DIY

51 Fall Fabulous Thanksgiving Nails Ideas for 2024

by: Kristy Bowen

Last Updated on Sep 12th 2024

When we think of Thanksgiving nails, we usually conjure up images of pumpkins, Autumn leaves and everything Fall. So, if you're considering what color nails are for Thanksgiving? And looking for ways to do your own Thanksgiving nails, go with the flow and include shades of red, yellow and orange. Or do something completely outrageous for the most fun November nails that can carry you over from Halloween to the magic of Christmas nails.

What color are Thanksgiving nails? What is the trending nail color for Thanksgiving? We’ve rounded up a few great options for nail designs from the ever-classic to the trendy and innovative, many of which can be done easily in your home with store-bought polish as a fun Thanksgiving craft idea. Others might require a professional or expert hand for application. You might want a professional manicure before exploring the best fall date ideas or maybe you just want to treat yourself to a self-loving Thanksgiving gift. Whatever the reason, we have the answer.

Cute Thanksgiving Nails Ideas

1. Flame Nails

Evoke a cozy fall fire on your Thanksgiving nails. Start at the bottom with a cuticle with a deeper red and use an ombre effect toward the top of the nail, varying from shades of red to orange to a brilliant yellow.

2. Leaf Decals

One of the easiest ways to add a touch of Thanksgiving charm to your nails is to use some cute nail decals. Great options include glitter leaves, gold foil, small jewels, and multicolored stickers over neutral or fall-colored nails. You can also add stickers and paint over them, then remove them, leaving adorable stenciled leaf nails. Create a Thanksgiving salad that matches your nails and see if anyone picks up the subtle gesture.

3. Argyle Print

Create criss-crosses, lines and diamonds across your nails in charming fall colors to resemble your favorite sweaters and socks. Great colors include browns, greens and golds combined together for stylish Thanksgiving nails that'll match your favorite cozy Fall sweater.

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4. Acorn Nails

Opt for simple, short nails with deeper brown around the cuticle. Then paint the rest of the nail a lighter brown. The end result will look like cute little acorns at the tip of your fingers. Alternatively, for an easier option, just paint each nail a solid color in "shades of acorn" — which is basically all the browns. Add a touch of glitter for an extra sparkle.

5. Peanuts Cartoons

Paint your nails a solid matte white as a base and use colored polish in fall shades to create scenes and characters from Peanuts cartoons like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Sally, Lucy, Peppermint Patty and Woodstock. Add some footballs, fall leaves and pumpkins for an Autumn flare.

6. Feather Accents

Feather accents can look formal or casual, making them a great option for fun Thanksgiving nails. Paint your nails a typical Fall shade like olive green or brown, or go dark and wintery with black and silver, then add a slender line down the middle, with feather lines radiating toward the edge of the nail.

10. Deer Spots

A pale brown base and white irregular spots mimics the look of a woodland doe, making cute Thanksgiving nails ideas that subtly evoke natural details and the forest.

11. Football Nails

If you plan to spend the holiday watching the big game, some of the most sporty Thanksgiving nails ideas may be a set of cute prints painted to look like footballs. Use a deep brown shade as a base, then add white stitching. They'll look great while cheering on your team or playing party games for Thanksgiving like Football Jeopardy.

12. Faux Bois

Woodgrain nails are great any time of year, but especially in the Fall. Create cute Thanksgiving nails by using a rich brown with subtle swirls and lines in a darker or lighter shade of polish that resembles the patterns of real wood.

13. Turkey Nails

Try nails in a Fall-worthy color with adorable painted turkey details. Pain funky Thanksgiving nails by creating feathers radiating from a simply drawn head in brown. Or use sticker decals for a polished look. Kids especially will love these cutesy charicature Thanksgiving nails.

Thanksgiving Nails Ideas for Short Nails

14. Harvest Colors

Use one of many fabulous pumpkin colors like yellow, tan, olive green, mustard or rich burnt orange for each of your nails across both hands. Other great options include teal, cranberry or gold.

15. Coffee Ombre

Snuggle up with your loved ones and warm cuppa mocha with this great Thanksgiving idea for short nails. Capture an array of coffee colors, from deep espresso to creamy latte. Do an ombre effect going from lighter to darker on individual nails or do a single color on each nail.

16. Butterscotch Plaid

Create a delicious butterscotch plaid on shorter nails by starting with a tan base and using white or a deeper brown to create the slender lines of a plaid pattern. Finish off your look with a plaid woolen skirt in the same colors.

17. 70s Shades

Shades from the 1970s tend to be toward warmer, autumnal colors, making them great to use together for Thanksgiving nails with a retro or vintage vibe. Nostalgia is in vogue, so you'll fit right in with the trending Thanksgiving nail colors. Go with shades of olive green, mustard yellow and a deep orange. And don't forget your massive sunglasses, bellbottom pants and platform shoes to complete the retro look.

18. Sage & Forest Green

For fresh and nature-inspired Thanksgiving nail ideas for short nails, alternate shades of green from pale sage on the thumb to deep forest green on the pinky nail, with variations in the medium range on the middle fingers. You can opt for polishes in glossy greens, rich mattes or fun metallics. Craft a floral-like pattern on one of the nails to go full forrest-chic.

19. Fall Polka Dots

Choose your favorite fall color like orange, brown or gold and add some cute white polka dots for a fun Thanksgiving nail idea for short nails. Or try a darker base color with equally dark shades for the individual spots.

20. Shades of Gray

Shades of gray can be a more serious color tone for your Thanksgiving nails. Use a deep charcoal gray on your pinky or thumb and work toward a lighter dove gray across your fingers. You can also mix up finishes for additional interest, like mattes and gunmetal metallics.

21. Midnight Blue

Not quite turquoise, not quite navy, midnight blue is a great dark color for short Thanksgiving nails since it can read either warm or cool, making it great for a number of skin tones. It’s also a rich color that looks great in glossy, metallic or matte finishes.

22. Dusty Pinks

If you love simple short pink nails, opt for a deeper, duskier pink in the Fall for stylish and classic Thanksgiving nails that don’t call a lot of attention to themselves. Perfect shades range from a deep dusty rose to a pale, muted ballerina pink.

23. Pop Art Nails

This fun Thanksgiving nail idea for short nails is as artful as it is pretty. Use black edges and accent marks to make your nails look like fun and playful graphic art. Try it with saturated autumnal and harvest colors for a fall-specific look. This is something reminiscent of an Andy Warhol painting.

24. Metallic Gray

Metallic gray nails have the look of industrial chrome, making them perfect for Fall when you're looking for a little Thanksgiving nail glam and shine but still want to go with neutral shades.

25. Classic Red

Always an excellent choice, red short nails are a classic for every season. In Fall, choose reds that are deeper with a hint of crimson or cranberry for always stunning Thanksgiving nails.

26. Winter Beach

Capture the shades of the sand and sea in winter by using a combination of polishes in everything from slate blue to pale sand. These Thanksgiving nails colors can be dotted with touches of gray sky, deep green and driftwood brown.

Simple Thanksgiving Nails Ideas

27. Bronze Nails

Rich metallics in a deep bronze can be a beautiful way to do your Thanksgiving nails that are just a little more glam than other blander polishes. Use a metallic polish or opt for a bronze-glittered finish for extra sparkle.

28. Caramel Swirl

Use a mix of lighter and darker caramel or brown with a glossy finish to create the look of swirling caramel on each nail. Use this simple Thanksgiving nail idea as an all-over polish or as an accent combined with the various shades used alone on your other nails.

29. Peacock Colors

The colors of a peacock's plumage are a great Fall color combination, ranging from bright teal to deep green, brown and gray. Alternate each shade on the fingers or toes for cute and colorful Thanksgiving nails.

30. Candy Apple Nails

While red nails are always popular, this idea puts a high-gloss spin on classic red, with a bright saturated shade with several layers of gloss on top. They stand out among the more muted colors of Autumn, but still resemble the look of Fall apples drenched in sweetness.

31. Shimmering Gold

Another great metallic shade, gold makes especially great Thanksgiving nails for formal dinners and other holiday festivities. For an extra bit of sparkle, add touches of glitter to the metallic finish.

32. Deep Red Wine

For another variation on classic red, opt for a rich merlot or claret shade, which evokes long evenings spent sloshing wine around the dinner table. These deep and rich-colored Thanksgiving nails look perfect in glossy, matte or metallic finishes, as well as polishes with a touch of shimmering glitter.

33. Plum Nails

Try painting your nails a selection of alternating shades of purple and plum, which are a colorful but classic array of shades that vary from deep red-purple to light mauves and dusty lavenders.

34. Teal Chrome

For another great metallic color that perfectly suits Autumn, opt for a rich turquoise or teal in a shiny chrome-like finish for eye-catching Thanksgiving nails. You can also alternate them with other neutral metallics like brown or gold.

35. Lavender & Brown

For a subtly shaded and pastel-infused set of Thanksgiving nails, alternative a deep rich coffee brown with pale lavender for a simple color combination that works every time. Spritz yourself with a lavender-based perfume to finish with an olfactory sensation, such as Yves Saint Laurent's Libre or Guerlain's Mon Guerlain.

36. Brown Glitter

Use a deep chocolate brown as a base and add a touch of shimmer and glitter that radiates from denser application near the cuticles and then scatters randomly to the end of the nail.

37. Orange Sunset

For simple Thanksgiving nails that evoke a beautiful sunset, use an ombre effect on each nail that captures the sky as it changes colors, with shades ranging from blues and blacks to light yellows and oranges. It's also the color of your favorite Cosmo cocktail.

38. Jade Green Marble

This Thanksgiving nail idea looks more complicated than it is. Use a high gloss shade of emerald green and, as it dries, introduce swirls and veins of a glossy white polish. Finish with a shiny layer of glossy topcoat.

Acrylic Thanksgiving Nails Ideas

39. Leopard Print

Leopard print is both dramatic and classic at the same time, making it a perfect finish for Thanksgiving nails. Use acrylic nail wraps that already sport this wild look or create it using a mix of tan, brown and black with polish.

40. Patchwork Pattern

Use the expanse of longer acrylic nails to create a fun patchwork of fall colors in irregular patterns that resemble a quilt. You can also add white or black stitches between the different panels of color.

41. Corduroy Textured Nails

Add some three-dimensionality by applying acrylic nails with subtly carved ridges in rich fall colors for the look of fun textured acrylic Thanksgiving nails. Opt for neutrals like tan or brown or choose deep colors like olive green or garnet.

42. Autumn Branches

Use brown polish over a base coat of dusky blue to create an array of bare Fall or Winter branches spread against the sky. You can also add a few dashes of colored fall leaves in shades of deep green orange, gold or red for stunning acrylic Thanksgiving nails.

43. Fall Floral Wrap Nails

What are wrap-around nails? These easy wraps go over your nails and make a perfect manicure every time. Use wraps featuring bouquets of Fall florals against a darker field, boasting rich colors found in autumnal floral still-life arrangements. Do all-over Fall florals or use them as a cute accent nail amid a selection of deep rich jewel-toned colors.

44. Knitted Nails

For another fun Thanksgiving nail idea for acrylics with a lot of texture, use a knitted pattern that mimics your favorite sweater or woven throw in perfectly cozy fall shades. Place your nails against your sweater for a captivating Insta post.

Trending Fall Nails Ideas

45. Colored French Tips

Another variation on a classic, this fun trendy look uses your basic clear coat but swaps out the white ends of a traditional French manicure for fun fall shades like berry, brown orange and deep green.

46. Gold Cuticles

A trendy neutral look for Thanksgiving nails is a clear base coat with gold polish at the cuticle area for a subtle elegance with a little extra shimmer.

47. Sunflowers

Capture the beautiful array of colors in a field of sunflowers — but on your nails. Create a center of the flower in dark brown at the cubicle, then add yellow splayed petals in lighter and deeper yellows and oranges for a fun floral look for your Thanksgiving nails.

48. Nude & Sparkle

If you like clear nails, these trendy Thanksgiving nails are perfect for adding just a little bit more glam and interest to the bare nail look. Opt for a subtle dusting of glitter that will sparkle in the candlelight over a large turkey dinner. These also transition perfectly into Christmas nails.

49. Tortoiseshell Finish

Apply a shiny set of acrylic nails in a beautiful tortoiseshell pattern that mixes browns, blacks and toffee colors to create spots that mimic tortoiseshell finishes. As this is a popular accent on hair accessories and eyewear frames, you can add this glossy topcoat to match your accessories.

50. Celestial Nails

Create a navy or black base coat and add celestial details in polish or use appliques shaped like stars, plantes or the moon. Another option is to create a cool Milky Way effect using a swirl of glitter for trendy Thanksgiving nails. You can also create astrologically-inspired nail designs for a fun birthday nail idea if you share a birthday with the month of giving thanks.

51. Mushroom Cap Print

For another cute and trendy idea for whimsical Thanksgiving nails, use a green, brown or red shade with white spots to recreate the look of a magical fairy garden of toadstools at the end of your fingers.

Now you've seen a list of fun, cute, subtle and extra Thanksgiving nails that are perfect for the holiday season. Your choice will accent your personality and make even the simplest celebrations and Thanksgiving activities more stylish and fun. Even better, most can be created at home with inexpensive polishes and accessories.

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