This post will show you the cutest fall nail trends for 2021.
Stuck in a nail rut? We all tend to get trapped in the same coral pinks and neons for the summer, but it’s time to move on to fall nail trends! The nail trends below will bring your hands from beach ready to note-taking ready (not that we want to be there…).
Here are some cute fall nail trends that are a change from your typical summer colors, but are still fun and fresh.
{RELATED POST: How to Give Yourself a Flawless Manicure}
This post will show you 50 — yes 50! — of the cutest fall nail ideas you should try.
Table of Contents
Fall Nails Inspiration – Our Favorite 50 Nail Trends This Year:
Black and Nude Coffin Nails
I can’t get over how chic these nails are! Black and nude is a classic combination, and I love how these nails have just a small hint of black to make them modern. The shape is also goregous as well.
The best part is, these are press-on nails, so it couldn’t be easier to get this exact look!
Graffiti Nails
These “graffiti nails” would be so perfect for the fall season as they’ll go with all of your moody all-black outfits.
They have a little bit of a rocker vibe but they aren’t too over-the-top edgy. A perfect mix that will work with just about any sense of style. Oh, and these are press-ons too, so you can apply them in minutes!
Sparkly Fall-Colored Nails
If you love sparkles, you should seriously consider trying out this nail trend.
You can create this look with any kind of fall colored nail polish, such as orange, yellow, or red, but the key is to make sure that you include sparkles. (The photo above uses this cute Spectrum nail polish from Etsy.)
To get this look, you could either purchase a sparkly nail polish in one of those colors or get a sparkle top coat nail polish to finish off a fall colored nail look.
Halloween Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
If you are absolutely in love with Halloween and you want to show it off, you should go for this look! It has some of the best parts about Halloween including spiders, pumpkins, mummies, etc.
This nail look is a little bit more difficult because it requires you to draw on these designs, but even if you are more of a beginner with nail art you should grab a small brush and try a couple of the designs out! The detail brushes above are double sided and easy to use.
Green and Gold Speckled Nails
I love this new nail trend of speckled polishes, and the combination of green and gold is so beautiful for fall. This is a grown-up take on glitter nails that I could totally see in an office setting.
Related reading: 15 Green Nail Ideas That Are Trending Right Now
Moon and Stars Nails
These moon and stars nails are so glam and gorgeous! They aren’t too cutesy or directly fall themed, but they would look great during the fall season.
Once again, these are press-on nails, so you can get this exact look for yourself.
Almond Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Almond nails have been super popular recently, especially almond nails with french tips.
Therefore, you can take this trend and transform it into a fall nail look with fall colors like this nail design with red, yellow, orange, and brown used as the color for the french tips! Use nail tape stickers to get the lines perfect.
Ombre Nails
French nails have always been popular, but recently the new trend has been creating a tip using an ombre design.
If you get your nails done at a salon, ask for a trendy fall nail look like this one that uses fall colors to create the ombre tips on each nail.
Also, you can add some glitter if you want to spice up this nail look even more!
Glitter Nails
Recreate this fall nail polish trend:
If you are looking for a little bit more of a subtle Fall nail look that’s still super fun, fall glitter nails are for you!
This is also a super easy nail look to achieve because all you need to do is grab a nude nail polish to act as your base, then purchase a clear nail polish with orange glitter to be the topcoat for each of your nails.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Nails
How cool is this simple but statement-making nail look? It’s called “pumpkin spice nails” and you can buy the whole set of polishes for this look from Olive and June.
I love this nail polish trend because you don’t need any special nail art skills and you can pull this off at home — so easy!
Marble Nails
Marble nails were another huge nail trend a few years back that I’m starting to see more often.
You can do marble nails any time of year, but I love them for the fall in muted blues, mauves, and pinks, as seen above. Bonus: These are actually pretty simple to DIY!
Red Ombre Nails
Okay, I had never heard of this type of nail polish before but now I’m OBSESSED. Cirque Colors on Etsy makes color changing mood nail polish, like a mood ring for your nails! In the photo, the nails are painted with a single nail polish shade, but it looks like an ombré manicure thanks to the temperature changes across the nail.
These ombré nails are so perfect for Halloween, but I also kind of love them for an edgy look going into the holiday season.
Related reading: 17 Beautiful Red Nail Ideas You Can Rock Year-Round
Black Glitter Nails
A total classic with a twist. While I love black nails for fall as much as the next girl, a little rainbow glitter never hurt anyone! This shade is called Dark Matter and it would be perfect for everything from Halloween parties to bonfire nights.
Line Nail Art
Sometimes you want your nail art to be simple and minimalist — or at least, that’s how I prefer mine.
These line nail stickers from Olive and June are perfect for the fall season because you can add them to any mid-tone manicure shade. They look amazing with this gray color but they would also look incredible with a burgundy or brown.
Fall French Tips
These fall nails are another super cute take on the classic french manicure, this time with coffin shaped nails and shades of brown and beige for the tips.
I seriously need to try this asap — it’s so simple and stunning!
Galaxy Nails
I had never seen nails like this before, but when I was browsing on Etsy late one night, I stumbled across these galaxy nails and I’m obsessed!
I associate fall with harvest moon vibes and these nails are a perfect fit. And I love that they’re actually nail wraps so you can get this exact look yourself with no art skill required.
Tortoiseshell Nails
This is such a cool idea that I’m dying to try! Tortoiseshell nails are a fresh take on a classic material that never goes out of style. Just like tortoiseshell sunglasses go with everything, these fall nails will match any outfit.
While tortoiseshell nails might be tricky to DIY correctly, you can buy tortoiseshell nail wraps or even press-on nails to get the look the easy way.
Autumnal Glam Nails
If you can’t decide on one style of fall nails, why not mix a few different themes?
This tutorial mixes glitter tips, plaid, leaf motifs, and leopard print for a super glam fall nail vibe that’s still surprisingly wearable for every day.
Elegant Fall Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Here’s another, girlier take on mixed fall nail art. I love the mix of glitter nails, solid burgundy nails, and striped nails that incorporate all of the colors. You could totally DIY these with a small brush to make the stripes.
Pumpkin Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Everyone knows that the fall season brings back pumpkins and who doesn’t love them?
Pumpkins can be used to create a really cute nail art design for your nails to spice them up like in this nail look.
You can either choose to draw some pumpkins on all of your nails or just do the accent nails if you’d like, either way, you will have an adorable fall nail look!
Leaves Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
If you are looking to incorporate some fall designs in your nail look, you should try out this nail idea. This look uses nail stamping to show off some beautiful fall leaves.
You may be thinking that this nail look would be really difficult, but don’t worry because the leaves are created using nail stamps — trust me, this is doable, even if you’re a beginner. (More on nail stamping here!)
Stitches Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
If you want to go for a more spooky nail look, you should try out this one!
If you are familiar with Frankenstein, you know that he is a classic Halloween figure. One of the most iconic things about him is definitely his stitches.
So, if you want to go for a more spooky look, you can get black nail polish with a small detail brush to draw on black stitches! The pumpkin stickers are super cute, too — you can buy similar ones here.
Crackle Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Crackle nails used to be super popular when we were younger and if you were a fan of them back in the day, you can bring back that nail look for this fall season!
Crackle nail polish can be used to create a more spooky nail look like this one.
If you purchase black crackle nail polish and paint it over red nail polish, your nails will definitely be giving off spooky vibes for the fall!
Striped Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Another common design that you can use as nail art is stripes! Also, if you want a nail look that is less colorful and more classic, this one will do the trick.
All you have to do is purchase white and black nail polish. Then, you need to make sure that your nail polish either has a small brush or you can use a different small brush to paint on the stripes to make sure they are precise.
Spiderweb Nails
If you want to do some cute Halloween-themed nail art that’s creepy yet chic, you should try out this spider web nail art look.
You can use black and white nail polish to create a little spider web and add glitter nail polish to spice up the look even more! I love that this tutorial shows a few different ways to do the webs so you can make a different one for every nail.
Accent Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
If your favorite thing about fall is the leaves and you want a more easy nail look to achieve, you should go for this nail look.
To create this look, you just need a fall color nail polish. You can use the orange one like this one. Then, you just need to purchase some clear nail polish to place on the nails that you want to put the leaves on.
Finally, grab this kit of small maple leaves for nails, then press them on top of the nail polish to complete the look! This look is done with acrylics but there’s no reason you can’t do it on natural nails.
Colored French Tip Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
French tip nails with different shapes have been becoming more and more popular recently. So why not try it with some fall nail colors?
To create this exact nail look, all you need is a nude color to be your base nail polish, then orange nail polish to paint on the tips.
You can even purchase stencils in this v-shape for your nail tips to make it easier for you!
Jack O’lantern Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
One of the most iconic things about Halloween is definitely jack o’lanterns. So, if you have always loved carving pumpkins for Halloween, you will also enjoy this pumpkin nail look.
All you need is some orange nail polish with sparkles in it. If you want to make the look even more fun, then also grab some silver glitter nail polish and black nail polish.
In order to make drawing the designs easier, make sure to have a small brush with you, then you can use the black nail polish to draw on any kind of jack o’lantern face that you want for your nails!
White Nails
I usually associate white nails with summer, but I really love this press-on nail design from Chillhouse. It’s not your basic all-white; instead it mixes in shades of pastel green and abstract black patterns for a thoroughly modern, fall-appropriate take on white nails.
Green Nails
This green nail polish shade is perfect for transitioning from fall to winter. It would look just as amazing at a Halloween party as it would on Christmas day — it’s such a versatile and statement-making shade!
You can buy this exact polish here. (It’s Spectrum Cosmetics in shade “Holly”.)
Olive Green Nails
Olive green is another quintessential fall color, so why not rock it on your nails?
The video above gives you three olive green nails ideas. My favorite is the ombré but I love how creative the camo nails idea is! So cool.
Beige Nails
Another fantastic nail design for fall that’s modern but oh-so subtle. Nothing too crazy or over the top!
These beige nails from Chillhouse have a slight retro feel but the design isn’t super noticeable — perfect if you like a classy but fashion-forward nail design.
Brown Nails
Brown is a quintessential fall color and I love this updated take on classic brown nails, combining a lighter and a darker shade. I absolutely love the retro vibe that these give off!
The best part is, you can buy these exact nails in a press-on style — no nail art skills or salon visit required.
Pink Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Pink nails don’t always feel very “fall” — I usually associate them with spring and summer. But the bold red tips on this Olive and June mani help bring these pink nails into the autumn season. I’m seriously obsessed with these.
Astrology-Inspired Nails
There is something about navy and gold that just screams fall to me, and the fact that these incorporate astrology makes me love them even more!
Once again, no need to go to the salon for this nail polish trend — these are actually nail stickers that adhere to your natural nails. They have crazy good reviews, with lots of people commenting on how long these last on your nails.
Abstract Nails
How pretty are these abstract swirl nails? The combination of the beige, silver, and dusty blue is such an unexpected look for fall. You’ll definitely stand out if you rock these.
Acrylic Nails
Okay, this nail trend will definitely require you to head to the nail salon. But there are certain fall nail trends you can only achieve with acrylic nails, like this fall leaves foil look.
Super long acrylic nails are trending in a big way this year, and the look is so over-the-top, perfect if you have a glam or girly sense of style. And what a statement they make!
Seriously, if I had this on my nails I would not be able to stop staring at them! So festive and cool.
Sculpture Nails
Sculptured nails are a hot trend this year and they’ve been especially popular this fall.
If you aren’t sure what they are, sculptured nails are acrylic-based nails that are formed on your nail into a specific shape. This could be coffin shape, almond shape, stiletto, square, etc. They’re great for getting really specific shapes.
For fall, I especially love the coffin shape in a dark color like black (seen above) — so witchy and chic.
French Manicure
Recreate this fall nail trend:
The classic french manicure will never go out of style, but we can spice the look up a little for the fall season.
Olive and June shared this insanely cute french manicure with black and white tips and white nail art and it’s so inspiring! Definitely want to try this one.
Plaid Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Plaid is a classic fall design that is usually used on shirts, but you may not have thought of doing plaid nails! I especially love this look on short nails.
If you love plaid, you should definitely try out this nail look because it is super easy to do. All you need is three different nail polishes to create this look, and a small brush.
To get this exact look, you should purchase a nude, orange, and brown nail polish, but you could also do it with any colors you have.
Flower Nails
I always associate flower nails with springtime but I stumbled across these fall floral nails and they’re so cute! I love that the floral is only on a couple of accent nails so it doesn’t take over the mani.
The best part is, these nails are custom press-on nails available on Etsy, so if you buy them, your nails will look exactly like the picture above!
Matte Nails
Recreate this fall nail polish trend:
Matte nails were a huge trend a few years ago and I’ve started seeing them more often this fall. I especially love a matte mani in a deep, dark shade like burgundy for the fall season.
You can incorporate nail art into a matte mani or just do a solid color and an almond shape — either way, matte nails are so beautiful!
Gel Nails
There’s so much that can be done when you opt for gel nails at the salon, and this video proves it!
How stunning is this gel glitter fade style for fall? These fall nails would be perfect for a wedding or special event; they’re truly show-stopping!
Yellow Nails
Recreate these fall nails:
This is probably the most unexpected color on this list for me — I never, ever would have thought to do yellow nails in fall, but it totally works! The key is to stick to a mustard yellow shade for that muted fall vibe.
Nude Nails
Recreate this fall nail trend:
Now, as we all know, “nude” isn’t really a color — it’s entirely dependent on skin tone. That’s why I love this nude nail polish look. It will work on any skin tone for a your-nails-but-better, super glossy look. All you need is a sheer nail polish and to file your nails into a square shape.
Seriously, I think this is my favorite fall nail look of them all! It’s so modern and goes with absolutely everything.
Cottagecore Nails
Cottagecore is a huge trend this year in general, so it’s only natural that it would start showing up in our nail art.
Cottagecore is all about coziness, romance, and nostalgia, so I think this is a perfect style of nail art for fall.
Cute Halloween Nails
Halloween nails do not have to be scary! If your style is a little girlier or more cutesy, these cute Halloween nails are perfect for fall.
I love the mix of fun colors, pastels, and different Halloween themes these nails have. Plus, the tutorial shows you exactly how to wear them.
Fall Fling Nails
I love this more abstract, unique take on fall nails. This design incorporates polka dots and an almost collage-like assortment of fall colors.
You could definitely DIY this one but if you want the exact look, you can buy this design as nail wraps for just a few dollars!
Sweater Nails
Okay, I really don’t know how I feel about sweater nails. On one hand, they’re so unique and statement-making, on the other, something about them just feels weird, like knits and nails should not go together.
I think this is a love it or hate it nail trend — what do you think?
Waterdrop Nails
This is another insanely cool fall nail trend that I would love to try myself someday! These water drop nails went viral on Youtube a few months back and I’ve been obsessed ever since.
The best part about these fall nails is that they’re so neutral, you can wear them year round, not just in the cooler seasons.
Which of these fall nail trends are you going to try this year?
For more nail ideas, be sure to see our guide to the hottest winter nail trends you should try this year.
Which one of these nail ideas is your favorite? How else are you getting in the mood for Fall? Tell me in the comments below.