With Halloween right around the corner and fall coming up fast, it’s time for some seasonal nail art ideas. Without the traditional solid colors of auburn, orange, or burgundy, it’s time to introduce more unique and hidden-gem art.

First up, you have the classic ghosts. All you need to do is paint your nail a solid dark, spooky color like dark purple, red, or even green, and then use white or a very opaque beige to draw an irregular shape that extends past the edge of your nail. This style can be done without fancy tools; just use the edge of the brush that comes with the color. For the small eyes on the ghosts, a toothpick will work just fine in a pinch, but a dotting tool is preferred. For extra finesse or for a more complex design, using a small sponge with pink polish and dotting near the would-be cheek area of the ghost, one can create an exceptionally cute blushing ghost.

Another design with no fancy tools, you can do a blood splatter. Keep in mind that this design will use nail polish remover. Paint your nails a solid white or light opaque color, then take a dark red polish and apply it to the edge of a big straw or taped, rolled up piece of paper with the flat side facing the nail. Then, with the other, non-painted end, blow into the straw to create splatters on the nails. If you really want to get messy, you can use the brush with your fingers to flick droplets of “blood” onto your nails. Finally, for really advanced nail artists, use an actual nail art brush for careful drips of “blood” from the top of the nail. (Personally, I like the messy look of the blood splatter as it seems more organic).

These blood-splattered nails “look perfect for Halloween and [they] are really cool and realistic”, exclaimed freshman Miu Colapicchioni. 

Keep in mind that there is no need to buy new polishes for every color! For colors like purple, mixing red, blue, and white will give you a pretty lavender. For green, mix a light yellow with a dark blue to create a dark, oceanic green. Simply mix your existing colors, and that will boost your creativity.

For this third design, a dotting or fine-point tool is preferred. Using a plethora of blues, greens, and milky whites, you can create a marble effect on your nails with the ball-like end of a brush, which is usually the back part of the brush. Like before, a toothpick can work, but may not effectively marble the colors as nicely. With a simple top coat, you have a unique yet simple design for the spooky season. 

“It could look good on any nail length, and it looks easy for beginners since you don’t really need a steady hand for this”, says Colapicchioni.

The spiderweb and spider design is for intermediate to advanced nail artists. The use of proper nail art tools is highly encouraged. By painting your nail with a pale white or pink base, you can create the perfect base for this nail art. Using a matte top coat will enhance the art, but if you don’t have a matte coat, don’t fret. Instead, you may buff, or lightly file down, the surface of your nail lightly to replicate that “matte” effect. Then, using black, dark blue, and purple, draw lines extending outwards from one corner of your nail. Connect the lines with perpendicular lines that are slightly curved towards the center of your straight lines. This creates a shiny spiderweb that contrasts against the matte background. Then, from a dangling line from the spiderweb or even on the spiderweb, you can draw a spider. Keep it simple with two circles on top of one another; the circle on the bottom end of the spider is slightly larger. Draw angled lines from the body to create its legs. For extra pizzazz, use 3D sculpting gel to make the spider look 3D, and consider adding “dew” with small droplets of gel to the spiderweb for a totally eerie look.

“These nails can look really gorgeous! The extra details of the web can really make your nail art pop” exclaimed freshman Davina Su.

These eerie nail designs can be a challenge, especially on one’s dominant hand. Good things take time, and to succeed in your spooky nail art, have patience and, literally, trust the process.