Not everyone wants to jump on the Halloween nails train, but searches for vampire nails have started soaring on TikTok, with tons of inspo rolling in. In fact, experts at UK Saunas analyzed data from the platform to determine that the term “vampire nails” was driving the most mani inspo right now, with over 12 million views on the app.
The trend is a perfect storm, coinciding with the rise of the grungey goth-girl aesthetic that's exploding on TikTok alongside the run-up to Halloween. So, even if you'd never normally go novelty or follow a theme for Halloween, the nail design is a mood in its own right.
What are vampire nails?
Before you imagine tiny Count Draculas pasted onto nails, the trend actually focuses on a color scheme vs a specific design. Vampire nails sees dangerous-looking red and black manis in a whole bunch of renditions from aura to ombre to stiletto.
How to do vampire nails:
So far, the most popular way to play it is with an aura design. The look is a reconfiguration of ombre and involves a blend of two or more colors that are applied spherically with the color changing from the center outward, vs horizontally or vertically. However, ombre remains an effective way of wearing it, too.
6 of our favorite ways to wear vampire nails
Nail artist @glossytipped has brought in over nine million views, courtesy of her black and red aura nail design, which she created using a black square outline of polish applied to a sponge, with blood red in the center.
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Nail artist Aisté, who goes by @heygreatnails, showed how she created aura vampire nails using a red polish with black eyeshadow buffed in.
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User @foreignnlaurynnnbeauty gave us a close-up of her reverse aura vampire nails. She focused the darkest color in the center, with the color merging into a brighter red toward the perimeter of her nails, then upped the ante with some nail jewelry.
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If you want a mani that looks deadly, we love this dagger stiletto shape. Rather than an aura design, @tippedbaby landed on an ombre Frenchie with black tips and a red base.
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The pros at @lightslacquer showed how they created a cherry cola aura nail in vampy shades.
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And @nail.art.by.marie created an aura vampire mani on short, smart nails.
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This story first appeared in Glamour UK.
