Vampire nails have become the most popular mani for spooky szn

Not everyone wants to jump on the halloween nails train, but searches for vampire nails have started soaring on TikTok, with tons of inspo rolling in. In fact, the experts at UK Saunas analysed data from the platform to determine that the term “vampire nails” was driving the most mani inspo right now with over 12 million views on the app.

The trend is a perfect storm, coinciding with the rise of the grungey goth-girl aesthetic that’s exploding on TikTok, alongside the run-up to Halloween. So, even if you’d never normally go novelty or follow a theme for Halloween, the nail design is a mood in its own right.

What are vampire nails?

Before you imagine tiny Count Draculas pasted onto nails, the trend actually focuses on a colour scheme vs a specific design. Vampire nails sees dangerous-looking red and black manis in a whole bunch of renditions from aura to ombre, to stiletto.

How to do vampire nails?

So far, the most popular way to play it is with an aura design. The look is a reconfiguration of ombre and involves a blend of two or more colours that are applied spherically with the colour changing from the centre outward, vs horizontally or vertically. Although, ombre remains an effective way of wearing it, too.

6 of our favourite ways to wear vampire nails

Aura vampire nails

Nail artist @glossytipped has brought in over 9 million views, courtesy of her black and red aura nail design, which she created using a black square outline of polish applied to a sponge, with blood red in the centre

Eyeshadow vampire nails

Nail artist Aisté who goes by @heygreatnails showed how she created aura vampire nails using a red polish with black eyeshadow buffed in.

Bejewelled vampire nails

User @foreignnlaurynnnbeauty gave us a close-up of her reverse aura vampire nails. She focussed the darkest colour in the centre with the colour merging into a brighter red toward the perimeter of her nails, then upped the ante with some bejewelled nail jewellery.

Stiletto ombre vampire nails

If you want a mani that looks deadly, we love this dagger stiletto shape. Rather than an aura design, @tippedbaby landed on an ombre Frenchie with black tips and a red base.

Almond vampire nails

The pros at @lightslacquer showed how they created a cherry cola aura nail in vampy shades.

Short vampire nails

And @nail.art.by.marie created an aura vampire mani on short, smart nails.

For more from GLAMOUR’s Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk