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#TheLIST: Fall Nail Art Ideas

Nail art ideas and color trends straight from the fall 2018 runways.

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Red, Nail, Hand, Finger, Manicure, Beauty, Nail care, Design, Dress, Fashion accessory, pinterest
Courtesy Moschino

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If you find yourself locked in indecision while you stare at the wall of nail polishes in your salon—you're not alone. There are an overwhelming number of manicure possibilities. Let us help you narrow the search. Ahead, 22 of our favorite nail trends from the fall 2018 runways to inspire your next nail appointment. If nothing else, you can't go wrong with a gold or silver metallic (it's the new nude) or classic and shiny deep red.

1

Jeremy Scott

Hair, Face, Pink, Purple, Lip, Eyebrow, Beauty, Head, Skin, Cheek,
Courtesy of Brands

Manicurist Miss Pop called the nail design she created for Jeremy Scott's alien-inspired show "cool, techno animal print."

2

Get The Look

Pink, Product, Text, Material property, Font, Magenta, Fashion accessory, Brand,
Courtesy of Brands

Miss Pop used three shades to create the animal design: Essie Play Date, Bachelorette Bash, and Tart Deco.

Essie nail polish in Play Date, $9, essie.com.

SHOP

Essie nail polish in Bachelorette Bash, $9, essie.com.

SHOP

Essie nail polish in Tart Deco, $9, essie.com.

SHOP

3

Tanya Taylor

Face, Nail, Skin, Eyebrow, Lip, Chin, Finger, Cheek, Beauty, Nose,
Courtesy of Brands

This isn't your average French manicure. Essie nail artist Julie Kandalec was inspired by the two-tone shoes in the Tanya Taylor collection when she created this creamy white-tipped and deep blood-red nail look.

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4

Tanya Taylor

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Courtesy of Brands

"We paired interesting and unexpected colors together," Kandalec said of the nails at Tanya Taylor. The second look was a cool mix of silver chrome with a coral tip.

Essie nail polish in No Place Like Chrome, $9, essie.com.

SHOP

5

Oscar De La Renta

Red, Maroon, Outerwear, Hand, Pattern, Design, Human body, Sleeve, Textile, Dress,
Courtesy of Brands

The rich textures and ornate details of the Oscar De La Renta fall 2018 collection and environment inspired the dark berry shade seen on the nails. It's a little more luxe and less expected than the classic blue-red.

6

Essie Nail polish, Bordeaux Get The Look

Get The Look
$9 at Amazon

The exact shade of deep burgundy used on the models at Oscar de la Renta by Kandalec. 

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7

Sonia Rykiel

Face, Hair, Lip, Skin, Beauty, Eyebrow, Hairstyle, Chin, Cheek, Model,
Courtesy of Brands

Punky black nail polish made a triumphant return at Sonia Rykiel—but if we're being honest with ourselves, it never really went out of style.

8

Moschino

Red, Photograph, Nail, Hand, Wrist, Finger, Pink, Dress, Fashion accessory, Jewellery,
Courtesy of Brands

Manicurist Miss Pop called the vibrant half-moon manicures seen at Moschino a modern take on Jackie O.

9

Antonio Marras

Face, Eyebrow, Nail, Hair, Lip, Skin, Beauty, Manicure, Cheek, Nail care,
Courtesy of Brands

Glossy black nails got an upgrade with one metallic-and-red nail art design backstage at Antonio Marras. Because sometimes you need to match your manicure to your eye makeup.

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10

OPI Nail Lacquer, Black Onyx, Get The Look

Get The Look

Choose a black nail polish that creamy, opaque, and glossy—then be diligent about cleaning up any chips or smudges since every scuff is more noticeable when the color is this dark.

11

Cushnie Et Ochs

Nail, Lip, Face, Finger, Manicure, Skin, Nail care, Beauty, Hand, Cheek,
Courtesy of Brands

Glitter isn't just a trend in makeup. At Cushnie et Ochs, Kandalec filed nails into a square tip, then traced a metallic glitter polish across the tips like a French manicure. The square shape makes it look more graphic, she says.

12

Peter Pilotto

Face, Lip, Hair, Nail, Cheek, Skin, Eyebrow, Beauty, Nail care, Nose,
Courtesy of Brands

Nothing is as classic as a blue-red manicure—but it looks even cooler when paired with an unexpected wash of eyeshadow.

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13

Gareth Pugh

Face, Skin, Eyebrow, Hair, Nose, Forehead, Cheek, Head, Blue, Lip,
Courtesy of Brands

At Gareth Pugh, cobalt blue nails were done in an extra-long length, with a negative space cut-out along the tips.

14

Eudon Choi

Face, Hair, Lip, Skin, Eyebrow, Beauty, Nose, Cheek, Head, Hairstyle,
Courtesy of Brands

The new nude isn't nude at all, but rather a cool mix of brown and gray that looks great on all skin tones.

15

Cividini

Face, Skin, Eyebrow, Hair, Lip, Nose, Cheek, Beauty, Chin, Head,
Courtesy of Brands

Another matchy-matchy eye and nail look: metallic olive was the color of choice backstage at Cividini.

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16

Faby Usa Nail Polish in Glittering Chlorophyll Get The Look

Get The Look

The olive green nail polish used backstage at Cividini was from vegan nail polish line Faby.

17

Brandon Maxwell

Hair, Lip, Eyebrow, Beauty, Hairstyle, Black hair, Nail, Finger, Eyelash, Makeover,
Courtesy of Brands

Models at Brandon Maxwell had their nails done pretty in pink using Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro nail polish in Love at First Sight. The pale pink shade isn't a sheer wash of color, but rather a declaration of sweet femininity.

Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro nail polish in Love at First Sight, $20, netaporter.com.

SHOP

18

Creatures of Comfort

Nail, Finger, Nail polish, Hand, Nail care, Manicure, Material property, Cosmetics, Font, Fashion accessory,
Courtesy of Brands

Three-dimensional embellishments on the nails continued to trend backstage at Creatures of Comfort. It's not the most practical look (the gems will likely fall off in a day or two) but it's definitely Instagram-worthy.

Deborah Lippmann nail polish in Fade to Black, $18, netaporter.com.

SHOP

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19

Creatures of Comfort

Nail, Face, Finger, Skin, Hand, Beauty, Lip, Nose, Head, Close-up,
Courtesy of Brands

If you can't decide on one glitter polish, just use them all. Getting this look from Creatures of Comfort is messy: after painting on a base coat of polish, pour a mix of fine glitter across each nail, changing the colors as you go. Your nails will be dry just in time for you to start vacuuming.

20

Kate Spade

Face, Hair, Eyebrow, Lip, Cheek, Skin, Chin, Nose, Forehead, Beauty,
Courtesy of Brands

The models at Kate Spade wore a sweet and feminine pinky nude polish that gets bonus points for disguising minor chips.

Headshot of Jenna Rosenstein
Jenna Rosenstein
Beauty Director

Jenna Rosenstein is the Beauty Director at Harper's BAZAAR across both print and digital. While attending NYU, she held internships at Women’s Wear Daily, Bloomingdale’s, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Allure, the latter of which she parlayed into her first job as the Beauty Assistant. She left Allure three years later as the Senior Beauty Editor. She spent a few months at Refinery29 overseeing branded content in the same title, before finally landing back at BAZAAR to manage all beauty content. When she's not testing every lipstick known to mankind, getting zapped by new lasers, or interviewing experts and celebrities, you can find Rosenstein at home in New Jersey with her son, husband, and black cat named Maddie.

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