Have you ever considered Thanksgiving nails as an accessory to your food baby? Remember those hand-drawn (literally – we traced our hands) turkeys you did in elementary school? It is now time to put those amazing art skills to use. Next up: macaroni nails.
Thanksgiving isn’t necessarily the most stylish of holidays, but these nail designs are topped with all your Thanksgiving favorites. And if you prefer something more low-key, there are plenty of abstract and minimalist designs here, too. Whatever vibe you’re going for, you’ll be able to pass the mashed potatoes in style at Friendsgiving this year. We suggest the nay nay.
And just like your Campbell’s soup-based Green Bean Casserole, you can do these nails by yourself. All you need is some fall-colored polish, a few inexpensive tools, stamping plates, and a can of Cream of Mushroom.
18 Thanksgiving Nails
1. Turkey Nails
Get your parade on with this fun and festive manicure. Combine burgundy and off-white nails, a freehanded turkey, and some colorful glitter on top. And by “combine,” we mean totally don’t mix them all together, unless you’re going for the worst Turducken ever.
2. Matte Green and Orange Glitter Thanksgiving Nails
Thanksgiving nail art isn’t all hand-drawn turkeys, especially if you’re trying to finally get upgraded from the kids’ table. It can include cozy fall hues such as these Magpie Beauty colors named Olive You More and Darling Clementine — inspirations for holiday dishes the bigger kids will appreciate.
3. Fall Colored Skittles Nails
If trying to make decisions on nail polish colors is about as easy as trying to decide which kind of pie to eat, just do what we do – one of each! This fall rainbow is easily recreated with OPI’s colors: Closer than You Might Belem; Sun, Sea and Sand in My Pants; Have Your Panettone and Eat It Too; and My Italian Is a Little Rusty. Now we want to be a professional nail polish color namer!
4. Stamped Leaves Thanksgiving Nails
There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to tediously draw leaves onto your nails. We prefer to leave our steady hands for a competitive game of Operation with our nieces and nephews. That’s why these stamping plates are lifesavers — though they didn’t save the red-nosed guy on the operating table, sadly.
5. Abstract Thanksgiving Nails
These negative space and abstract nails may look perfectly planned, but they’re not. Choose some fall hues and just toss the paint on there. This is the manicure version of fake-it-til-you-make-it. Kind of like dad trying to cook the turkey.
6. Pusheen Thanksgiving Nails
These Pusheen-inspired Thanksgiving nails are as super adorable as a baby turkey — albeit less edible. These are hand-painted, but could be a fun way to start practicing hand-drawn techniques. All you’ll need is a striper brush.
7. Autumn Forest Nails
These nails are what it’d be like to get a manicure from Bob Ross. Unfortunately, not all dreams come true — except that weird one we had about driving down the highway with an octopus in the passenger seat. Anyway, make your own trees happy with this nail stamping plate, three colors of your choice (used here are honey mustard, mystic forest, and rusty red), and this tutorial.
8. Cute Pumpkin Nails
These cute little pumpkin nails are perfect if you want something that says “Thanksgiving” without going full turkey. We’re actually going cold turkey on full turkey which — don’t ask.
9. Striped Matte Thanksgiving Nails
We love how the periwinkle combines with traditional fall colors on this manicure. For the striped nails, just use some nail tape and you’ll show up to Thanksgiving dinner looking like a pro. Finally, something to outshine our stupid cousin with.
10. Diagonally Striped Nails
Save all of your energy for what Thanksgiving is really about – eating all the foods and dodging all political conversations — by donning this easy Thanksgiving nail design. This super simple, super cute, diagonal design is created using nail tape and two polishes of choice.
11. Orange You Glad Coffin Nails
Show up to Thanksgiving dinner with these classy and classic coffin nails painted with Bio Seaweed’s Orange You Glad polish and tell related knock-knock jokes to your relatives. Orange you glad we’re here to help you socialize?
12. Plaid nails
Who knew Grandma’s Thanksgiving tablecloth could inspire your next manicure? If the straight lines are giving you geometry anxiety, use a little nail tape and a detail brush — your nails will be blending into the table in no time.
13. Oh My Pie Nails
Pay homage to the MVP of Thanksgiving foods. Use this nail stamping plate to save yourself the effort of hand painting — effort you can put into making this year’s pies edible. Remember: go easy on the cinnamon!
14. Floral Thanksgiving Nails
These hand-painted floral nails are probably the most difficult design on this list, but are too pretty to ignore. Completely free-handed, this design is something to aspire to. Maybe you can practice between first and second dinner?
15. Deconstructed Apple Pie Nails
There are lots of pie-inspired nails, but these deconstructed apple pie ones caught our eye. Or you could say, they’re the apple of our eye. Show your love of pie and respect for the process by re-creating this look.
16. Pumpkin Pie Nails
We’ve always been told to dress for the job we want, and we want to eat pumpkin pie like it’s our job. These pumpkin pie nails are created using this stamping plate and a pumpkin orange-colored polish. We’ll be anxiously awaiting a job offer call.
17. Thanksgiving Ombré Nails
These ombre nails are perfect for a sophisticated Thanksgiving — like the one our snooty uptown aunt hosts. Apply a nude base color, then use a cosmetic sponge to blend the top color halfway down the nail.
If the ombré intimidates you, check out the Youtube tutorial below. And for the gold lining, use a nail art brush and draw on a thin gold line at the cuticle.
18. Minimalist Thanksgiving Nails
If you partied too hard Thanksgiving Eve, try these minimalistic jewel toned nails. Choose whichever colors speak to you, though if the colors are telling you to get in the car and drive across state lines, maybe don’t listen.
Ashley is a Nashville unicorn (born, raised, and based), queer, vegan, and dedicated to leaving a positive impact through her life, work, and her website, Wild Hearted.
When she's not writing, she's traveling, reading a book, trying not to kill her houseplants, worshiping her dog, or having an existential crisis. Follow her on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter, and LinkedIn
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