26 Cute Thanksgiving Nail Ideas to Complete Your Holiday Look

1. Color-Blocked Autumn Shades

Embrace the warm fall palette with this color-blocked manicure. First, pick out three autumnal shades—we love the red, orange, and light brown combination shown here—and prep your nails with a clear base coat. Next, paint each of your nails a different color, alternating between your three shades. You can stop here, or add some contrasting French tips to your look. Pro tip: Paint on white French tips first, then follow up with your desired shade. That way, your tips pop instead of muddling into your base color. 

2. Tortoiseshell Floral for Thanksgiving

Who said florals are only for spring and summer? Give the look a seasonal refresh with tortoiseshell accents and flecks of gold. To get the effect, first paint your nails with an orangey-brown shade, then follow up with a nail art brush to add in brown and black spots. For a more realistic look, we like to paint our spots onto a makeup sponge first, then gently dab the sponge on top of our brown base. This will give the spots a more muted and natural feel. 

3. It’s the Great Manicure, Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown may make an appearance during the Thanksgiving Day parade, but we can all agree Snoopy is the real star of the show. Embrace his holiday spirit with this easy holiday nail art. If you’re not heading to the salon, break out your nail art brushes and start painting. After you’ve applied your base shades, use a thin brush and colored polish to sketch out Snoopy’s dog house, apple slices, and pie crust. Once you’ve finished, outline the shapes with black polish and add details like Snoopy’s nose and apple seeds.  

4. Polka-Dot Plaid Thanksgiving Nails

Keep it cute this Thanksgiving with this playful polka-dot and plaid manicure. Grab a dark brown polish, a light brown polish, and an ivory polish to start. Alternate the shades between your nails, painting each nail a different color. Once you’re done, whip out a dotting tool and a nail art brush. Dip your dotting tool into the ivory polish and apply polka-dots to your dark brown nails, and vice-versa. For your plaid accent nails, use the nail art brush to paint on thin lines, first with the light brown shade and then with the dark brown shade. Top the whole look off by drawing a dark brown bow onto another accent nail. If it takes you a few tries, don’t worry! With a little bit of patience and practice, this look is totally doable for beginners.

5. Triple Chocolate Stripes

Want festive nails that transition easily from fall to winter? This beginner-friendly manicure will take you there with some sweet chocolate stripes. Start with a cream polish base, and if you want, add a light brown accent nail as shown here. Once your main coat has dried down, pull out a nail art brush and get striping. Play around with what colors you want to use, and how thick you want your stripes. The key to achieving thin lines like this is using a superfine detail brush and keeping your hand steady. 

6. Plaid French Manicure for Thanksgiving

Flannels are one way to embrace fall plaid, but we think this French manicure is much more chic. Pick out a color for your base, like this burnt orange color. From there, pick a polish that’s lighter than your base, as well one that’s darker. After painting your base and adding French tips on your desired nails, take the lighter shade and create little squares, spacing them out so your base color still shines through. Then, follow up with the darker shade, using a thin brush to add lines over the squares. 

7. Peeking Pumpkins for Thanksgiving

Can’t decide between minimalist or maximalist nails? Get the best of both worlds with this peeking pumpkin manicure. We recommend painting on the pumpkin nail art first, so if you make a mistake, you can easily wipe off the polish and start again. Once you’ve perfected your pumpkin patch, follow up with a dark polish to create a thick tip. Pro tip: Dip a nail art brush into your dark polish and outline the curve of your tip before painting it on. This will make it easier for you to stay within the lines. 

8. Sparkly Fall French Nails for Thanksgiving

Emulate the colors of the falling leaves with this multi-colored French manicure. Start by picking out five of your favorite autumnal shades, like yellow, orange, and brown. (We think a dark green would look pretty too). Rotate the polishes as you paint on your contrasting French tips, and add a touch of glamour by outlining them with a thin line of sparkly gray polish. 

9. Glazed Gradient Thanksgiving Nails

Coffee chrome manicures have been everywhere lately, and for Thanksgiving, we’re giving the metallic look an autumnal twist. These nails are easy to recreate at home if you’ve got a few neutral shades (and your preferred chrome powder) lying around. After painting your nails with a range of tans and browns, use a chrome nail applicator to rub the chrome powder onto your nails. Don’t be afraid to add more for an ultra-glazed look. Use a clear top coat to lock in the look. 

10. Doe Print Nails for Thanksgiving

How darling is this doe print manicure? The refreshing animal print is surprisingly easy to replicate: All you’ll need is a light brown polish, a white polish, and a few makeup sponges. Prep your nails with a clear or light pink base coat, and add French tips where desired. Then, paint some brown polish onto the makeup sponge and dab it onto your nail, adding more pigment to the edges of your nails. From there, add some white spots to give your manicure a doe-eyed finish. 

11. Brown Bling Thanksgiving Nails

Add some sparkle to your look with this blinged-out manicure. You can choose to recreate these nails with whatever polish you please, but we personally love a brown jelly polish. (If you don’t already own a jelly polish, try making your own!) Jazz it up with some iridescent crystals by using nail glue to attach the appliqués to your painted nails. 

12. Earthy Cat-Eye Nails for Thanksgiving

For a manicure that will last beyond the leftovers, try out this earthy cat-eye look. Simply pick out two of your favorite fall shades, like this brown and green combo, and top them off with a shiny cat-eye polish. To get the mesmerizing effect, use a strong magnet to activate the cat-eye polish before curing it in a gel lamp. 

13. Colorful Crocodile Thanksgiving Nails

These crocodile nails are ultra cute. With seasonally appropriate shades, this look will be the talk of the Thanksgiving table and beyond—and there are a few ways to get the look. You can either paint a few lines onto your nails and use a thin brush dipped in nail polish remover to create the “scales,” or perfect the look first on a makeup sponge. For the latter, once you’re happy with how it looks, dab the sponge onto your nails. This will give the details a more professional, airbrushed effect. 

14. Autumn Aura Nails

One of this year’s biggest nail trends is aura nails, and looking at this manicure, it’s easy to see why. Give the look an autumnal twist with rich burgundy and burnt orange shades. After painting your nails with the darker shade, paint a small orange circle onto a makeup sponge, then gently dab the sponge onto the middle of your nail. Don’t be afraid to repeat this step multiple times for a stronger “aura” center. 

15. Burgundy Curve Thanksgiving Nails

Fall has officially arrived, and burgundy nails are a definite staple. This design balances a darker oxblood shade with sleek negative-space accents for an eye-catching minimal look. Use a thin nail art brush to trace out the design before adding thicker ends to the tops and bottoms. 

16. Emerald Green Marble Thanksgiving Nails

When the weather cools, gorgeous jewel tones enter the chat. These marbled jade beauties add elegance to any occasion, whether you’re serving looks or pumpkin pie. Get the marble look by swirling on some white polish with a nail art brush and then gently dabbing it with a makeup sponge for a diluted effect. 

17. Bold Hand Turkey Thanksgiving Nails

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without at least one turkey-inspired nail idea. This colorful twist combines vivid fall hues (aka tail feathers) with a thumbs-up to the big beautiful bird. Super simple to recreate, this look reminds us of crafting paper turkeys—consider this the grown-up version!

18. Earthy Gradient French Manicure Thanksgiving Nails

Transition into the new season with this modern ombré take on a classic French mani. It stylishly delivers autumn harvest vibes by incorporating gradients of the same color family on each of your tips, from lightest to darkest. 

19. Fall Rainbow Thanksgiving Nails

This gradient manicure builds on autumn shades. Pick must-have hues of orange, yellow, red, and brown for a flawless Thanksgiving look. Keep your manicure looking expertly clean by prepping your nails with a cuticle trim and close file. 

20. Thanksgiving Feast Nails

Serve up your entire Turkey Day menu with this delicious feast of beauty. Pro tip: Coordinate your designs with all your can’t-miss dishes, and don’t forget the gravy. For the teeny-tiny details, we recommend using an ultra-thin brush (and lots of patience), or heading to your nearest nail salon for an expert finish.

21. Nude With Merlot Tips and Golden Shimmer Thanksgiving Nails

Bring some glam to the Thanksgiving table with a touch of merlot sparkle. Keep things simple with a nude base for a minimal yet glitzy look. Don’t forget to protect your mani with a shiny clear top coat, or use a matte top coat for a unique texture. 

22. Pumpkin Thanksgiving Nails

From dessert to decor, pumpkins have earned their place at the Thanksgiving table. At this year’s get-together, your nails will be the centerpiece with this gourd-geous trend. To add the metallic details, try dipping a nail brush into a bit of gold polish, then use your finger to fleck the color onto your nails. 

23. Fall Freestyle Mani

This fall freestyle mani gives you the opportunity to display all your favorite things about the season on your nails: pumpkins, golden vines, monarch butterflies…it’s your chance to get creative! While nail experts can probably recreate this look at home, we’ll most likely be heading to the salon for this one, given all the details and 3D textures. 

24. Caramel Apple Nails

Inspired by the golden hues of decadent caramel, these nails are sure to be the sweetest style at the Thanksgiving table. Get the delicious look by using builder gel to create the three-dimensional flower details, and make sure you’re happy with the shape before curing. 

25. Classic Cranberry

Keep it classic this fall with a cranberry hue that goes with everything. There’s a reason why burgundy and merlot shades are always trending for the holiday season…it’s classic! For an ultra-smooth application, buff and file your nails before applying a clear base coat. 

26. Plaid for the Holidays

How we nearly made it to the end of this list without mentioning plaid is beyond us! This classic fall pattern is the ultimate cozy manicure design, perfect for curling up by the fire after a delicious Thanksgiving feast. Use an ultra-thin nail art brush to create all the fine lines and details, or skip the DIY and head to your favorite nail salon. 

Final Thoughts

On Thanksgiving, the turkey, sweet potatoes, and apple pie shouldn’t be the only thing looking good. Let your manicure do the talking with seasonal shades and fall nail art, and complete your festive glam with a makeup look to match. Head to the IPSY Shop for more inspiration and vetted product recommendations.