We’re always impressed by the ingenuity of the web’s top nail artists, but especially on Halloween, when fingernails become freaky, phantasmal and utterly fabulous.
“Don't let the ghosts of unpolished nails haunt you this Halloween!” says nail art blogger extraordinaire Sarah Waite of Chalkboard Nails. “Complementary or coordinated nail art can be the perfect finishing touch to your costume. Not one to dress up? Celebrate the spirit of the season with candy corn or jack-o-lantern nail art, or go the creepy route with skulls, blood drips, or eyeballs!”
Haunted house nail art
Gradient yellow-orange backgrounds are an evocative backdrop for Pshiiit’s haunted houses, willow trees, black cats and crows.
Halloween patterns nail art
From cobwebs to candy corn to stylish stripes, this mix-and-match mani from Daily Something has it all!
Glittery fade nail art
We love how The Nailasaurus mixed colors and effects in this sparkly mani. It’s a glamorous take on Halloween noir that’s perfect for after-dark cocktails.
Spiderweb nail art
Chalkboard Nails’ inspiration for this dark evening mani is downright poetic: “I had this vision of a spiderweb, lit up in the dark, glistening with raindrops.” To that end, she started with a navy gradient base, then freehanded the cobwebs with a nail art brush, before finally finishing with droplets of shimmer.
Tip: No time for nail art? We love Waite’s shortcut suggestion: “Paint on a glow-in-the-dark polish for a spooky mani that will stick around, even as the sun goes down.”
Smoke nail art
We’ve never seen watercolor nails like this before! Chalkboard Nails used the technique to create billows of ominous smoke against a black background. Perfect with a witch costume or LBD.
Candy corn nail art
What makes this candy corn-inspired manicure so ghostly cool? A matte topcoat, which leaves nails with a spooky, soft-focus effect.
Eyeball nail art
Chalkboard Nails created a supercharged eyeball manicure for the holiday, complete with bloodshot veins and a rainbow of iris colors, all on a festive orange background.
Brains nail art
If you really want to freak out your friends, paint on this brainy design from Chalkboard Nails. The color palette of melon, gunmetal and coral is surprisingly of-the-moment — and easy to create with nail art pens.
Polka dot nail art
This Daily Varnish design couldn’t be simpler: Start with an opaque black base, then add irregular dots in orange and white.
Crisp stripes nail art
This mani from Sammy of The Nailasaurus is so clean and streamlined, we’d even wear it to an October business meeting or dinner date.
Colorblock nail art
Petite Peinture used the colors of Halloween’s sweetest treat to create a festive — but still chic — Halloween manicure. The finishing touch? A glittery gold accent nail.
Jack-o’-lantern nail art
French blogger Pshiiit drew a different face on each nail for a unique take on pumpkin nails.