Autumn art works best when the texture does the talking rather than the motif. Tortoiseshell, velvet and foil all read as the season without a single leaf.
Beginner
Berry clusters
Groups of three deep red dots with a fine stem.
Scattered dots in caramel
Three or four near the tip.
Gold micro-line
One hairline lengthways on two nails.
Rust colour block
Two autumn shades split with tape.
Negative space stripe
A bare stripe through deep brown.
One accent nail in bronze
Nine plain, one metallic.
Diagonal two-tone
Rust and cream split corner to corner.
Matte over gloss
The same brown, two finishes.
Improver
Copper foil flecks
Torn leaf near the cuticle.
Single leaf
One fine-veined leaf on the ring finger.
Pumpkin accent
A stem and two curl lines. Nothing more.
Acorns
A brown oval with a crosshatch cap.
Wheat sprigs
A fine stem with short angled strokes.
Mushroom caps
A red dome with white dots.
Dry brush texture
Broken metallic streaks over matte.
Checkerboard in browns
Small squares in two shades.
Sponge ombre in rust
Two warm shades blended.
Cocktail stick marble
Caramel and cream swirled once.
Falling leaves
Small leaves at different angles.
Plaid
Crossing bands in three shades.
Salon
Tortoiseshell accent
Amber and brown mottling on two nails.
Cinnamon velvet
Magnetic shimmer worked flat.
Chocolate chrome
Chrome powder over deep brown.
Bronze cat eye
A warm magnetic band.
Marble with gold veins
Fine veining through a cream base.
Sweater knit
Raised gel cable texture. The most technical thing here.
Suede finish
Matte over deep rust. Reads like fabric.
Bare branches
Fine dark lines from one corner.
Deep French in oxblood
A wide tip in deep red.
Chocolate ombre
Nude fading into espresso.
Olive with a gold cuff
A thin band at the base.
Aura in rust
A halo blurred into a nude base.
Gold leaf shards
Larger torn pieces encapsulated.
Burgundy micro French
A hairline wine edge.
Toffee half moon
A caramel curve at the cuticle.
For the shades, fall nail colors. For the full seasonal list, fall nails.
Questions people actually ask
What is the easiest autumn nail art?
Berry clusters. Three dots and a stem, about twenty minutes including cleanup.
What autumn nail art lasts the whole season?
The textural designs. Tortoiseshell, velvet, chrome and foil all read as autumn without a motif that dates in November.
Can I do tortoiseshell at home?
A rough version by dabbing amber and brown and softening the edges. The salon version uses blooming gel and looks considerably better.
