10 Fall Manicure Trends That Quietly Replaced Last Year’s Favorites, From Clean-Girl Gloss to Pierced Nails

Pumpkin orange had its run. This October, the red on celebrity hands is darker and sheerer. For the Rare Impact Fund Benefit on October 14, celebrity manicurist Tom Bachik gave Selena Gomez a deep Bordeaux red in a jelly finish, glossy enough to look wet. Earlier this fall, at the New York premiere of Verity, Anne Hathaway wore a version so dark that the beauty press nicknamed it “cherry noir.”

To ask for it, say “sheer Bordeaux, built up in thin coats,” and keep the nails short. At home, two thin coats and a high-gloss top coat do the job. A jelly red also forgives a slightly uneven edge better than an opaque one.

“Sel’s Ruby Red Rare Gala Mani”

Glitter used to be the default for a fall night out. This season, the evening manicure is solid black with a mirror shine. For the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on October 17, Zola Ganzorigt, the manicurist behind Hailey Bieber’s famous glazed nails, painted them glossy black instead. Beauty editors already have a name for the look: onyx gloss.

The trick is the finish, not the color. Ask for two thin coats and the shiniest top coat in the salon, on short oval nails. Clean cuticles matter more with black than with any other shade, so don’t skip that step.

“@haileybieber for @academymuseum”

The crisp, bright white French tip is giving way to its softer cousin. At a fashion show in Milan in late September, Tom Bachik gave Jennifer Lopez an American manicure. It keeps the idea of a French, but the tip is off-white and blended into a sheer pink base, so there’s no hard line.

It’s the most forgiving French for short nails and for hands over 40, because nothing draws the eye to the edge. Ask for a sheer pink base and a soft off-white tip, diffused rather than painted on with a sharp line.

“The Perfect American Manicure, Clean & Chic”

After a few years of a different design on every finger, the look of the season is the simplest one. At the Academy Museum Gala, Tom Bachik gave Ana de Armas a clean-girl manicure: neat cuticles and a high-gloss top coat. The idea is nails that look healthy and expensive, not decorated.

It’s also the easiest trend on this list to keep. Ask for a careful cuticle cleanup, one sheer neutral coat and the glossiest top coat available. A fresh layer of top coat every two weeks brings back the shine.

“Clean-Girl Mani for ana_d_armas at the @academymuseum Gala last night”

Rhinestones glued all over the nail are out; tiny pieces of metal are in. For the Academy Museum Gala, Betina Goldstein pierced Rosé’s nails and set two small silver studs at the corners of each tip, over a soft milky pink. The same week, her post with pierced nails for figure skater Alysa Liu passed 23,000 likes.

The look works because the hardware stays tiny and sits at the edges, never in the middle of the nail. A nail piercing goes only through the free edge, the part you’d normally file off, and it’s usually done on a gel extension, so ask a nail artist rather than trying it at home.

“Silver studs”

Long almond nails are giving way to short ones that look deliberate. Marie Claire’s weekly nail roundup called short, square nails fall’s most in-demand manicure, and manicurist Harriet Westmoreland’s “Toasted Vanilla” drew more than 11,000 likes: two sheer, glossy layers on a short natural nail.

The shape that makes it work is squoval, straight across the top with softened corners. It’s the easiest shape to keep up on short nails, because a rounded corner is less likely to catch or chip. Ask for the nails filed just past the fingertip and a sheer vanilla nude in two thin layers.

“Both are sheer, glossy shades that soften and blur imperfections on the natural nail, like lip gloss, but for your nails”

Thick cream polish that hides the whole nail is giving way to jelly: a sheer, glossy layer you can see the nail through. In early October, Tom Bachik shared Anne Hathaway’s “coconut jelly gloss” manicure: short nails in a milky, see-through finish.

Jelly finishes are easier on short natural nails and on hands that are always busy, because chips and grow-outs barely show. Ask for one or two coats of a sheer shade instead of a cream. At home, keep the coats thin and finish with a glossy top coat, which is where the “jelly” look really comes from.

“@annehathaway’s Coconut Jelly Gloss Mani is the perfect inspo for LA’s Fall Heatwave”

Wide-colored French tips are shrinking to a sliver. For the Academy Museum Gala, New York manicurist Mei Kawajiri gave Emily Ratajkowski a “hot micro French,” a tip line so thin it reads more like a highlight than a stripe, worn with a red gown.

A micro French is the easiest way to wear a French on short nails, because a thick tip makes a short nail look even shorter. Ask for the thinnest line your manicurist can paint, right at the free edge. In red, it feels like evening; in white or milky beige, it works for the office.

“Nails are Hot Micro French”

Red-carpet manicures used to compete with the dress. At the 2026 Emmys, Nicole Kidman, 59, went the other way: manicurist Thuy Nguyen painted her nails a soft nude, with two coats over a base, and finished with cuticle oil.

On mature hands, a nude close to your skin tone makes the fingers look longer and keeps the eye on the gesture rather than the polish. Ask for a nude one shade lighter or pinker than your skin, with two coats and a glossy top coat. The cuticle oil at the end isn’t a detail. It’s what makes a simple nude look expensive.

“Let’s break down this simple yet elegant look!”

Flat, opaque beige is losing to nudes with a little color in them. For the 2026 Emmys, celebrity manicurist Betina Goldstein gave Julia Garner a soft blush rose: a pinkish nude that warms up the skin around the nail instead of washing it out.

Rosy beige is the nude that works on almost everyone, and it hides less-than-perfect nails better than pure beige does. Ask for a sheer rose-beige, one or two coats, and a glossy top coat. If your skin is warm or olive, go a shade deeper; if it’s very fair, go a shade pinker.

“Soft Blush Rose”