Glitter isn’t just for New Year’s Eve, says Jarjour, who describes this design as “a way to do sparkly nails for fall without it feeling too festive.” A lot comes down to the colors you choose. Jarjour used a classic sheer pink, like OPI Bubble Bath, and then topped it with a clear polish that includes silver and gold chunks of glitter.
If you’re using traditional polish (versus gel), let the base shade set completely, and then paint the glitter polish onto a latex-free makeup sponge and tap it onto the nails. “That way, the sponge absorbs the clear polish that comes with the glitter,” Jarjour explains, “and you’re not painting coats and coats trying to get glitter coverage.” If the glitter isn’t looking just how you want it, she also recommends using a little brush to pick out sparkles from the bottle and fill in any gaps you might have.
Sparkling, Muted Pastels
Lolly Koon
“Muted pastels can be a subtle alternative to the usual dark colors we see on nails this time of year,” says Koon. It’s also an extension of the cool-toned makeup trend so prevalent at the fall 2024 runway shows. These dusty hues look great matte or shiny, but Koon prefers to add a layer of silvery glitter on top to create more dimension, then finish with a thin layer of the base polish on top to “give the sparkles some tint and make the overall effect more subtle.”
All-Gold Everything
Di Petsa/Launchmetrics Spotlight
All that glittered on the fall runways was gold nails, courtesy of designers like Di Petsa in London and The Blonds in New York. The designs came in a variety of styles, from simple to embellished, sparkly to sheer.
Koon is also obsessed with gilded tips this season, and found inspiration in the neutrals and gold tones she saw at Christian Dior’s fall 2024 couture show for the abstract design she created above.
After starting with a matte, off-white base, she added swoops of gold down the center of each nail. Koon used polish topped with gold powder, but this is another instance where you can use metallic 3D gel to get a true surrealist vibe, a là Schiaparelli.
Gothic French
Luar/Launchmetrics Spotlight
PatBO/Launchmetrics Spotlight
The mini French is one trend that never seems to go away, it just changes with the seasons. And for fall 2024, nail artists are giving the French manicure a dark edge—literally. We love the contradiction of an ultra-classic design paired with subversive black or brown tones, as seen at shows like Luar and PatBO, for a perfect example of the soft-goth trend that continues to permeate Pinterest and TikTok.
Rave Nails
Private Policy/Launchmetrics Spotlight
This fall, it’s eat, sleep, go to the salon for a rave-inspired manicure, repeat. Pinto has seen a rise in requests at Vanity Projects for bold, bright, dopamine-inducing nail art that’s made for dancing until the sun comes up. Designs can be as simple as a neon French manicure or high-contrast aura nails done in black and green—like at the fall 2024 Private Policy show in New York—or they can be as wild and crazy as you can imagine, incorporating 3D gel and different color combinations on every single nail.
Pearl Finishes
Kanae Yagi for Vanity Projects
Marina Iwakoshi for Vanity Projects
If you’re still loving the coquette aesthetic, bring those frilly, feminine vibes into fall with a pearly manicure, one of Pinto’s top trends for the season. The easiest way to try the look is by painting your nails an opalescent white; however, if you want to take it to the next level, you can add 3D elements with flat-back pearls (which you can order on Amazon or buy at a craft store) or mold them out of pearlescent 3D gel, a more advanced technique for trying this effect.
Read more about this year’s biggest beauty trends: