kinds of imagery and characters from the movie put on your nails.

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Pink lovers rejoice!

If you love you some pink nails and don’t feel like swapping them out for orange and black nails just because you’re going for a Halloween look, you don’t have to. Keep the pink and add some ghosts, bats, or any other kind of Halloween-y items on top and you are set.

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Weave a web.

This nail art featuring spiderwebs and black sparkles galore is worthy of Morticia Addams herself. It’s so chillingly elegant. You could change the shape of the nail to suit your taste or to make your nails seem more daunting.

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Don’t forget about your toes.

Toenail art is a thing, too, especially if you’re a mom who doesn’t get her nails done because she’s got too much to do already. Painting your toenails a sparkly and happy shade of orange might be all you need, but adding a little pumpkin detail really ups the cute factor.

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Embrace orange and black.

Orange and black is the quintessential Halloween color combination. If you’re into the whole classic take on Halloween, don’t be afraid to stick to those two colors for your nails. An orange background with black detailing can look rather refined, depending on how it’s done.

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Be catty!

Usually, we would advise you not to be catty because it’s mean, but during Halloween season, we encourage you to be catty. You can channel all your cattiness into your nails. Meow! We love how this design includes a black cat and a skeletal cat.

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You can be corny, too.

By corny we mean candy-corny. Candy corn lovers can use a candy corn palette on their nails. You could do all your nails in a candy color motif or opt for just one candy corn colored nail on each hand with your other nails having different designs on them that complement the whole Halloween theme.

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Get all eyeballs on you.

BloodsH๏τ eyeballs and Halloween go together so well. Don’t be shy about having all eyeballs on you. Why settle for just two bloodsH๏τ eyeballs when you can have 10 on your fingers? We’re thinking this wouldn’t be all that hard to try to recreate yourself, if you want to SEE if you like it.

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Try a clever calaca design.

Skeletons are perfect for Halloween and there are all kinds of ways that you can incorporate them into nail art. We are particularly loving the idea of putting half of a skeleton on one nail and the other half on your thumb nail that way when you bring those two nails together, they form the entire skeleton. So clever!

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Are you a Disney lover?

Disney enthusiasts can add mouse ears to their ghosts, bats, and even spiders. Look at how just that small addition to any nail art design makes you think of Disney. Also, if you’ve ever been to a Disney Parks during Halloween season, you know that they have all kinds of spooky decorations out. This year, you may not be able to visit any Disney Parks, but they can inspire your nail art.

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Have you considered glitter skulls?

Up the glam factor of any skull designs by doing them in glitter. They look so fancy and festive that way. If you were to remove the glitter skulls from this design, you might not even think it had anything to do with Halloween. Even with the glitter skulls, this design would work any time of the year because it’s got a sort of cool biker chick vibe to it.

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Recreate your favorite horror movie on your nails.

Do you have a favorite horror movie? If so, you could definitely bring some of that imagery onto your nails. Think terrifying clown and red balloon or claws or a particular kind of mask. The possibilities are endlessly horrifying. But don’t be surprised if you scream a little every time you catch sight of your nails.

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