October 31 may seem light-years away, but if last-minute Halloween costumes stress you out, then you know it’s never too early to start planning for a killer getup. Makeup and hair are a given, but the perfect costume isn’t complete without an amazing mani. This year we’ve pulled out all the stops with a mega-roundup of the scariest, spookiest, and all-around amazing Halloween nails ever. From black-cat French tips to pumpkin-face nail art to the most stellar sugar-skull nails we’ve *ever* seen, here are 40 manicures that are basically costumes for your nails.
Brit + Co
Okay, technically these have a little bit of red on them. But we think you’ll forgive us and our favorite nail artist SF Party Nail AKA Taylor Watson.
Bellacures
Your decision to dress as Jason Vorhees for Halloween won't be complete with these red blood french tips. They're the perfect complement to the faux bloody machete you'll be carrying.
Brit + Co
Perfect for the lazy-girl nail artist who wants to hit two holidays with just one mani. Do this on Halloween day and then carry it all the way into the New Year!
Brit + Co
This is a great mani option for anyone and everyone who wants to be on the couch with their cats at any given moment. Just use a thinner brush to make the triangles for the ears. You can use another brush or even the tip of a bobby pin to dot on the eyes!
Craft a sweet witch's brew to match your burgundy nails with gold flecks.
If you don't have a fear of spiders, let this white spider design help you craft the perfect Halloween treat.
Depois Dos Quinze
Let these Hawaiian nails add some fun to your Halloween costume. Don’t worry, they won’t cause as much havoc as you think.
Your scary Halloween costume won't be complete with this black and white nail design.
If you love all things glam, you don't have to wait until New Years to go crazy with the glitter. Pick darker colors to make this mani extra moody.
Keep your Halloween digits looking eerie with a skeleton design scattered along your nails. A matte black and red polish underneath looks even more appropriate for the holiday.
Scare the ish out of all the arachnophobes with your spooky spider nails.
A ghostly manicure instantly puts you in the Halloween spirit. Plus, if you’re more of a minimalistic gal, this simple design will ring true.
Even if you’re not a fan of Halloween, these designs let you take part in October fun without the spook factor. This manicure is trendy and colorful and will match any outfit you pair it with.
You don’t have to deck out your digits in skulls and ghosts to be festive. A fancy orange and black mani gives you just the right amount of edgy flair.
The evil eye can mean a curse in many cultures around the world. What better way to celebrate the spooky holiday than with protective nails featuring these talismans?
Pair your black polish with a simple white to elevate and invert this classic, yet very Halloween-appropriate, finish.
Statement nails featuring sparkles and spider webs turn the dial up on Halloween glam. Balance it out with a neutral gray shade as your base color or keep it negative with a bare nail layered with a top coat.
Destroyed ombre nails feel spooky but still stylish. Achieve this jagged mani look by coating your nail with black and using a scratcher tool to uncover the natural hue underneath.
Instead of opting for the scary nail art route, go spooky. Cute, pointy-eared kitties are purrfect for Halloween.
Start off with a neutral base coat, then get funky with dark and random squiggly lines.
This spine-tingling nail art will give you all the holiday feels this October. Drip polish down from your cuticles, and clean up your skin with a nail polish remover-soaked cotton swab. Done and done.
Feel like sporting your artsy side? Paint an entire creepy scene onto your nails for a unique mani. Adding a matte top coat lets the designs be seen even better.
This looks tough but is actually fairly easy. Begin by using black nail polish and a small brush dipped in acetone, draw on lines with the polish and then blur them by swirling with the brush.
One small black line from top to bottom of your nail bed makes for an artsy addition to a skeleton-inspired Halloween look.
It’s easy and it’s a classic. Just a warning: You may have to resist the urge to nibble your fingers!
Give your fingers some sharp angles to give the illusion of jagged nails.
Spice up the typical matte nail with a glossy French tip.
We’re already haunted by this funky, yet totally appropriate Frankenstein pop art.
Halloween doesn’t have to be all about zombies and mummies. Instead, try a fine-art approach that’s still wacky enough for the holiday.
Can’t decide which Halloween fave to go with? Use a different nail for each October 31 icon so no one misses out.
We love this black, white, and sparkly tribute to a Halloween classic.
If you can’t decide which Disney princess you want to be this year, then just be all of them! This mani shows off their goofy side because even a Disney princess knows how to have fun too.
Dashing Diva
Add some magic to your nails with a glow-in-the-dark set that features all your favorite Halloween motifs with a fun color palette.
Etsy
Switch up your base color every time you add one (or multiple) of these stickers, and you'll get a different look every single time!
Etsy
The coolest part about these Halloween nails is the two-in-one finish they have. Even though they're monochromatic, the glossy and matte textures provide some unexpected contrast. (via LilyNailsArt/Etsy)
Etsy
The detail on these tips stand out against the simple base, and add a spooky touch to all your fall outfits!
Glamnetic
Give your spidery web nails a cute update with these press-on nails! The glitter will make them less spooky as you brew one of your famous Halloween cocktails.
Walmart
Witchy nails are meant to be as chic as they are thrilling. Lucky for us, Salon Perfect understood the assignment when they created these cute matte checkered cat nails!
Walmart
Dressing up as a mysterious and sexy tarot reader for Halloween? Don't forget to add these black moon ombre nails to your costume.
Want more Halloween nail art and beauty inspiration? Be sure to check out our Pinterest page!
This post has been updated.
My French manicure has overstayed it's welcome, but it's only because I've been so busy saving fall nail ideas to my Pinterest board for next season. I've officially checked out of summer because there's almost always a daily heat wave or run-in with a pesky mosquito that thinks it's discovered liquid courage within my legs' veins. I'm over it, and more than ready for fall!
Do you need some new autumnal options too? Good, then get in because we're going shopping! Get ready to take as many screenshots as your phone can handle because the fall nail ideas are going to make sure you're ready for cozy weather and spooky season.
KISS
Whether you've got fashion week or pumpkin spice season on your mind, these nails have fall written all over them. Okay, they technically have 'love' and cute French chrome accents on them, but you get what I mean.
They're subtle enough to match fall's cozy vibes without fading into obscurity and it's the type of thing I love. I'd personally wear this nail idea as soon as fall starts to show my gratitude for my favorite season.
They serve as the perfect transition between two seasons so you could actually get them a few days before summer ends!
Jasmine Williams
Don't count abstract nails out because there's still a way to make them work for fall. Opt for a black and white color palette to serve as your base while letting the hand drawn designs do most of the talking.
This is still one of my favorite sets to date because it went with everything outfit I chose to wear. Athleisure? No problem. Cowgirl status? You bet!
Bellacures
Love the first couple of fall nail ideas, but want to focus on a chrome French manicure? You've come to the right place!
Similar to the first idea, these nails can be transitional because they're ambiguous and aren't beholden to any rules. You can request these at your nail next appointment or you can wait to debut them after fall's been around for a month.
They'll go with plenty of the fall fashion ideas you're saving to your Pinterest board.
Target
I know you plan to go glamping this fall, so let your nails match nature with a pop of forest green! It's arguable whether you should wear press-on nails in the great outdoors, but no one said you had to do any of the heavy lifting.
If you plan to keep existing in your soft girl era, these press-on nails from Chillhouse are a cute fall nail idea to take on your overnight trip in the forest.
Paintlab
If you don't buy these press-on nails, I surely will! I love anything tortoise shell — I'll run up the hill towards it every time. It's this close to replacing my love for leopard print, but that's TBD. The point is, these nails are another great fall staple to have.
The only fall rule I have is that varying shades of brown and black together create the best fall neutral. Once you pair it with a rounded almond nail shape, you have one of the best fall nail ideas out there.
I could tell you to stop scrolling because you don't need anymore options, but there's still so much more to explore!
Target
If you're taking a break from nail art, focus on getting basic nail colors! You can still wear press-on nails this fall, but you'll look like a chic Editor from Runway magazine with these oxblood nails.
You'll be able to secure them with non-toxic and on-damaging glue which is a relief. No one said anything about cute fall styles and damaged nails!
Londontown
Give yourself a gorgeous gel manicure at home with Londontown's metallic nail polish! Thanks to the amazing formula of proprietary kur care, you'll receive a nice dose of strength, moisture, and cute fall nails with each brush stroke.
Also, it's obvious that this nail polish is a must-have for anyone who's been counting waiting to order their drink from the Starbucks fall menu. As you can see, it looks gorgeous against a cream rib knit sweater! You can also pair it with neutral matching sets while you're at it.
Ella + Mila
Jewel tones are so fall, so go for a true blue nail polish like this one by Ella + Mila. It doesn't contain any animal-derived ingredients which is great for anyone who prefers vegan beauty products. It also dries really quick and claims to be chip-resistant. That's a great feature if you use your hands a lot!
Bellacures
Classic black nails will always be in. You can call these nails moody, but it doesn't change the fact they're going to be the most versatile idea you wear this fall.
Since there's no additional rhinestones or nail designs associated with this idea, you can actually recreate this at home. It can be your way of saving money so you don't have to choose between toilet paper and wine à la Shonda Rhimes.
Glamnetic
"Look! You've been to Saturn! I've been to Saturn! Whoa, sandworms, you hate ’em, right" is one of my favorite unhinged quotes from Beetlejuice that match these press-on nails perfectly.
Since we're finally getting a long-awaited sequel to the cult classic, it feels fitting that I include these beauties in the fall nail ideas roundup. They mix a bit of the sandworms' design with the classic Beetlejuice suit I love to see Michael Keaton wear so I think this means you just discovered your Halloween costume. 👀
Walmart
The first movie I think about when I see these nails is Scream. That's one of my favorite teen slasher films that I still watch to this day so I love how these designs seem to pay homage to Ghostface.
The pumpkins and orange crochet lines are an added touch that takes the edge off the 'killer' aspect which may make some people feel more comfortable looking at your nails. Then again, it doesn't really matter if other people don't get them.
Bellacures
Undoubtedly someone doesn't have a fear of spiders and I applaud you for having the courage I don't. So, if you're trying to think of your next spooky Halloween costume, let these nails be your guiding light.
They're deliciously witchy and seem like you can conjure pumpkins to break out in a jubilated song.
The current season isn't over yet so check out 33 summer nails we love!
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
Header image via Bellacures
Melissa Barrera's Your Monster might be the perfect unconventional Halloween movie, but the actress actually isn't a huge fan of the holiday. "I'm not a big Halloween person," she told me at the movie's New York premiereon October 24. "Weirdly, I haven't dressed up for Halloween in a long time."
The movie follows Melissa's Laura, who gets dumped after a cancer scare, then finds out her ex has cast another woman in the musical she helped him develop. The cherry on top? When she returns to her childhood home for recovery, she finds a monster living in her closet. Like Lisa Frankenstein, Heathers, and other cult classics before it, Your Monster provides an outlet for female rage — and while I have no doubt it was satisfying to make, it feels almost as satisfying to watch. And we can thank the women involved!
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
"I feel so fortunate that I got to work with all of them in one front," Melissa Barrera says of director Caroline Lindy and costars Kayla Foster and Meghann Fahy a few days after the premiere. "They're so talented and so generous and so lovely and it just kind of felt like working with friends." Despite the fact the group already knew each other, Melissa was welcomed with open arms. "It was such a safe space, you know, it was so safe and unjudgmental and truly collaborative and it was all about propping each other up all the time."
"Even behind the scenes, there were a lot of women too," she says before exclaiming, "Women in film! It's great because also, it's about female rage. It's a story about female rage. So it makes sense that it would be women that have been through this, that understand what it's like, that know what Laura is going through to tell this story."
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
I loved seeing Melissa reunite with the cast and crew at the premiere, but this isn't the first time she's formed a bond with a costar. After the release of Scream 6 in 2023, videos of Melissa and her onscreen sister Jenna Ortega laughing during the press tour went viral — and considering how much the moment reminded me of my relationship with my own sister, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask about it.
"I was so sick during the whole press," she says. "We were laughing because I would start choking on my cough, so it was hilarious — or I would start laughing and it would make me cough and then I couldn't stop. So yeah, we were laughing a lot during that press run because I was sick as a dog."
Philippe Bossé/Paramount Pictures
But a relationship with Jenna, and laughing, weren't the only things Melissa went viral for last year. After posting about the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream. Jenna Ortega left the franchise a few days later, citing scheduling conflicts with Wednesday season 2. Earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival premiere of Your Monster, Melissa revealed how "grateful" she was for the experience because, in the long, run it helped her "finally figure out who I'm supposed to be." And now that we're at a time of year where people are retrospective, she feels even more grounded in herself — because while others are just now reflecting on the year they've had, she's been reflecting since long before January.
"Everybody's kind of like thinking of like, 'What does the future hold? Like, how do we make it better?' And I have been thinking that for a year," she says. "There's people that have actually been on this journey for way longer, and it's them that we should be thanking for our world not being like over with right now, you know? They're the ones that continue to make changes for the better and to fight for better things for all of us."
"I definitely feel like a changed person. I definitely feel like my priorities are completely different than they were a year ago," she continues. "I see the world through different eyes now, I see people through different eyes. I see the industry through different eyes, and I'm so grateful for that. I'm so grateful for everything that I went through, even though it was really hard, I'm so grateful that I lived it and that I survived it, and that I'm stronger for it. And that I know I have a focus of what I wanna keep doing, not just for me and my career, but like, how can I contribute to the industry and to the world to make it better and safer for everyone?"
Vertical Entertainment
And Your Monster is a beautiful contribution to the industry. I was really struck by the idea of not only confronting your childhood monsters, but befriending them. "I want people to come out of [Your Monster] having had a good time, a good laugh, and just feeling good," she says. "Because I feel like a lot of times you come out of the theater feeling so heavy because movies are so dark [but] that's what Caroline wants with her films. She wants to make movies where people can feel safe in the movie theater."
"Second, I hope that people catch on to the layers of the story and how deep it actually is, and Laura's journey, and the metaphors for how repressed we are," she continues. "And I keep saying women, but it's not necessarily just women, anybody can feel that way. And this idea of befriending the monster in your closet is such a life hack. Imagine not being scared of the thing that scared you in your childhood anymore! Like how liberating and how beautiful to actually fall in love with it and to make peace with it and then be able to go through life fearless like that. I wish that for everyone. So I hope that it makes people think and that they wanna re-watch because there's every time that you watch this movie there, you'll see more of the genius that Caroline injected in like tiny little details."
Vertical Entertainment
And for an actress who went to school for theatre and describes it as her "first love" (not to mention the fact she stunned as Vanessa in 2021's In The Heights), she was more than happy to step back onto the stage...kind of. "It was so fun," she says. "Being able to portray that world so accurately too, we had a lot of actual New York theater people come in and do little one-scene things."
"There are people like [Laura's ex] Jacob out there, there's that nervousness, the tension, the excitement, the anticipation, and it's such a beautiful process," she continues. "I love being able to live vicariously through Laura and live out that dream of the Broadway debut. And I think there's such a stigma against theatre and musicals in film, such, like, a rejection that I don't understand because there used to be a time where every movie was a musical and it was amazing! What happened? But to show another side to it through not full face musical, but a little taste of that in a movie that otherwise is a normal movie, I think for me as a theater nerd, as a musical theater geek, it's great to be able to lure people in and be like, 'Look at this beauty, so cool. Maybe go watch musicals!'"
See Melissa Barrera in Your Monster now! Ready to get in a spooky mood? Check out 42 Spooky Halloween Movies To Stream On Your Next Night In for the ultimate movie marathon.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Celebrity breakups are never fun to hear about (hello, Zoe Kravitz and Channing Tatum 😭), but sometimes they seem to give entertainers a boost of personal and creative inspiration. Case in point — Natalie Portman's divorce has given her an almost femme fatale edge. We last saw her in Lady in the Lake, but she recently stepped out with a new hairstyle that's reframed her face!
Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Netflix and Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
On October 28, Natalie Portman turned heads when she stepped onto the red carpet at the 68th Ballon D'Or Ceremony at Theatre Du Chatelet in Paris. She's traded in the long balayage hair she's been wearing for a shorter dark brown bob that rests slightly below her chin. Though the silk press may be in style, Natalie allowed her curls to shine and seemed to wear eye makeup that mirrors her new hair color.
The actress also shared a pictureof herself next to Aitana Bonmatí and a clearer view of her hairstyle is visible. She didn't mention anything about it, opting to keep the focus on Bonmatí's achievement instead. "Hero 🙌 Congratulations Aitana Bonmatí on your Ballon d’Or award! It was such an honor to be there with you and to celebrate all you’ve done for women’s football." her caption says.
Even if Natalie doesn't care to address this new style, we think it's perfect for her!
Unique Nicole/Getty Images
Prior to getting divorced, sources say Natalie tried her best to reconcile things in her marriage to Benjamin. But, it seems like some things — like infidelity — are hard to move past. "She didn’t give up on [her marriage] lightly. But it became pretty apparent toward the end of last year that her heart had gone out of it," one person told US Weekly. Apparently Natalie started noticing a trend in her ex-husband's behavior prior to his bombshell affair because another source told the outlet that the ballet dancer "would sometimes not return home and was taking work trips that didn’t add up."
This ultimately led Natalie to file for divorce, but it was done "quietly," according to PEOPLE's report in March 2024. Not only that, but the news outlet is reporting that the divorce proceedings are officially over! A source said, "It was initially really tough for her, but her friends rallied around her and helped get her through the worst of it." Natalie's apparently "come out the other side of it stronger and is finding joy in her family, friends and work."
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Although Natalie Portman didn't 100% address what happened, fans have long speculated that Benjamin's alleged cheating mishap was the cause of their marriage's demise. Page Six reported the couple were struggling to deal with the ballet dancer's romantic interest in the "glamorous young climate activity Camille Étienne." At the time, a source told the outlet Natalie and Benjamin were trying to hold things together. "They have not split and are trying to work things out. Ben is doing everything he can to get Natalie to forgive him. He loves her and their family."
John Shearer/Getty Images
Natalie Portman and her ex-husband Benjamin Millepied were married for 11 years prior to walking away from "happily ever after," (via People). They also have two children together, Aleph (12) and Amalia (7).
We're always sad when couples breakup, but we love to see that Natalie's moving on with her life and showing that she's willing to embrace something new — like her shorter bob!
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