7+ spooktacular Halloween nail designs

If you’re not sporting a ghoulish mani, is it even Halloween? The spirit of the holiday should not be limited to just picking out a costume, so elevate fright night with these spooktacular nail designs, complete with scarecrows, spider webs, bats and jack-o’-lanterns.
The following tutorials will greatly enhance the appearance of your nails -- whether they’re long or short. Grab your manicure kit and get ready to paint some truly eye-catching nail art. The hardest part of this mani makeover just might be which design to choose.
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Stitched scarecrow nails
Now that you have your costume planned out, it’s time to top off your look with a playfully haunting nail design. The video below is easy to follow and teaches you how to execute a perfect stitched scarecrow on your nails.
Fierce League
Start with at least two coats of nude gel polish. Once dried, you’ll need a striping brush along with brown, yellow, orange, black and white nail paints to draw the scarecrow on your desired nail. Watch the video to really get a feel of the artwork. Then, use yellow, red and green nail paints to draw rectangular shapes on the rest of your nails. Continue by outlining the shapes with black paint. Use white paint to stipple tiny dots onto the red rectangular shapes. Lastly, outline stitch patterns on the borders of each rectangle using black paint.
Spider web stiletto nails
If you’re a fan of creepy crawlers, you’re going to love this spider web nail design. What’s more, it’s super simple and beginner-friendly. Just make sure you have your black stiletto nails ready and painted before you begin.
Fierce League
After applying black gel polish onto your stiletto-shaped nails, use white nail paint to outline oblique strokes on different areas of each nail until they resemble spider webs. Then, use a dotting tool and gold glittery nail polish to create a tiny spider on your desired nail.
Vampire lip nails
A single accent nail design can sometimes have more impact than if you painted all five digits. This vampire lip nail tutorial is evident of that fact.
Fierce League
Start with a black base gel polish on your nails. Then, use white gel to draw lips on your accent nail. Paint over the white gel polish with red, leaving tiny streaks of white for contrast. Mix red gel with black to achieve a deeper shade of red, then line the top and bottom half of the lip shape with the hue for a 3D effect. Use white gel to create sharp vampire teeth. When you’re satisfied with the shape, place the nail under a UV or LED lamp. Take a skinny brush and use it to trace the vampire teeth with black gel polish, then add additional highlights to the lips using the white gel. Use a dotting tool with red gel to add bloody drips to the lips and fangs. Finally, seal the design with a clear top coat.
Bat nails
Is there anything more synonymous with Halloween than bats? Well, jack-o’-lanterns, black cats, vampires and a host of other spooky things are, but bats rank up there too. This tutorial has everything you’ll need to replicate these blood thirsty yet cute mammals.
Fierce League
Use black and pink gel polish as your base. Remember, you will be painting the bats on pink nails, so keep that in mind when deciding which nails to paint. Dot a dollop of black gel on one of your pink nails; this will serve as the bat’s head. Next, use a striping brush to outline the bat’s flapping wings and fill them in. Then, create two triangles on the bat's head to mirror ears. Be sure to add as many bat bodies as you like on each nail, then cure your artwork under a UV lamp. Add black polka dots to fill the empty spaces around the bats, cure your nails once more and then add a clear gel top coat to seal the deal.
Glowing jack-o’-lantern nails
Forget carving pumpkins and direct your attention to this glowing jack-o'-lantern nail design tutorial. It’s a guarantee that everyone will be staring at the seasonal artwork on fright night.
Fierce League
Apply a few coats of orange polish to your nails and let dry. Then, mix a clear base gel polish with orange glow in the dark nail powder and layer the mixture over each nail. Use black gel polish to create different variations of pumpkin faces on your nails. Next, use the black gel to draw subtle, curved streaks over the pumpkins -- this is supposed to mimic the indented ridges often found in natural pumpkins. Test the glowing powers of your nails in the dark, then wait for a string of oohs and ahhs to roll your way.
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