All Of The Fall 2023 Nail Trends To Have On Your Radar

As we head into a new season, it's all about change in the nail world. Over the summer of 2023, we saw a whole lot of bright colors on people's nails, with stunning pink and orange-hued manicures, in particular, dominating manicure stations across the globe. Hi, Barbie! (Sorry, we couldn't resist). But it wasn't just movies influencing what we did with our nails. In fact, some experts are convinced that chrome came back because of some of the biggest music tours of the year. "I believe chrome nails are a big trend because of Beyoncé and her ["Renaissance" album] disco touch. Disco-ball inspired, shiny chrome nails have taken over," celebrity nail artist Trenna Seney told BuzzFeed.

But now, cold weather is starting to roll in and darker nights are on their way — and the change in climate will be reflected in our nail trends. With autumn blowing in, here's some inspiration for you and your nail technician as the leaves start turning. 

We've seen a lot of bold, bright colors over the summer of 2023, but experts are predicting our nails will be going back to basics as the colder weather rolls in. "I think autumn nail trends for this year will be very chic and minimalistic — neutral colours, with very simple, elegant nail art," Karen Louise, Salon System nail expert, told Professional Beauty. With that in mind, we're expecting to see a lot of light browns and pinks come back, with understated white nail art taking a front seat, too.

One of the biggest trends in nails going into fall 2023 is undoubtedly the tortoiseshell pattern. This trend is exactly what it sounds like, and involves creating a tortoiseshell-style effect on the nails (think a brown tone with darker, cloudy patches over the top). Added bonus? If you opt for this look, you'll be twice on-trend! "Tortoiseshell nails combine two nail trends in one: a jelly nail color as a base and a tortoiseshell pattern on top, [achieved by] applying the light color first and then lightly dotting the dark colors on top of it. They feature a speckled color palette of orange, brown, and black that mimics the pattern of a real tortoise shell," Jin Soon Choi, founder of JINsoon Spas and Nail Lacquers, explained to Byrdie. "It's all about layering and blobbing the colors."

Proving how versatile nail trends are in 2023, if you're not so into neutral nails this year, there's something for you too! Samantha Kendrew, of Miss Cosmetics, admitted to Who What Wear that space-age nails may have a bit of a moment. That means you don't have to stick to the neutral shades and can inject a little more fun into your mani. "Melted metallics and iridescent silver finishes give an out-of-this-world, virtual-reality feel to nails," Kendrew shared.

Okay, you knew this one was coming. As we head into fall, we all start thinking about bringing orange back into our lives to match autumn's most popular fruit (pumpkins, of course!). That's why orange will be having its moment once again, albeit with a bit of a twist in 2023. "Pumpkin-colored polishes are pretty typical this time of year, but this time around a burnished version is better than the poppy colors of the years past," nail technician Ainur Rustemova, told TZR.

To stick with the neutral nail trend but still bring a little fun to your fingertips, you may want to give the minimalist French manicure trend a go. "This trend works best for people who want to do something fun with their nails while still keeping them subtle. It's a good option for those who are looking for an easy manicure that can be worn with anything from day to night," celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann explained to PureWow. This look involves putting just a small sliver of color at the tip of your nail. How cute, yet simple, is that?

Another design that's bringing a little fun to your nails is the opal manicure, which is also set to be all the rage in fall 2023. Think of delicate tones like pinks, light blues, and lilacs, which shine from a white or neutral shade (doubling up on trendiness). As Plaster salon founder Zahra Beedassy explained to Marie Claire UK, this look is piggybacking off the glazed donut trend we saw over the summer.

We already know that chrome nails were super hot for summer 2023. One of the best things about them is that they're super versatile, so they're the perfect transition into the fall. After all, there are just so many different shades you can make into a stunning chrome! "At first glance, you'll see a note of green and then catch them off guard in a different light for a shimmering journey. Elevating core colors with dimension and texture," Jan Arnold, co-founder of CND, told Marie Claire of why everyone's loving this look in 2023.

It was all about bright and bold colors for summer, so we're expecting classic darker shades to have their moment again in the fall. Instead of summery shades like bright yellows and blues, Karen Louise predicted that "Soft browns, deep reds, earthy greens and black will be the go-to palettes this season, with glazed layering and delicate embellishments." Bold colors will be back, she told Professional Beauty.

Saying goodbye to the summer shades will be even more dramatic than we first thought. While speaking to Cosmopolitan, Nails Inc. founder Thea Green predicted that we'll see styles inspired by Wednesday Addams. With Halloween around the corner, we can see matte black nails making their way back, just in time for the spookiest time of the year. But black doesn't have to mean black, nor does it have to mean boring. There are so many ways to rock the black nail trend and personalize the look.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll have noticed that pretty much the whole world went pink in the summer of 2023 in celebration of the "Barbie" movie. But even though dark colors will be back for fall, we're not saying "Bye, Barbie!" quite yet. We're just toning it down slightly. "Pink tones will continue to trend into fall. Also given that magenta is the color of 2023, shades like fuchsia and mauve will definitely play a big part [this season]," celebrity manicurist Queenie Nguyen explained to PureWow. So, for now, at least, keep on riding that Barbie train!