10 DIY Thanksgiving Nail Designs That Add Festive Flair to Fingertips
These easy at-home manicures are sure to garner compliments at your gathering
Dress up more than your turkey this holiday by painting on Thanksgiving nails that are sure to wow a crowd. From beautiful foliage to too-cute turkeys and pretty plaid — there’s a design for everyone. Best of all? You can create them at home in three steps or less. Just grab a few polishes and tools, then keep scrolling to see the eye-catching designs that will help you make a stunning statement with your fingertips.
10 Thanksgiving nail designs that are easy to DIY
1. Jewel-studded and shimmery leaves tips
Jazz up the classic French manicure for fall with this gemmed and leaves look. Bonus: “The peaks on the leaves make your nails look longer,” says manicurist Mimi Wilson.
Get the look:
- Apply two coats of a blush nail polish, like Zoya in Loretta (Buy from Zoya, $12), to all nails; let dry.
- On two accent nails per hand, create the leaf peaks by using a copper striper polish, like LeChat Cm Striping Nail Art Polish in Copper Penny (Buy from Walmart, $6.99), to make three wide peaks coming up from the free edge; let dry. Using a black striper polish, like China Glaze Stripe Rite in Paint It Black (Buy from China Glaze, $6), make lines going through each peak branching off into smaller lines.
- On the non-leaf nails, use a toothpick and dots of clear top coat to add a row of red rhinestones, find them in a set like editTime Nail Art Rhinestones (Buy from Amazon, $9.89), along the free edge. Finish with clear top coat.
2. Fabulous fall foliage Thanksgiving nails
“This manicure has all the drama of fall foliage,” says manicurist Miss Pop. “And because the leaves are tiny bits of colored foil, you get a big dose of shimmer and shine!”
Get the look:
- Apply two coats of a metallic gold polish, like essie in Good as Gold, (Buy from Ulta, $10), onto all nails; let dry completely.
- On two accent nails per hand, dip nail striper brush, like Orly Striper Brush (Buy from Orly, $13.90), into a brown polish, like OPI in Shh…It’s Top Secret (Buy from Amazon, $11.49), and use it to paint branches that extend from the sides of each nail. Let dry.
- Once dry, use one end of a toothpick to gently tap small dots of clear top coat along branches (it acts as an adhesive for “leaves”). Then, use the other end to place small flecks of red, gold, orange and green pieces of nail foil, like Daily Charme Nail Art Foil Box (Buy from Daily Charme, $12), that’s been cut into diamond-shaped pieces along the length of the branches. Let dry; seal with clear top coat.
3. Festive turkey + polka dots Thanksgiving nails
Shades of rich golds and reds make a gorgeous backdrop for a Thanksgiving turkey look.
Get the look:
- Paint each nail red, such as OPI Nail Polish in Big Apple Red (Buy from Ulta, $11.49). Use a dotting tool and polishes in yellow, such as Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in Daisy Dukes (Buy from Ulta, $2.39), gold, like FingerPaints Striping Polish in Brushstroke of Brilliance (Buy from Sally Beauty, $3.49) and beige, such as Nina Ultra Pro Nail Lacquer in Tea Party (Buy from Sally Beauty, $2.99), to create dots on pinky and index finger.
- On ring finger, use brown polish, such as Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Nail Polish in Branch Out (Buy from Walmart, $6.99) and a striping brush to draw circles for turkey body and head.
- Use a dotting tool and white polish, such as Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Snow Me White (Buy from Target, $2.19), for eyes and dotting tool and black polish, such as Sephora Collection Color Hit Mini Nail Polish in Black Lace (Buy from Sephora, $5), for eyeballs. Add nose in beige polish. For feathers, use same yellow, gold and beige. Finish with top coat.
4. Modern chrome French manicure
A glitzy update on the classic French manicure will make you sparkle and shine. Plus, the shimmer of gold optically blurs any nail imperfections and creates the illusion of longer nails.
Get the look:
- Apply two coats of a glittery gold polish, like Zoya Nail Polish in Solange Pixiedust (Buy from Amazon, $12) on all nails; let dry.
- Place a strip of painter’s tape on each nail below the tip, and sweep a metallic gold polish, like OPI Nail Lacquer in Sleigh Bells Ringing (Buy from Beyond Polish, $5.72) across the tip; Remove tape.
- Seal with top coat.
Related: Dazzle on a Dime: 12 French Tip Nail Designs That are Easy to Do at Home
5. Gorgeous glittery gold ombre Thanksgiving nails
“The golden glitter attracts loads of youth-boosting light around your hands,” says celebrity manicurist Julie Kandalec.
Get the look:
- Apply two coats of a shimmery peach polish, like ella + mila in Mango Pop (Buy from ella + mila, $7), on all nails; let dry.
- Paint a gold glitter polish, like essie in Summit of Style (Buy from Ulta, $10), from mid nail to tip.
- To create the gradual fade-out, swipe on a second coat of glitter polish to cover the top two-thirds of the first glitter coat, finishing at the tip; let dry. Seal with clear top coat.
6. Darling dahlias
“The hint of shimmer in the polish — and sparkle from the rhinestones — creates a dazzling light around your hands that helps blur skin imperfections,” says celebrity manicurist Patricia Yankee.
Get the look:
- Apply two coats of a shimmery red polish like ILNP in Love Me Not (Buy from ILNP, $10) to all nails; let dry completely.
- On two accent nails per hand, create a dahlia flower: On a paper plate, pour three pools of coral nail polish, like Zoya in Thandie (Buy from Zoya, $12). Add 2 drops white polish, like Wet n Wild in Lovey Dove-y (Buy from Walmart, $4.14) to the first pool, 1 drop to the second pool and leave the final pool undiluted; mix with a toothpick. Then, using a nail striper brush, like Orly Striper Brush (Buy from Orly, $13.90), make a ring of teardrop-shaped petals with the lightest shade. Next, make a ring with the mid-tone shade. Finally, make the inside petals with the darkest shade. Let dry completely.
- Dip a toothpick into clear top coat and use it to place a rhinestone, find them in a set like editTime Nail Art Rhinestones (Buy from Amazon, $9.89), to the center of each flower. Next, use a green striper polish, like Color Club Nail Art Striper in Green (Buy from Color Club, $4), to make a stem and leaves coming down from each flower; let dry. Finish with clear top coat.
7. Bold, fiery leaves Thanksgiving nails
The combination of deep purple nail color and warm yellow makes the perfecting pairing for fall and Thanksgiving. “For Thanksgiving, I love warm, earthy tones like deep burgundy,” says nail artist Sigourney Nuñez. “These colors evoke the cozy and festive feel of the season, complementing the autumn atmosphere.”
Get the look:
- Paint all nails except for the ring fingernails with two coats of a deep purple polish, like Morgan Taylor Nail Laquer in Reddy to Jingle (Buy from Sally Beauty, $5). On the ring fingernails, paint two coats of a yellow polish, like OPI Nail Lacquer in Sun, Sea, and Sand in my Pants (Buy from Amazon, $11.49). Let dry completely.
- On one of the ring fingernails, use a nail striping brush, like Orly Striper Brush (Buy from Orly, $13.90), and the deep purple polish to create the outline a leaf in the upper corner of the nail. Then, fill in the outline with a red polish, like Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish in ASAP Apple (Buy from Walmart, $5.98); leave some spots bare, it doesn’t need to be perfect! Then, create the stem of the leaf with the striper brush and purple polish.
- On the pointer nail of the other hand, draw the an outline of a leaf with a black striper polish, like LeChat Cm Striping Nail Art in Black (Buy from Walmart, $6). Fill in with a light green polish, like OPI Nail Lacquer in Summer Monday-Fridays (Buy from Amazon, $11.49). Add splotches of the red polish, and then draw the stem with the black striper polish; let dry. Seal all nails with top coat.
8. Jazzy jewel tones
The burgundy, green and yellow in these Thanksgiving nails all tie together to create a gorgeous fall manicure. And a green polish with some shimmer adds a touch of sophisticated sparkle.
Get the look:
- Paint the thumb and ring fingernails of each hand with two coats of with a yellow polish, like OPI Nail Lacquer in Sun, Sea, and Sand in my Pants (Buy from Amazon, $11.49). Paint the pointer and pinky nails with two coats of a burgundy polish, like OPI Nail Lacquer in Got the Blues for Red (Buy from Amazon, $12.49). Paint middle fingernails with two coats of a shimmery green polish, like OPI Nail Lacquer in Peppermint Bark and Bite (Buy from Amazon, $11.49). Let dry completely.
- On the ring fingernails of each hand, use a black striper polish, like LeChat Cm Striping Nail Art in Black (Buy from Walmart, $6), to create small, thin outlines of leaves; paint 2-4 on each nail. Let dry. Seal all nails with top coat.
9. Beautiful in shades of brown Thanksgiving nails
Shades of brown are a simple way to incorporate Thanksgiving flair into your nails. This design by @bubbliciousnails on Instagram takes very little skill to recreate, but looks chic and stunning!
Get the look:
- Paint the thumb, pointer and pinky nails with two coats of a brown polish, like Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Nail Polish in Warm Cacao (Buy from Ulta, $5.99). Paint the middle fingernails with two coats of a tan nail polish, like Essie expressie nail polish in Cold Brew Crew (Buy from Amazon, $9.69). Paint the ring fingernails with two coats of a nude polish, like Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Nail Polish in Cashew Butter (Buy from Ulta, $5.99). Let dry completely.
- On middle fingernails, paint a thin stripe down the middle with the brown polish and a striping brush, like Orly Striper Brush (Buy from Orly, $13.90). On the ring fingernails, create two vertical dots using the ball end of a bobby pin, one with the brown polish, and above that, one with the tan polish. Let dry. Finish with top coat.
10. Pretty brown plaid
Plaid nails may look difficult to recreate, but it’s simple. This plaid design by @nailartbykathleen on YouTube shows how easy it is.
Get the look:
- Paint all nails with two coats of a dark brown polish, like Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Nail Polish in Warm Cacao (Buy from Ulta, $5.99); Let dry completely.
- Use a tan nail polish, like Essie expressie nail polish in Cold Brew Crew (Buy from Amazon, $9.69), and a striper brush to create two diagonal, thin stripes. Then create a diagonal, thicker stripe towards the top of the nail. Let dry.
- Using a nude polish, like Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Nail Polish in Cashew Butter (Buy from Ulta, $5.99), repeat the same steps, just going diagonal in the opposite direction. Then, use a gold striping polish, like FingerPaints Striping Polish in Brushstrokes of Brilliance (Buy from Sally Beauty, $3.49), to create two thin, diagonal stripes going in opposite directions. Let dry. Seal with top coat.
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