Four Spooky, Sparkly DIY Halloween Manicures
1/22If you’re as big of a Halloween fanatic as I am, you’ve probably wished that you could wear a different Halloween costume every single day during the month of October. My solution? Wearing "costumes" on my nails that can be changed whenever my heart desires! I headed to YouTube for some inspiration and found a tutorial from makeup guru Goldiestarling. After putting my own personal twist on her Frankenstein nails, I came up with more ideas based on classic Halloween themes.
In putting together these tutorials, I spoke with celebrity nail artist Deborah Lippmann, who gave me lots of really useful tips on how make these nail looks last. "When applying nail lacquer, there’s a big temptation to slap nail color on in one big, thick coat, but that results in peeling. If you apply very thin coats, letting the polish dry in between each layer so the solvents evaporate, it will wear better and last longer," she says. She also recommends waiting at least a minute or two between each coat. "You can extend the life of your mani by adding a very thin layer of top coat every third day. Also when applying the top coat, make sure you cap the tip of the nail with the polish, as this will seal the color and make a huge difference in the wear," she adds.
** Dracula >>
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2/22Dracula Nails
For those who tend to shy away from really bright nails, this neutral vampire look is perfect for you! There are no neon colors here, folks. The key to this look is a grayish beige (aka greige) hue that truly evokes a vampire’s pale skin.
To create this look, you’ll need the following:
Greige nail polish
Opaque white nail polish
Red nail polish
Black nail art pen
Pointed brush
The specific products I used for this look are Topshop Make Up nail polish in Threadbare, Deborah Lippmann nail varnish in Amazing Grace, Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black, Chanel nail color in Pirate, and Sonia Kashuk pointed eyeliner brush.
Topshop Make Up is available at Topshop stores, Deborah Lippmann is available at lippmanncollection.com, Sailly Hansen is available in drugstores nationwide, Chanel is available at Chanel.com, and Sonia Kashuk is available at Target stores.
3/22Dracula Nails
Paint your nails with the greige polish until the color is completely opaque. (You may need to apply 2-3 coats.)
4/22Dracula Nails
Draw in the black-hued details (hair, eyebrows, mouth) with the black nail art pen. Using a nail art pen is essential because a lot of the lines in this look are sharp and thin. If you don't have a nail art pen, a good alternative is to use a toothpick dipped in black nail polish.
5/22Dracula Nails
Using the red nail polish, draw oozing blood over the white teeth. Voila!
6/22Dracula Nails
Coat the pointed brush with white nail polish and make two dots over each face to create the eyes. Then, draw two vertical lines downward from the mouth to create the teeth. The teeth don't have to be perfect triangles—no one can tell from far away anyway! Using a pointed brush is crucial for this step because it gives you more control than a regular nail polish brush.
7/22Frankenstein Nails
Gather your materials. Here are the products you’ll need:
Opaque nail polishes in green, white, and black
Pointed brush (a makeup brush or paint brush will do)
Red glitter nail polish
Nail art pen in black
Nail file
Nail polish remover and cotton (to correct any mistakes you may make)
You can use any brands you want, but for this look I used Illamasqua nail polish in Radium (green), Deborah Lippmann nail varnish in Amazing Grace (white), Deborah Lippmann nail varnish in Stormy Weather (black), Deborah Lippmann nail varnish in Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? (red glitter), Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black and Red, and Tweezerman nail files. I didn’t have a nail art brush, so I decided to use Sonia Kashuk’s pointed eyeliner brush.
Illamasqua is available at Sephora.com, Deborah Lippmann is available at lippmanncollection.com, Sally Hansen is available at drugstores nationwide, and Sonia Kashuk is available at Target.
8/22Frankenstein Nails
File your nails and give them a square shape similar to Frankenstein's famously flat head. Next, paint them with the opaque green polish. Wait for them to dry before adding the black-colored details (Frankenstein's hair, mouth, and stitches) using the black nail polish and nail art pen.
9/22Frankenstein Nails
Here, I created two Frankenstein heads and then drew stitches on the rest of my nails. You can turn all of your nails into Frankenstein heads or do just one—it's totally up to you! (Tip: Use the polish for filling in larger areas and the pen for making thinner lines.)
10/22Frankenstein Nails
Dip your pointed brush into the white nail polish and apply white dots where the eyes should be on each Frankenstein head. They don't have to be perfect circles! Remember, the stranger the eye shape, the more monstrous (and awesome) your Frankenstein nails will look.
11/22Frankenstein Nails
Add "blood" to your nails by painting droplets using the red glitter nail polish. I prefer using glitter polish over a nail art pen because the oozing blood effect looks more realistic this way.
And you're done! Look down at your horrific nails and repeat Dr. Frankenstein's famous words from the classic 1931 film Frankenstein: "It's ALIVE!!!"
12/22Glitter Ghost Nails
If you’re in a rush and don’t have time to paint intricate designs on your nails, go for this quick and easy look! It features a dark, starry sky and a lone spooky ghost.
I used Topshop Make Up nail polish in Daredevil (shimmery purple) and Sephora by OPI top coat in Only Gold for Me (glittery gold) to create the night sky. For the ghost, I used Deborah Lippmann nail polish in Amazing Grace (opaque white) and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black.
Topshop Make Up is available at Topshop stores, Sephora by OPI is available at Sephora.com, Deborah Lippmann is available at lippmanncollection.com, and Sailly Hansen is available at drugstores nationwide.
13/22Glitter Ghost Nails
Apply two coats of the shimmery purple polish to your nails and let them dry.
14/22Glitter Ghost Nails
Paint an elongated white blob on one of your nails, making sure that the bottom end of the blob is thinner than the top. Add two tiny blobs on the sides for the arms. Try to keep the ghost in the center of your nail so it looks like it's floating.
15/22Glitter Ghost Nails
After the white polish has completely dried, draw three circles with the black nail art pen to make the ghost's eyes and mouth. Ta-da!
16/22Glitter Ghost Nails
Then, go over them with a gold glitter top coat. (I put on four layers of it to make my nails uber-glittery!)
17/22Candy Corn Nails
Paint the base coats of each nail until opaque. If you're working on a candy corn nail, start out with the white base coat—it makes the later layers of orange and yellow bolder and will be easier to correct later!
18/22Candy Corn Nails
Who says Halloween has to be scary? With this candy-inspired tutorial, your Halloween can be yummy as well! I look forward to every Halloween season because it's the only time of the year when you can buy candy corn—if you have as much of a sweet tooth as I do, you'll love this tutorial.
For this tutorial, I decided to alternate candy corn and pumpkin designs on my nails. To create the candy corn design, you will need opaque orange, yellow, and white nail polishes. The colors I used were Deborah Lippmann nail varnish in Lara's Theme, Yellow Brick Road, and Amazing Grace. I also used the Deborah Lippmann Flat Top Matte Topcoat to give my nails a similar texture to real candy corn.
For the pumpkin heads, I used Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Gamma and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black. I wanted to use a different shade of orange for the pumpkins just to add a little flair, but you can use the same color.
19/22Candy Corn Nails
Paint a yellow stripe on the area of your nail closest to your cuticle. Make sure you paint in a horizontal direction so you get the straightest line possible.
20/22Candy Corn Nails
Once the yellow stripes have dried, paint an orange stripe over it. Don't worry if your lines aren't straight—you can go over them once they've dried.
21/22Candy Corn Nails
Straighten out any lines by applying another coat of nail polish. Here, I corrected mistakes I made with the orange nail polish by painting over with the white nail polish.
22/22Candy Corn Nails
Apply your mattifying top coat, or any other top coat you desire! A light glitter top coat would work over candy corn as well. Paint the faces of your pumpkins with the black nail art pen and you're done!
