10 Thanksgiving Nail Designs to Show Your Appreciation for the Fall

After you have settled on the Thanksgiving side dishes and seating arrangements, it is time to move on and explore bigger and better ideas for Thanksgiving nail designs. Thanksgiving is a great night to catch up with friends and break bread. You’ll want those who handle the fork to look fresh for the official beginning of the holiday season.

No matter what style you prefer, there are many options. There’s something for everyone, whether you prefer intricate or seasonal nail art. Many Thanksgiving manicure ideas can be derived from the warm, earthy colors associated with autumn. These include intricately hand-painted illustrations and subtle ombre. These palettes and techniques work well for fall, even if you aren’t attending Thanksgiving.

We spoke to nail professionals and beauty editors about the autumnal designs they expect to see on people’s fingers this year.

Fall Nudes

This gradient manicure will decorate your fingers with the different shades of the fall nude spectrum. Dayanna Sapiens used it as a way to do this. Sapiens said she was going to keep the classic gradient look but added a half-moon shape to each nail. This is one of the easiest manis you can recreate. To create this look, you will need a thin brush to make the half-moon shape. She recommends investing in a «good cleanup brush» and nail polish remover, to fix any mistakes.

If you don’t have neutrals or are having trouble creating your own color scheme look to a curated set such as Nails Inc.’s Keep It Tonal Quad. This includes four neutral shades that can be used for manicures similar to this one.

Subtle Brown Squiggles

For all the minimalists out there, here’s a Turkey Day manicure tip: Draw some squiggles along your nails against a background of nude. This manicure achieves a minimalist look with a touch of humor. Jessica Bilson, a nail art expert, says the key to creating these curvy lines is «a super-fine detailing brush and to have a lot patience.» It is important to keep your hand steady.

Simple Geometric Dots in Candy Apple Brown

Although we hope that Thanksgiving is not a time to do a lot of geometry homework, if it does, we believe painting this geometric design on your nails will be the best thing. Carolina Herrera shows you how to do this by drawing dots on your nails and then painting them with «burnt orange» nail polish (we recommend Essie’s Playing Koi) or «sheer rose» (OPI’s Rosy Future Nail Lacquer). She tells us that she loves the simplicity and elegance of this nail art. It’s the perfect manicure to wear for Thanksgiving.

Opulent Copper Overlapping Angle

Mimi D, editorial manicurist and nail art artist, created this beautiful abstract design with ManiMe. It’s actually a ManiMe nail wrap called Bronzed Bombshell. She says that you can replicate this look at your home if you are more into polish. Start by applying one to two coats of a «full coverage nude shade» and wait for it dry. Next, paint «two large sections of nail» with metallic polish. Be sure to vary the angles for the metallic sections. After the metallic sections have dried, you can use a striperbrush to draw three to four lines of black at different angles.

Almond nails with long, warm-toned swirls

These chic, warm swirls will bring the heat to Thanksgiving. Allure’s Emily Zheng explains that she took inspiration from French manicures and «added a twist» to the traditional design. Zheng says that you can create this look at your home using the nail polish brush, but it’s important to know how to use it. She suggests that you use the side of your brush to have greater control over the areas you are painting. To make the edges look cleaner, you can use a smaller and more detailed nail art brush.

Peek-a Boo Angles

For novice nail artists, a few peek-aboo corners are ideal. Jin Soon Choi, manicurist and founder JINsoon says that this is a simple yet powerful nail design. Although the sharp black corners can be applied to any color, Choi prefers the shade Sea Clay (from her eponymous line of nail polishes), which is a refreshing change from the usual browns and oranges. This design would look great with an opaque nude or an earthy camel color. For extra shine, finish the job with a glossy topcoat.

Iridescent Beetle Wings

Holly Falcone, celebrity nail artist says that fall is full of rich, warm colors. Falcone took inspiration from shimmery beetle wings for this autumnal, perfect-for-Thanksgiving-dinner manicure, which can be done with an olive green like Orly Clover and Over, or even an orange-hued red. To add glamour, make sure the nail has a metallic, shimmery beetlewing finish.

Falcone likes to add some sparkle to the rich color. She says, «Use nail glue to apply iridescent crystals which cast red tones.»

With Autumn-colored Splashes, Nude Nails

Brionne, the nail artist who created the look, suggests adding accents in bright and warm colors to a nude-heavy manicure. The abstract dots of color at your tips look almost like a collection of leaves, which makes them perfect accents for a Thanksgiving manicure.

Sleek Clay Red

A single, well-applied shade of mauve can be a great way to start the holiday season if nail art is not your thing. Because of its dusty tones, this muted clay red — JINSoon fire Clay — almost acts as a neutral. Choi says that a well-done application is crucial. Choi says that it is important to finish the cuticle area.

Reverse Black French

This style is the French manicure’s younger sister. It is moody, modern, and slightly cheeky. Choi says, «It’s a twist on the classic moon manicure using cool colors for an understated autumn nail look.» Mark dots along the lines on each side. Add one dot in the middle, a little below the dots. Connect them in a round fashion with a nail art paint brush.