Brown-Tipped French Manicure Inspo For Your Next Salon Appointment

As the seasons change, so do our manicures. When thinking about autumn nail color palettes, deep reds, oranges, and yellows may come to mind. But let's not forget to appreciate the more neutral tones that get us cozy for the fall season – specifically, shades of brown. While you can't go wrong with a classic French manicure, why not give your nails a fall flair with brown tips? A brown-tipped French manicure is one of many fall 2023 nail trends that might inspire your next look. 

Along with being a color that looks great on any nail shape or length, brown offers so much room for creativity. If you need a bit of guidance on choosing a brown polish, the founder of Habit Cosmetics Aja Frierson has some advice. She tells The Zoe Report, "To make sure your polish doesn't visually disappear, choose colors that are a couple of shades lighter or darker than your skin tone." However you choose to try out brown tips, we hope to give you some inspiration. 

You can totally still rock a French manicure if you like to keep your nails on the shorter side. Whether you go for an almond nail shape or keep them square, a brown French manicure is super versatile. Cool tones create a hot chocolate-dipped vibe. It's all about what you prefer on your nails. 

Brown tips are gorgeous on long nails as well, whether you grow out your natural nails or opt for acrylics and press-on nails. Keeping the tips long with a square edge gives you room to play around with fun shapes, like hearts or lines. Paint the main canvas a light peach or nude for contrast.

Want to use multiple shades of brown? Take advantage of all the cozy shades and create a gradient manicure. This is perfect if you want a multi-colored look that's still warm and neutral for fall. Start with a creamy white or tan shade and then gradually go darker on each nail toward a dark chocolate or mocha shade.

This is another way to use different shades of brown together in harmony. Choose a darker brown to create the shape of your tips, and then take a lighter shade and nail dot tool to create fun designs on top. Or, you can do the opposite and choose a lighter brown as the base and add darker accents on top.

If you don't want a whole set of brown tips, you can get them done on only some of the nails as an accent. This creates a playful look with some variety. You can also get creative with negative space, as seen in the manicure above. 

To complement your brown tips, you can add a bit of white polish to the design. The white will make the brown pop and offer a nice contrast. You can keep it as simple or as thin white lines underneath the brown tips, or create more intricate lines and shapes.