50+ Best Fall Nail Ideas For Cute Colors & DIY Designs
Rock this season's best fall nail shades.
Fall is the time of pumpkin spice lattes, plaid shirts, and a yummy Thanksgiving feast, but it’s also the time to update your nail game. So, channel autumnal vibes with these fall nails and winter nail shades.
From purples, reds, and oranges, there’s a wide variety of fun shades to chose from for fall nail colors, but the true fall magic happens when you pull off a creative, fall-themed nail design.
Here are over 50 gorgeous fall shades, as well as some fun designs for you to try at home... or just show to your nail technician.
Fall Nail Colors
1. Fall For NYC
Essie’s shade Fall For NYC is the perfect orange pastel and a perfect shade to accompany all our fall oversized sweaters we’ll be rocking this season.
(Essie, $9)
2. Autumnal Rainbow
This design is channeling autumn leave colors and we are here for it! With a touch of gold jeweling, these are seriously classy nails.
3. Harvest Moon
Pumpkin picking has never been more fun. Compare LECHAT’s shade Harvest Moon to your perfect pumpkin and begin designing your ultimate Thanksgiving centerpiece, using your nails as inspiration.
(LECHAT, $15.95)
4. Amber Stone
Blend some orange shades with a metallic copper color to create this unique nail art inspired by an amber stone.
5. Mandeville Maven
A beautiful mix of pastel and hunter green, Lauren B Beauty’s Mandeville Maven is such a creative and fun fall color.
(Lauren B. Beauty, $12)
6. Olive You
What could be more fun than sipping a dirty martini as your cocktail of choice this summer? ORLY’s Olive You Kelly reflects the perfect olive green and matches the fall warm wardrobes perfectly.
(Walmart, $9.49)
7. Darjeeling Darling
A beautiful emerald color, Smith & Cult’s Darjeeling Darling is perfect for both the fall and winter months. It pairs beautifully with caramel-colored outwear and is the ultimate accessory color.
(Available on Amazon)
Cute Fall Nails
8. Devil In The Details
Use a glittery red shade to trace out this subtle but bold devil tail design.
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9. Ruff Day
How adorable is this little guy? Draw your dog outline using a felt tip pen and then fill in using nail polish.
10. Pastel Rainbow
Use a lilac shade and some other pastel colors of your choice to create a simple but cute fall nail set.
Fall Acrylic Nails
11. Hot Cocoa
This set is long and full of drama. The rich brown tones remind us that hot cocoa season is coming.
12. Clear As Day
Clear skies and falling leaves are a whole autumnal vibe! This set really captures the fun of fall.
13. Summer's End
This design really captures the summer to fall transition with cool green tones and rich golden glitter.
Pretty Fall Nails
14. Cashmere Pink
Fall’s version of ballet pink, LECHAT’s shade cashmere is a perfect color for a professional setting. Whether sporting for an interview or presenting at a conference, this shade will be sure to add a subtle pop of color to your outfit.
(LECHAT, $5.50)
15. Ruby Tips
Add a fall spice to your baby pink nails with this simple gel nail design.
16. Mauvelous
Mauve has been taking over the beauty world, whether lips, blush, or shadows, and it’s now made its way over to polish. ORLY’s shade Mauvelous is a super trendy fall staple and is perfect for everyday wear.
(Walmart, $9.49)
17. Barbie Pink
This shade is a fall staple for any girly girl who loves traditional pink. Somewhere between Barbie pink and undertone purple lives this fan favorite shade.
(Essie, $9)
18. Pink Shimmer
Pink’s metallic Reykjavik Has All The Hot Spots by OPI is just that: a reflection of what you’ll witness in the Iceland’s northern lights that happen every year during the October and November fall months.
(Available on Amazon)
19. Crimson Peony
The perfect transition from fall and winter can be utilized during all the colder months, and Flora 1761’s Crimson Peony is the ideal shade for apple picking and your holiday work party.
(Flora 1761, $16)
Easy Fall Nails
20. Subtle Spook
Use this simple pattern as inspiration for your cute but easy fall nails.
21. Purple Silk
Feel royal with DER ME LECT’s shade swagger. Offering a signature eggplant shade with a gloss finish, you’ll be feeling both vampy and luxurious.
(DER ME LECT, $14)
22. Autumn Sun
Use a ruby red varnish over a sunny orange base to create an elegant, pretty fall nail design.
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23. Dark Lilac
Decortè shade PU 140 reflects a dark lilac that will have you wanting to sip tea by the fire or impress your loved ones with a sophisticated tone over Thanksgiving dinner.
(Decortè, $20)
24. Adelaide Lilac
Adding a pop to your traditionally neutral fall colors, Flora’s 1761’s shade Adelaide Lilac is almost sporting a tinted shade of white and is the perfect shade if attending any fall weddings.
(Flora 1761, $16)
Fake Fall Nails
25. Bat Decisions
Take the hassle out of nail art by getting a premade fake nail set like these ones.
26. You're A Star
These press-on nails have golden jewels that are seriously glam.
27. Pumpkin Patch
This pumpkin-themed set is such a simple design, you can easily DIY this at home.
Nail Art Designs
28. Meow
Black cats are a sign of good luck. Craft this design onto your nails for the season that's in it.
29. Moo-ve Along
The cow print isn't the most fall-appropriate pattern, but the purple tones are channeling witchy vibes. Plus it's cute, so who really cares if it matches the season?
30. Medusa Purple
How unique and amazing are these serpent nails? They're the perfect mystical, fancy nails for Halloween.
Blue Nails
31. Marchin Uniform
We all know fall is all about rocking denim, and OPI’s Marchin Uniform reflects just that. The cobalt blue is the perfect shade that reflects traditional denim (not too light and not too dark).
(Available on Amazon)
32. Cinderella
If you're too old for dressing up, channel your inner Disney princess with this nail design.
33. Santorini Seduction
Dark blue is typically the late fall and winter shade for nail colors. As the color is a slight shade away from black, it matches with pretty much anything. When exposed to the sunlight, this shade lights up to a beautiful royal blue.
(Lauren B. Beauty, $18)
Red Nails
34. Canyon Lover
Lauren B Beauty’s Laurel Canyon Lover is the epitome of a cranberry color that will be a hit at any party.
(Lauren B. Beauty, $12)
35. Bloody Mess
Get spooky with drops of red nail polish on a clear base to replicate blood droplets.
36. Russian Roulette
What you’d imagine any socialite sporting in the city streets, Essie’s color Russian Roulette is the perfect shade to match the fall changing leaves.
(Available on Amazon)
37. London's Afters
A dark and deep cherry and dark blackberry, Butter London’s shade Afters is a mix of class and vampy with the perfect undertones of warm brown. A great duel shade as it’s perfect for both fall and winter months.
(Available on Amazon)
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Fancy Nails
38. What A Witch
Really challenge your nail art skills with this complex design.
39. Night Sky
The ombre base, the subtle tips, the star sticker. This set has got it all going on for a fancy, glam look.
40. Amethyst
Carefully blend drips of lavender, lilac, and pink shades with a few thin white lines to create this effect.
Classy Nails
41. French Ombre
No nail design is quite as classy as French tips. This is a twist on the elegant classic that incorporates an ombre effect.
42. Washington
With the first snow fall of the season happening in fall months, white is a very popular neutral color to wear as it encompass the white accessories of seasons and snow glistening grounds. Ten Over Ten’s shade Washington is perfect white, as it’s not too bold but not too translucent.
(Target, $12)
43. Fulton on Fulton Street
For those who like to be subtle with their nail shades, Ten Over Ten’s Fulton Street makes beige brown subtle and dainty.
(Available on Amazon)
44. Make It Sparkle
This design is easy to DIY and the golden tones are beautiful for fall. Just use a shimmery gold shade on your ring fingers and a matte shade on the rest.
45. Something Blue
Use a fine-tipped brush to make this elegant leafy design.
46. Metallic Purple
Metallics are in trend during the fall (as you’ll see a good amount featured on this list). We’ve featured Zoya’s shade Devin, as it’s the perfect medium purple to pair with a darker purple shade or a lighter lilac shade.
(Walmart, $9.15)
Gel Nail Designs
47. Falling Leaves
Get some leafy nail stickers to replicate this unique gel design.
48. In The Wild
Using a combo of black and brown gel tones, you can make your own animal print on your claws.
49. Touch Of Navy
Contrast your baby pink nails with this rich navy lacquer. For a twist on typical fall nail designs, add in some leaves and rose petals.
Simple Nail Designs
50. Lilac Tips
Use a dark lilac shade, like the one above, as a purple tip on a white base. This is a very pretty fall nail design that is easy to do at home.
51. Line Up
Simple nail designs are the best. This set can easily be replicated at home or in the salon on natural nails, gel nails, or an acrylic set.
52. Diagonal Glitter
This design is easy to do, just lay some sticky tape across the part of your nail that you want clear. Glittery, fall acrylic nails have never been easier to do at home!
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Elizabeth Blasi is a lifestyle and travel writer, who is often seen with a suitcase in hand, jetsetting to her next location.
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