November 2025 Manicure Ideas Your Nails Will Be Thankful For

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

While September kicks off the first half of pumpkin spice season, November marks autumn at its full force, bringing full-on sweater weather, football celebrations, and family festivities filled with fall-favorite foods. In this way, the month offers a great opportunity to be stylishly thankful with warm-colored manicures, leaving behind the Halloween nail ideas that anyone can do in favor of more Thanksgiving-leaning or classically autumnal designs. For 2025, these seasonal nail trends are all about deep, edgy colors and elevated twists on fall favorites. 

Just as there are on-trend celebrity outfits to recreate this fall, the stars have informed a fair share of 2025's manicure fads, sporting everything from tortoiseshell patterns and crocodile print to cat-eye browns and deep reds. Our social media feeds have demonstrated that there's also room to play around with playful embellishments and designs this season, channeling either cute coquette vibes or autumnal whimsy. So, whether you love illustrated manicures or prefer more subtle, Thanksgiving-inspired nail designs, there are plenty of November 2025 nail ideas to be thankful for this year.

Channel color-changing leaves with a layered French tip

While classic French tips remain one of the most reliable nail designs around, the neutral option has received plenty of upgrades and twists over the years. Nail artist @vivianmariewong showcased an autumnal version of the design that reminds us of color-changing leaves, featuring layered tones of red and orange accented with a slice of glittery gold. The creator balanced the multi-toned tips with two solid accent nails, proving how the most simple of manicure ideas can be given a fun, autumnal twist while still being chic and versatile. For some similar shades, check out products like LONDONTOWN's Glossy Rich Red-Brown Lakur and duri's 781 Uninhibited, Vibrant Fresh Orange Polish.

Balance classic tortoiseshell with moody greens for a chic look

Tortoiseshell is a major go-to for fall, with Dua Lipa proving that the pattern is here to stay for 2025 after she was seen sporting a bold manicure created by celebrity nail artist Kim Truong. For your own set, take inspiration from the trendiness of moody greens to put a chic spin on the classic pattern, combining earthy shades with the splotchy pattern. An example of this comes from @brittanywhealon, who shared a fall-inspired set featuring tortoiseshell nails and French tips paired with olive green accents. The resulting look is majorly chic and fresh, marking a great way to usher in the Thanksgiving season.

@nailluxbygiu

Finally got this tortoise shell design right 🤓🤎🖤 Here's my take on how to achieve it: 1. Jelly brown (cure) 2. Jelly orange (cure) 3. Blooming gel, while wet create pattern with a dotting tool and a brown gel (cure) 4. Blooming gel again, while wet create a second patten with a dotting tool and black gel (cure) 5. Jelly brown (cure) and top coat (cure) Products by @GELCARE® • Jelly brown, Argan oil, Espresso, Patent leather black, blooming gel, top coat #tortoiseshellnails #tortoisenails #autumnnails #fallnailinspo #almondnails #nailarttutorial #fallnails #brownnails #nailsartvideos

♬ Bed Chem – Sabrina Carpenter

Complement rich green with luxurious gold touches

Continuing on with the trendiness of moody and sleek greens, a great way to complement this color scheme is to incorporate autumnal golds into your November set. Not only does the metallic shade channel the color-changing leaves of fall, but it also adds a luxe feel to any manicure. The stunning nail design shared by @heygreatnails demonstrates this fact, with the nail artist combining a cat-eye effect with gold flakes reminiscent of fall foliage. To recreate this effect at home, pick up some gold foil from brands like DND Gel or a glittery gold polish like ella+mila's Long-Lasting & Chip-Resistant G-Old Money Polish.

Go full coquette with cutesy additions like 3D bows

We've seen plenty of bow-accented, fall nail designs in our social media feed, with the adornment tapping into the coquette vibes of cutesy, demure manicures. We're big fans of how @katiesnails_ puts an autumnal twist on the popular motif, using shades of beige and browns for almond-shaped French tips tied up with 3D ribbons made of gel. While we don't expect the average nail enthusiast to craft their own bow, you can talk to your nail tech about including charms or even opt for a 2D design with BTArtbox's White Designed French Tip Press-On Nails.

Bring the classic coziness of fall with a plaid accent

Whether you're going for warm and cozy vibes or channeling preppy academia, plaid ranks as another staple of the cooler, autumn months. In this way, not only is plaid being styled in a specific way for 2025, but the woven design makes for a great addition to any fall manicure. Chaun Legend, celebrity nail artist, has given his fall stamp of approval to the pattern while content creator @indbtly_kendra shared an inspiration-worthy look to Instagram. We particularly love the rich, berry color featured in the set, which contrasts the traditional yellow of the plaid accent nail while feeling chic and moody. This one may take some practice to DIY at home, but it's definitely worth recreating for November.

Combine burgundy with blooming designs like crocodile print

Crocodile patterns mark an easy way to put an edgy spin on animal prints, especially when combined with chic, autumnal shades. We already saw Sydney Sweeney sporting an all-out crocodile manicure by celebrity nail artist Zola Ganzorigt back in August. While the "Euphoria" star sported a rich, chocolate shade that would work great for the season, we're particular fans of the burgundy color showcased in the look from @gossipandgloss. The sleek set pairs the scaly pattern with nails featuring a blooming gel flower, gold accent, and classic French tip. To channel similar vibes, we recommend picking up colors like ILNP's Blackened Currant Purple Studio Color Nail Polish.

@nailsbylindsayy

chocolate brown blooming gel croc print = an autumnal nail set MUST have 🤤🐊🍫👏🏼✨ this is so satisying to watch i LOVE IT !!! #crocprint #crocprintnails #bloominggel #novembernails #nailspo #cutenails #saturdaymorning #bloominggelnails #autumnnails #autumnnailinspo #fallnailinspo #fallnails #inspo #nailinspo #fallinspo #chocolate #brown #autumnal #autumnfashion #ugg #wintervibes #winternails #relaxingvideos #relaxing #sundaymorning #coffeemorning #nailsart #nailsartvideos #nailart #nailarttutorial #nailartlover #nailartist #fyp #foryou

♬ original sound – culkinish

Elevate black cherry with a cateye effect

While some dated autumnal nail polish colors are being left behind this year, black cherry is a trendy hue bringing all the chic and moody energy we're looking for this fall. You can further elevate the celebrity-approved shade, worn by stars like Selena Gomez, by tapping into the popular cat-eye effect. Though the magnetic design has seen major popularity online, Hailey Bieber further cemented it as a fall 2025 staple by wearing a brown manicure by Zola Ganzorigt to the Academy Museum Gala. In this way, as seen in the set shared by @sin.gelxnails, combining the effect with a stylish dark red makes for the ultimate autumn mani.

Go full fall forest with a trendy mushroom motif

If you're partial to more illustrated or cutesy nail designs, then channel the autumnal whimsy of fall with a mushroom-filled manicure. Fungi-inspired fashion has seen a resurgence in popularity since the early 2020s, but autumn feels like an especially fitting time to embrace the red-capped champignon. One example of this comes from @mtz_nailz, who pairs the sprouts with a purple flower and classic french tips. For those not as artistically-gifted, products like Daily Charme's Fall Leaves Cottagecore Self-Adhesive Stickers are a great way to DIY your mushroom-accented fall forest manicure this season.

Recommended