by Katie McPherson

@ohmylorb

If you look forward to your nail appointments as a regularly scheduled form of self-care, then chances are you usually spend some time scrolling through inspo picks before you go. As spooky season draws closer, that means it’s time to pick out your Halloween nails for the month — but good luck picking just one set when the options are all so freakin’ cute. Whether you keep your claws long or short and like them fairly simple or super elaborate, there’s a look in here just right for you. (And if you don’t feel like saving them for October, that’s perfectly OK. We get it. Once school starts, it’s fall now, right?)

You might also be someone who does their own nails at home now — because it can definitely be a money saver if you’re up for DIYing it — and are looking for a new nail art challenge to tackle. Whether you consider yourself a true artiste or a white belt in home manicures, there are inspiration pics here that you can try to recreate. These master nail artists have been at it for quite some time, but with enough patience and practice, you could paint the perfect little pink pumpkins, too.

01Poison Apple Halloween Nails

If you audibly gasped when you heard the news about Disney’s Villains Land, then these are the Halloween nails for you. The glowing green poison drips, the green reflective foil details, and that perfectly painted, iconic apple come together to make a seriously cool set.

02The Cutest Halloween Nails Ever, TBH

This color palette is wickedly cute, and those little ghosts and black cats? They’re just perfect. These are the perfect nails for someone who loves spooky season… but not so much the scary elements.

03Beetlejuice Halloween Nails

If you have a favorite Halloween movie you watch constantly in the fall, why not get nails inspired by it? These Beetlejuice nails feature a very cool hand-painted Sandworm, the iconic Polaroid, and Beetlejuice’s signature stripes.

04More Beetlejuice Nails, Because There Could Always Be More

There are so many ways to pull inspiration from a movie and turn it into nail art, so here’s a second design based on a Halloween classic. The neon green drip tips are so freaking cool.

05Pink Halloween Nails With Ghosts & Pumpkins

Some people love to hate on pink Halloween decor, but frankly, who cares? These pink pumpkins and little wailing ghosties are so adorable, and they’re a design that works equally well on short or long nails.

06Witchy Halloween Nails

Cauldrons, black cats, useful herbs — this manicure is giving “I have a home apothecary and I’m proud of it.” If you love all things witchy and Practical Magic-inspired this time of year, you need these nails.

07Matte Orange Halloween Nails

Wavy abstract designs have been a trendy nail look for a couple of years now, and if they’re your go-to lately, why not use a bold orange polish to make them Halloween-y? You can add accents like bats, soot sprites, stars, or spiders in black to make them your own.

08Little Ghost Nails

Very demure, very mindful. Girlies who stick to natural nail colors but feel like trying something festive, this one’s for you. Each little ghost has its own little personality, and you can make yours anything you want them to be.

09Blood Splatter Halloween Nails

And then there are the gals who never stop at simple nails. These stiletto nails look sharp enough to have caused all that blood splatter to begin with. These would be so cool as part of a scary Halloween costume.

10Mummy Halloween Nails

These mix-and-match nails look so cute all together, or you could ask your nail tech to use just one of the designs for all 10 nails. Those black and purple French tips alone are so cool, and the little mummies are seriously adorable.

11Scream Halloween Nails

Horror movie fans will freak over these Ghostface nails. And if you’re not into scary movies, the black tips and white stars would be a super cute, corporate-friendly version of a Halloween manicure.

12Short Pastel Halloween Nails

I’m sorry, the little rosy cheeks and perfect smiles on these pumpkins and ghosts are just too much. The light pinky purple and chrome bases are such a pretty backdrop for these precocious Halloween touches.

13Neon Skeleton Nails

Those little skellies, are you kidding me? If your nail artist can pull off hand painting little skeletons on your nails, you should absolutely ask for a neon undead dance crew. The ghosts are adorable as well.

14Splatter Halloween Nails

Splatter nails are so fun and kind of bring you back to your emo 2000s days, but that’s neither here nor there. If you prefer a cleaner look, you could skip the splatter and stick with the cute little icons on top: smiling pumpkins, ghosts, and bats galore.

15Pink Halloween Nails With Spooky Details

French tips, but make them hot pink spiderwebs. Longer nails allow room for all the spooky imagery you want — spiders, bats, webs, and stars — but on shorter nails, you could stick to spiderweb tips only and get a very similar finished product. Also, the color scheme is *chef’s kiss*.

So, which nails speak to you?