5. Tortoiseshell Harvest Nails

Short square tortoiseshell nails in amber, brown and black with a rust-orange accent nail

Tortoiseshell nails are the insider’s fall manicure — and with amber, brown, and rust tones, they double as a subtle Halloween nod. One rust-orange accent nail ties the whole set to the season without a single spider in sight.

This design looks expensive and intricate but is built from simple layers of jelly polish. It is the perfect pick if you want October nails that work at the office, at dinner, and at the costume party.

What You’ll Need

  • Amber or caramel jelly polish
  • Dark brown and black polish
  • Rust-orange polish
  • Top coat

How to Make

  1. Paint all nails with two coats of amber jelly polish and let dry.
  2. Using a small brush, dab irregular blobs of dark brown, then smaller black blobs on top, on each nail except the accent.
  3. Paint the accent nail in rust-orange.
  4. Apply two coats of glossy top coat to melt the layers together into that glassy tortoiseshell finish.