Is it becoming colder? but nails? They’re only heating up. This is the season of mischievous geometry and unforeseen colors that do not follow the common gloomy burgundies and ground colors. Fall color-block nails 2025 are reimagining the way we approach seasonal manicure: daring, cheerful, and quite flexible. And have you ever wondered how an entire mood can change just by changing nail color? One block of color at a time, we will see what designs can add to autumn.
Bright Geometry With a Twist
The former design struck me at once as bold and cheerful–large panels of glossy polish cut in the middle, with each nail being two bright colors. It is a palette of emerald greens contrasted with turquoise, fiery reds against lilac; almost a mood board of fall festivals. This is not about fusing but rather about making something different and turning nails into mini-canvases.
I would begin with a good base such as Strong Start by Essie to shield the nail to achieve this effect. Then there is the question of overlaying deep colors: consider OPI’s My Chihuahua Doesnt Bite Anymore as a true red, Zoyas Lola to pink and Orlies Plastic Jungle as that glossy green. That clean-cut division depends on a narrow striping brush or even plain nail tape.
This appearance can be staged in your own home without much difficulty. Begin with the light shade over the entire nail as a base. When it is completely dry, tape the middle and paint the second color. Nail artist Jin Soon Choi of New York suggests that working in thin layers and applying a gel-like top coat are often recommended to give that ultra-glossy finish.
To me, this nail screams confidence. These nails are as close to having a bit of sunshine and energy in your pocket as you can get in the grey fall morning when everything is dull. They are a reminder of how I used to wear a neon scarf back in November–more heads than all the coats I had. The breaks in color sometimes change the entire mood.
Playful Pastel Panels
Here, the palette softens—yellow buttercream, soft lavender, sky blue, and gentle pinks. The best part is that the color-blocking is tilted toward sweetness but is not too spring-like. The pastels are warmer, somehow cosier, as though they were selected to make the short daylight hours of fall brighter.
You will need creamy pastels such as Sally Hansen creamy yellow, mellow yellow, and OPI creamy yellow, You are Such a Budapest. They come with an option of a rough top layer and a heavy bottom layer in case you want a softer surface. Again, nail tape will be your best friend, except in pastels, in which case precision is not so important–a small blemish is deliberate, almost brushlines in water color.
When I attempted a variant of this style last year, I was amazed by the level to which it matched with the chunky knit sweaters. It made my clothes come Pinterest ready, such as lattees and extra long scarves. Fall pastels may seem a little out of the ordinary, which is what makes them fun. Rules are not the point, it is how they feel.
Warm Neutrals With a Wink
Moving down to a less bold area, this design uses peachy nudes tinged with muted blushes. The shapes are fun and the edges are not sharp but curved, so the manicure has a softer look and becomes almost romantic. It is nice enough to work on weekdays and still nice enough to relax on weekends.
A shade like Essie Not Just a Pretty Face and Butter London Piece of Cake would be my suggestion to replicate this. In terms of tools, you won’t require much more than a steady hand–there are occasions when you can skip the tape and use freehand swipes, to give the manicure the organic, modern-art feel.
Wearing warm neutrals in the fall is something very soothing. It is as though you are taking your favorite cashmere blanket with you, but in an elegant, understated manner. When I put on similar colors when we went to a coffee date, my friend told me they looked cozy and luxe, and that is what I want my nails to feel like this season.
Retro Citrus Energy
This layout is an immediate critical burst with its fat orange and cool mint mix that is punctuated by sparkling white details. It is daring, clean and has that old school 70s vibe – a color block windbreaker turned into nail art. What I love about it is that the contrast does not overpower, but rather makes it feel vibrant but wearable, at least in the months between early autumn and late autumn, when fall is not all about deep reds and browns.
To make it, I would use things such as OPI, Juice Bar Hopping, to give it the tangerine pop and Essie, Mint Candy Apple, to give it the green. The accent should be added with a shining white such as White On by Sally Hansen. Nail artists insist on ultra thin striping brushes to get that clean split without bleeding, it is worth the money to have salon level results at home.
I would paint the lighter mint all over the nail in stages and tape off areas to apply the orange and white. Celebrity nail artist Betina Goldstein once told us that when colors are still a little tacky, you can coat them with a glossy top coat and then they blend together perfectly, creating the gel effect.
This combination is personally just too hard to resist as a weekend getaway outfit – it reminds me of sipping Aperol spritzes on early autumn sunsets. This design has some nostalgic charm, but it is also, rather refreshingly, modern.
Rainbow Confidence
Then, there is the song-and-dance-number, rainbow color-blocking which refuses to be subtle. Every nail feels like its own statement piece: magenta, cobalt, emerald, sunshine yellow. The forms are acute, geometric and aggressive. To me, this design is a nod towards fashion street style at the weekends, where the rules have been redrawn to the benefit of pure expression.
It takes dedication and it takes imagination to reproduce this. I would recommend creating a small palette of your favorite bolds: OPI has the color Cajun Shrimp (orange-red), Essie has the color Butler Please (electric blue), and Zoya has the color Darcy (true yellow). Add a top coat with high shine such as Seche Vite to fix the gloss.
The trick is a matter of time-paint one bold block at a time, and allow the shade to dry before applying the next, otherwise the lines will be smudged away. U.S. nail experts frequently stress that the trick is to take it slowly, otherwise the lines are ruined. I have at least attempted this appearance once in front of a birthday party of a friend of mine, and I recall all the compliments as conversation starters- it is that attractional.
I love most about this design how it embodies what fall color-block nails will look like in 2025: unashamedly bright, surprisingly stylish, and a personal affair. It is not about being mixed with dull autumnal colors, but being unique using color. Is that not what style all about?
Earthy Elegance
This glance is immediately very solid, as almost to be in a fall forest at dusk. The effect is calming and beautiful with muted greens and soft lavenders that have been diagonally applied over a nude base. It is not your standard high-contrast color-block, but is instead chic, modern and almost meditative. I adore the way it finds the balance between audacity and restraint.
To create this manicure I would start with a neutral beige base such as Essie when she has her Ballet Slippers and apply Olive and June when she has her Geometric and OPI when she has her Do You Lilac It? The naked foundation makes the entire appearance wearable, and the oblique blocks of color are artistic.
It is quite easy, you apply the nude on the nail, then allow it to dry, then apply striping tape with a diagonal pattern, then put on the green and purple colors. I read in Allure once that celebrity nail artist Julie Kandalec says to peel tape gradually at a slant to prevent smudging (which makes a huge difference in creating clean lines), and to do so at an angle.
In this manicure, I look smooth without being tacky. It is the type of design that I would wear to a gallery opening or a small dinner out with friends. It speaks softly instead of screaming and this is sometimes just what you want in a season where so many colours make statements.
Playful Swirls of Color
There is a design here that does not conform to the rules–fluid lines in turquoise, coral, purple and pink slide over each nail like an abstract painting. Rigid blocks do not present such motion, but these curves do, almost like brushstrokes on a painting. It is playful and artistic, and it is ideal during the days when you want your nails to be noticed.
This can be duplicated most effectively with creamy, opaque polishes: use OPI’s .5 oz. “Suzi Nails New Orleans” in coral, Essie’s .5 oz. in turquoise and caicos, and Deborah Lippmann’s deep purple shade, .5 oz. Dark Side of the Moon. You will use a fine detailing brush as your most important tool but this is not tape work but free hand creativity.
In making swirls, I prefer to paint the colors in blocks first when using the light ones, then deepening the color by superimposing the darker ones. U.S. nail professionals usually recommend a bottle of glossy top coat to match the edges so that they seem to be joined together.
To me, these nails are the nails of painting with friends on a rainy fall afternoon–of letting go of precision, and of what seemed to be a beautiful result. That is the point of this manicure: the imperfection becoming art.
Warm Gradient Stripes
Imagine snug scarves and pumpkin spice, this manicure cement captures the coziness of the season with vertical stripes of pink, orange, and red built up. The sleek look raises it up and makes it appear shiny instead of childish. Something about straight lines that stretch the nail bed and makes it nearly tailored is inherently chic.
I would go to OPI with their “Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya” (peachy coral) or Zoya with their Sonja (true red), and Essie with her Haute in the Heat (deep pink) to achieve the gradient effect. To maintain the lines and keep them perfectly clean, you will need striping tape again.
The method is relatively simple: paint the lightest colour on the whole nail, tape away the vertical lines, after which the darker colours are added, one by one. Nail pro Rita Remark says that when it comes to getting crisp results one of the greatest errors that people make is to take off tape late, timing truly is everything.
I personally believe that this manicure would match gold and oversized coats. It is the type of detail that makes you appear presentable even when you are wrapped up against the cold.
Pastel Joy Blocks
This nail polish is happiness in blocky candy-colored capsules. Each nail is painted in dots of pink, blue, lavender, and mint in curved and playful halves. They are typically a spring color, but here they are playing with fall and making it their own by making darker days brighter without apology.
I would select Essie Mint Candy Apple, Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow, and OPI Strawberry Margarita as products. The gimmick is to select a bit warmer pastel color to make them seasonable.
In practice, the appearance of freehand curves makes this accessible to the home user. I prefer to polish the polish brush itself rather than a tool and I allow the natural curve of the bristles to form a soft, rounded edge. It can change the entire mood by adding a matte top coat to make it even more contemporary.
I had something like this in the fall last year, on a work trip, and whenever I looked at my hands, it cheered me up. Nails are not always decoration, sometimes they are emotional energy that will make it through the hectic days.
Juicy Orange-Pink Fusion
There is nothing as playful and daring as orange and pink. In this case, they are grouped in large diagonal blocks that make an immediate impression. It is colorful, shiny and festive enough to be used at celebrations or on days when you need an extra energy boost.
The easiest way to achieve this appearance is to pick up Orly, Tropical Pop (bright orange) and Essie, Cascade Cool (bubblegum pink). Both shades are rich and saturated to stand alone in this extreme contrast.
The simplest technique is the diagonal taping: the base is pink, which must be dry, after which the angle is taped over each nail and orange is applied on top. Whenever celebrity nail polish artist Tom Bachik is asked about finishing bold combinations, he typically recommends a top coat of high gloss such as CND Vinylux to achieve that newly-polished look.
I like this manicure most because it gives a lot of energy. It makes me think of fall festivals and cozy spiced cider-it is fun, fearless and will not allow shorter days to dampen the mood.
Soft Candy Squares
Something is immediately sweet about this manicure–as an exhibition of pastel desserts. Perfect squares of baby pink, soft yellow, creamy white, the blocks are laid out with a delicate clean line between them. It is charmingly playful and sophisticated, which reminds me of old patchwork designs. Although they tend to be springish in color, the colors are muted enough to match the fall outfits perfectly.
To achieve this appearance, I would suggest pale colors with good transparency: Nail Inc, White Out, Essie, Muchi, Muchi, sheer pink, OPI, Banana Bandana, that same pastel yellow. Those neat divisions require the use of a super-fine striping brush (or even nail vinyls). There is nothing tired about the satisfaction of peeling off the tape and having perfectly sharp lines.
To do it on my own, I would use a white base to ensure that colors were vivid, tape horizontals and verticals then apply pink and yellow. Celebrity nail guru Sarah Bland frequently notes that multiple thin layers are better than one thick one- this helps avoid the irregularities of applying a single layer when doing block designs.
On a personal level, the mention of these nails brings me back to warm Sunday mornings when I had a cup of coffee and had something sweet in the oven with a knit cardigan around my waist. They look warm and trendy, and they go a long time during fall.
Modern Navy and Mustard
It is all elegant class: a very brave combination of deep navy and warm mustard yellow, in harsh and graphic blocks above a naked ground. The design is almost architectural, mid-century modern art scaled down to nails. It is very sparse, yet nothing is accidental.
You will require a deep navy polish such as OPI’s Russian Navy, combined with Essie’s Hay There to get that golden mustard. These colours contrast really well with pure beige or clear nude (the Sheer Ecstasy by Sally Hansen is excellent). The mix itself is luxurious without being expensive.
Technique-wise, this style benefits from patience. Paint the bare base, mask up rectangles or triangles and striate between the navy and mustard. Nail painter Miss Pop has even proposed pressing the edges of the tape with a silicone tool to create a sharp block without polish coming under the tape and leaving it crisp.
I had the same design last fall and I attended a dinner downtown and more people complimented my nails than my dress. It is the kind of manicure that takes the most basic appearance, such as a trench coat and boots, to a whole new level. Nails become your greatest accessory sometimes.
Color-Blocked Rainbow Pop
Had Joy a nail-like shape, this would be it. Bold blocks of purple, orange, teal, pink, and cobalt spread across each nail in a fearless spectrum. It is street art, that is not apologetic at all, and definitely not out of place among fall wardrobes that have been tamed into their humpbacked, graceless forms.
To recreate this we just need a few saturated brights. Butler Please by Essie, which is blue, La Paz-itively Hot by OPI which is pink, and Cam by Zoya which is orange are all good choices. A collection of striping brushes will assist in neatly sectioning the nails but what I think is best is that a bit of unevenness actually contributes to the artistic feel.
The easiest way to go about this is step by step: paint half of the nail with color, then allow it to dry and either use freehand or tape another block of a different color. Nail specialists in the U.S. tend to recommend top coats with UV protection when bright colors are used- they are not easily affected by time.
To me, these nails scream fun. They give me the impression of a spur-of-the-moment weekend outing with friends when I used a haphazardly put together outfit that somehow fit, since it was bold. That is the vitality such nails possess–confidence with color.
Romantic Berry Waves
This manicure unites romance with drama: deep berry colors and soft blush pinks, in wavy, curved layers. It has less to do with sudden line and more to do with movement, as of some leaves in the fall. It is not coy, it is womanish but not coy, the type of appearance that puts shine (literally) on any piece of clothing.
In shades, I would choose OPI Malaga wine as a deep berry shade coupled with Essie Fiji as a pastel pink shade. The mix of the two is just warm and soft that suits even cold nights. A curved detailing brush will be handy to make those separations with waves with no tape.
The easiest way to DIY is to use the lighter shade as a base and then apply curved shapes with berry paint in slow and steady strokes. Celebrity nail artist Betina Goldstein frequently suggests letting the brush bend instead of pressing shapes–that is how you create that smooth flow.
I enjoy the fall with berry colors because I think they are luxurious, like a glass of red wine by candlelight. With nails like these, even a casual day of errands feels a bit more glamorous.
Muted Pastel Harmony
This is a soft blue, green, and pink design balanced with nude accents in half-blocked forms. It is subtle and new, such as the sense of autumn mornings. These soft pastels are easy to wear with almost any garment due to their lack of neon intensity or heavyweight darks, and are versatile.
Colors I would use are Essies Mint Candy Apple, OPI Mod About You, and Zoyas Blu. Combine them with a nice nude underlay such as the Sally Hansen Sheer Bliss to base the palette. The counter-balance of color and nude renders the entire design light.
Technically, this is a manicure that is easy to do. Paint one side of the nail in a pastel colour, leave the other half naked or with a different pastel colour and cover with a matte or glossy finish. Nail pros also tend to agree that neutral tones look the brightest when they are matte, with shininess giving them the candy-coated effect.
The style is relaxing and almost medicinal to wear. I once tried muted nails on a stressful week at work and the soft colors actually uplifted my spirits and did not distract me. The most comforting things are sometimes the most trivial.
Minimalist Rainbow Tips
This manicure leaves me smiling immediately – every nail is painted in another color, sky blue, neon pink, citrus orange, mint green. The impact is pretty, straight forward and surprisingly contemporary. There is no fancy or complex design, just the beauty of its simplicity: a single color per nail, no frills, just happy fingers on your fingertips.
To reproduce, I would select bold and creamy colors: Essie’s Butler Please as the blue color, OPI Hotter Than You Pink and Zoya Tangerine Dreamz. The perfect pastel note is reached in Grateful and Kind by Mint, Olive and June. The glossy finish is what makes this appearance look pop, forget high shine top coat such as Seche Vite.
Technique is very basic: base coat, two color coats, gloss seal. It is the type of manicure that can be done even when you do not have any steady hands or tools. Actually, it is one of my DIY favorites when I want the nails to appear polished and I do not want to spend hours on it.
To me, this style represents putting on colorful rings, cute, cheerful, and slightly mischievous. Nails of this kind are little mood-makers on a dismal autumn day, as though your hands are talking to you: cheer up, it is not all gray.
Geometric Street-Style Blocks
Here is a design that you may easily notice at fashion week-sharp, bold, and full of attitude. One nail is cut into several parts of pink and orange, and green and yellow, and even black-and-white triangles. It is bold and graphic, a manicure that is also a wearable art.
With polishes, prefer a saturated shade: the OPI red shade, Coca-Cola, is a good black, and the Essie red color, which is licorice, is an excellent yellow. What connects this appearance is accuracy, nail vinyls or very fine stripping tape will assist you in cutting up those angular lines.
To make a painting at home, begin with white or nude and do nail by nail, bit by bit. Celebrity nail artist Miss Pop has previously posted that the trick to it is to break down big designs in manageable sections, and not to do the entire hand at one time.
I would wear this manicure to a concert or art show – it is the type of ensemble that sparks discussion. And is not that the purpose of style? Speaking in big yet small ways.
Diagonal Candy Stripes
This nail polish is cute and charming: every nail is cut diagonally in two opposing colors, between lavender and aqua, cherry red and lemon yellow. The sleek almond finish makes it seem refined, when it would otherwise seem excessively playful. It is young, but not a kid.
To accomplish this appearance, apply these colors: Essie, Play Date, lavender, OPI, Big Apple Red and Zoya, Daisy, yellow. The trick of it is in the crispness of the diagonal line– nail tape keeps the margins apart, but I like soft diagonals drawn with a fine brush.
Paint the light shade, allow to dry, resist the diagonal with a piece of tape, and then paint the darker shade. The nail professionals also observe that a top coat applied in 3 strokes blends the two halves well.
I used to wear diagonal patterns such as this to a fall wedding of a friend. My nails were seen even in the crowd of neutral dresses and dark tuxedos. The force of color–it will make details that are small memorable.
Checkerboard Cheer
This design is reminiscent of retro-patterns: mini-squares of orange, teal, navy, yellow, and red which alternate neatly on all nails. It is retro with a new twist courtesy of the glossy finish. Checkerboard nails are difficult, but when done neatly they are jaw-dropping.
In order to achieve that checker effect, make nude your foundation (Essie has a bottle of Ballet Slippers), then apply strong colors such as OPI Infinite Shine Cajun Shrimp (orange) and Zoya Ryan (navy). It will take time, tape, and a very steady hand to make the grid straight.
My biggest nail pro tip: I can always apply the lighter square first and go darker on top–covering mistakes much easier. A smooth top layer on the end gives the surface a unified look concealing any small scratches.
In my case, this design reminds me of putting on a cozy flannel shirt in unpredictable colors. It is nostalgic and has a twist, and so it is best served during fall weekends or even during Thanksgiving parties when you need an item that will bring up the conversation.
Pastel Latte Blocks
This manicure pares down the palette to creamy corals, powder blues and subdued yellows. The nails are broken into clean halves, which contributes to a relaxed and friendly impression. Although bold brights are used in a lot of fall nail art, the colors bring back memories of pastel coffee cups or old sweaters.
On the product side I would choose OPI Tiramisu for Two as a nude grounding shade, Essie Saltwater Happy as a pastel blue, and Orly Vintage as a soft coral. These are gentler than summer brights, but still add life to shorter darker days.
DIY: stick the lighter pastel shade all over the nail, tape half of it then paint on the second shade. Nail experts usually recommend buffing nails in advance so the pastels can be applied without problem, as light colors are more revealing of any flaws.
I would call this manicure a silent happiness. It is a style that I would use on a coffee date in a small cafe, typing on a laptop and drinking a pumpkin spice latte. Delicacy is sometimes as powerful a statement as bold colour.
Autumn Plaid Revival
Plaid, only nails,–at least that is what this pattern is. Stripes of white and green cut through layers of warm tones such as orange, yellow, pink, and purple to give a comfortable tartan appearance. It is the nail version of cuddling up in a flannel blanket on a cold day, in its own playful and colorful way.
To reproduce this, you will need creamy autumn colors, such as OPI, which is called A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find (orange), Essie, which is called Play Date (lavender), and Sally Hansen, which is called Mellow Yellow. In the case of the plaid overlay, we will need a white striping polish such as the one by Orly: White Tips. Fine nail art brushes will assist in making those sharp intersecting lines.
It takes time: begin with color block bases and then place in horizontal and vertical stripes of thin white material over the base slowly and carefully. U.S. nail designer Jessica Washick frequently recommends that you keep your pinky finger on the table as you paint stripes- it keeps your hand steady and results in cleaner lines.
To me, plaid nails will always be associated with fall road trips, hot cider, and warm sweaters. They are reminiscent of that fall, yet the combination of colors keeps them contemporary. It is designed to say: Yes, I am festive but I have fashion.
Striped Retro Vibes
This manicure reminds me of old sweaters: the thick, sweeping stripes of mustard, cherry red, baby blue, and orange jumping over square-shaped nails. The high-shine finish gives the retro palette a modern polish, and it can be worn both on fun weekends and at work.
Perfect polishes in this look include Essie (red) Forever Yummy, OPI (mustard yellow) Don’t Tell a Sol and Zoya (powder blue) Blu. You will also require precision tape so that the lines are straight across-thick lines show up more than thin lines.
To do this, you would paint some base color and allow to dry but then place some tape on each portion and then paint the other shades. Nail artist Jin Soon once said that it is risky to apply light colors on top of darker ones, thus, always apply the light color first before proceeding with the darker one.
I really like this design as it is nostalgic and bold. It works well with denim jackets and bulky boots, so it is a simple option to wear on chill days during the fall when you need nails that aren’t too fancy but stand out.
Abstract Modern Art
This manicure is more carefree–sweeping lines of pink, red, aqua, and yellow that have been divided by a bright black and white color. The overall look feels artistic and expressive, almost like brushstrokes on a canvas. It is less to do with accuracy and more of creative overlaying.
This appearance can be achieved with bold colours such as OPI coca-cola red, Essie mint candy apple, and Deborah lippmann whip it (pink). The stripers or gel pens to use on nails can be in black and white.
Application is better done by hand: begin with color blocks, with a subsequent layer of black or white to create definition. Not to stress the point, Celebrity nail pro Betina Goldstein frequently writes, but instead of planning, an abstract design is best created intuitively.
I would consider this manicure a statement piece. It is as though you had an accessory on your nails, a designer one, playful, unusual, and something that people talk about. Great on those days where you would prefer your hands to speak instead.
Violet Sharp Edges
These colors are cut, sliced in sharp and angular shapes, separated by black lines that are thin. It is angular, geometric and extremely modern. This manicure is more of a high-fashion than a fall feel, unlike the softer color-block of the manicure.
To do this, I would go to OPI, with its Do You Lilac It? and Essie, with its Bahama Mama. The lines must be drawn with a razor, and therefore black nail tape or a fine art brush will be needed. A glossy top coat locks in the drama.
The process is uncomplicated and painstaking: paint lilac at the bottom, tape off corners, fill with magenta and outline with black. Nail artist Naomi Yasuda frequently claims that angles stretch nails on the eye, this design proves it, long short nails on the eye look smooth.
To me, this design is nothing short of confidence. I would wear it to a night out or a fall cocktail party or even to keep myself in a good mood midweek. The dramatic difference renders your hands stylish very easily.
Painterly Mash-Up
This architecture resembles a cheerful experimentation: the bright strokes of red, teal, black, white, pink and yellow applied in geometric and abstract forms. It is bold and eclectic, almost a contemporary art gallery, scaled down to ten mini canvases. It is dynamic and prominent since no two nails appear to be similar.
In the case of polishes, anything is good in this area-choose your loudest brights. Strong choices are OPI, Big Apple Red; Zoya, Darcy (yellow); Essie, Licorice (black); Orly, Plastic Jungle (green).
DIY is all about layering. Begin with bare or sheer underpins, and alternate geometrical blocks and curvilinear lines. It is fun not to make it perfect: the slightly jagged edges contribute to the feel.
On a personal level, I believe that this manicure represents the soul of fall color block nails 2025: bold, bright and entirely personal. It is not duplicating trends literally–it is stealing ideas and adapting them.
Playful Mismatch Checks
This nail polish is the epitome of fun: checkerboard prints, smooth lavender, shiny green ends, and crisp black-and-white lines coexist right next to each other. The mix and match strategy provides each nail with its own identity and yet brings it all together. It is whimsical and daring–the type of design that leaves you smiling each time you look at your hands.
The creamy brights to use in this appearance include Essie Play Date (lavender), OPI, I Sooo Swamped (green), and China Glaze White on White. A thin striping brush or nail art pen is best to use to nail the black squares. The beauties of this structure are that it can be made with any kind of nail–no two of them must be alike.
It has to be applied in stages: paint your base, cover with checker work with tape or by hand, and then nail solid-colored balancing dots. To maintain the chic look instead of overwhelming the nail design, nail pros suggest alternating bold designs with simpler ones.
In my case, this style brings to my mind the fall coffee dates in quirky cafes. It is artsy and daring, similar to the type of nails you would wear with oversized sweaters and huge rings.
Patchwork Cozy Blocks
This manicure resembles patchwork quilts that were turned into nail art. The four color areas of each nail – rust orange, dusty blue, soft green, creamy neutrals all mix up to create a cozy homemade touch. It is very autumnal, as though warm up clothes have been sewed into something that seems surprisingly fashionable.
Muted tones are preferable to this: OPI, Cajun Shrimp to represent orange, Essie, Find Me an Oasis to represent pale blue, and Zoya, Sage to represent that dusty green color. Extra details can also be separated using a metallic striping brush.
The technique is to paint the individual square pieces one at a time and apply colors on top of the first one after it is completely dry. Nail artist Jin Soon once remarked that a difference between crisp lines and smudged edges can be as little as five minutes between coats.
In my case, the patchwork nails always make me think of my visits to flea markets on the weekend, old vintage pieces, texture, and unplanned color combinations that just work. These are the same nails: casual but stylish, and ideal in the fall afternoons.
Moody Swirl Blocks
That is more abstract–nails painted in sweeps of teal, black, peach and lilac that curve up and over each other like waves. It is dark but beautiful, a manicure that is like a wearable piece of modern art. The gloss surface gives a 3D effect, making the forms look like flowing lines.
Experiment with polishes such as Essie Mint Candy Apple, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark (black) and Sally Hansen Peach of Cake. A fine nail brush also allows you to paint the swirls more precisely, particularly when you are applying light over dark.
To achieve this design at home, you need not think much at all about where to place it, simply start painting curved forms and leave them to intersect on their own. The beauty of swirls, according to U.S. manicurist Betina Goldstein, is that they are imperfect and should resemble fluid, not solid.
These nails make me think of fall evenings when you also feel like letting your creativity play, either by scribbling in a notebook or painting nails without real purpose. It is cool and comfortable at the same time.
Tangerine-Pink Vertical Glow
Hot pink and juicy orange are brought to the fore in vertical stripes on a base of soft blush here. It is sunny, sharp and cheerful, and fills fall with summer punch. Vertical layout makes nails look elegant, smooth, and stylish with such playful colors.
The best shade here is Essie and OPI (pink) and Atomic Orange. Your best friend on clean vert lines is striping tape, but you can freehand with practice. Glossy top coats finish the color and provide glossy salon-quality shine.
In the case of vertical line, the lighter color should be applied, then the tapes are made on the middle, followed by use of the strong colour. Nail professionals recommend removing tape when polish is very fresh-it has sharper edges.
These nails remind me of golden-hour nights–evenings when the sun sets and the sky is orange and pink. It is the type of manicure that will automatically enhance the mood even during cold morning in autumn.
Buttercream Pastel Waves
This manicure is a mix of buttery yellow and soft lilac in sweeping curvy halves. It is tender, romantic, and somewhat old-fashioned, as are vintage kitchens or faded postcards. The high-gloss finish makes it current, and the pastel color scheme mellowes fall clothes.
On items, I would apply Essie, Go Ginza, to lilac and Sally Hansen, Mellow Yellow, to the buttery base. A nail brush with a round end is useful in painting quite curved parts.
Do-it-yourself instructions: base is yellow, dry, then lilac on one side of the nail curved across. Do not worry about symmetry–wavy lines are prettiest when not quite even.
These nails to me are soft comfort. They make me think of mornings when I was baking or drinking tea in huge sweaters- little things that make the autumn days happier.
