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).
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That said, maximalist nail art is back on the map for 2025 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
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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.
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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.
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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…
Cat-eye Halloween nails
One of the biggest nail trends for 2025, cat-eye nails have been everywhere. It makes sense then for Halloween to give a nod to it via these spooky face cat-eye nails.
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Wednesday Addams nails
With Wednesday season 2 dropping earlier this year, it’s a no-brainer to pay homage to the show’s titular character with some Halloween nails. Go for hyperrealistic portrayals of Jenna Ortega or more abstract like this monochromatic look that features spiders, coffins, stripes and her signature outfit.
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Smokey nails
A great choice for minimal mani lovers – especially those who want to avoid the awkward grow-out stage – these inky black nails have smokey tendrils creeping up the nude base.
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Autumnal ghost Frenchies
Brown autumnal Frenchies with flowers and ghost details – a super cute spin on Halloween nails!
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Glazed ghost nails
Give these friendly looking ghosts a cute upgrade with a shiny glazed doughnut backdrop.
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Glow-in-the-dark ghost nails
Or turn things up a notch with you Halloween nails by using a glow-in-dark nail polish for an extra spooky effect.
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Halloween stamp nails
Who said Halloween nails have to be scary? We love this cute take on Halloween icons, by turning them into pastel stamps.
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Bloody cat-eye nails
Blood drip nails are a classic Halloween fave, but we love them even more in hypnotic cat-eye.
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Spooky night nails
This manicure reminds us of a dark, spooky night – a misty grey landscape with the odd star in the sky and some menacing black cats lurking.
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Bug nails
These monochromatic creepy crawlies look like they’ve come straight out of a creepy museum collection.
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Black cat Frenchies
Usually a sign of bad luck, we think this set of black cat Frenchies are too cute to be a bad omen.
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Goosebumps nails
Pay homage to the iconic 90s TV show with this bubbling purple and green manicure.
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Vampire nails
Got Twilight fever Halloween? This ombre black and red set would fit right in with the Volturi clan.
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Black and red Halloween nails
Or go for a more subtle black and red combo, with glossy black on the top with a flash of red under the nail. Like Louboutins but spookier.
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‘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.
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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.
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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.
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Black spider web nails
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Blood trickle design
Want something a little edgier? We've seen plenty of blood trickle designs that nail the theme but still look fierce.
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Coven Halloween nails
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Monochrome halloween nails
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Obsidian black glossy mani
Keep it simple with a black glossy mani that nods to Halloween with its spooky colour theme, but works for the rest of the month, too.
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Bone nails
This skeleton effect mani has Halloween all over it.
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Black cat mani
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Mix and match
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Monochrome bats and cats mani
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Peppy blood drip Halloween mani
Match a spooky design with a peppy colour. It's bleeding, but it's cute?
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Monster eye mani
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Metallic blood trickle mani
Level-up a blood-trickle mani with some metallic detailing over the drips.
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Colour-pop ghost nails
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Black Frenchies
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Glazed doughnut mani, Halloween edition
If you’re still obsessed with the glazed doughnut manicure then add a dark chocolatey base and you’ve got yourself the Halloween version.


