Autumn's Biggest Nail Art Trends Look Fancy — but Are Actually So Easy to Do

Maybe on a scale from Frida Kahlo to ventriloquist dummy holding a drawing pencil, your DIY nail painting skills [1] rank at a reasonable three. No matter! Autumn's coolest nail art trends [2] may look like a lot of work, but they're actually pretty easy to do.

"We're shifting toward organic, sexy manicure shapes in rich, vibrant colours [3] like a denim-grey, champagne holographic gold, and stunning bricks or terracottas," said Eleanor Langston [4], chief creative officer of New York City salon Paintbox [5]. Think: the dark, moody polishes [6] you've come to love for the season, all adorned with a simple stud, metallic brushstrokes [7], or wavy designs.

Don't just take our word for it. Keep reading for Langston's full breakdown of Autumn's biggest nail art trends to try this year (plus, exactly how to get 'em) — prerequisite painting experience, be damned.

Autumn Nail Art Trend: Strokes of Genius

"We're loving soft metallic brushstrokes across nails," Langston said. "The design adds a subtle luminosity to your fingertips that catches your eye."

There are a few different iterations of the nail art trend you could try. First, you could do the brushstroke over a sheer nail (for a few examples, keep scrolling). Or "you could do a negative-space look with a sheer milky tone — that would be beautiful," she said. "You just slowly drag the metallic polish [8] horizontally across your nails, fluttering the brush up when you reach halfway for a brushstroke effect. The key is to have very minimal polish on the brush."

Autumn Nail Art Trend: Strokes of Genius

Autumn Nail Art Trend: Ride the Wave

Right in line with the "sexy, curvy" nail shape Langston mentioned is the wavy nail art trend. "The organic swerves add interest to your fingertips and elongate your hands," she said. "It's basically goof-proof because the waves should just flow. Every wave doesn't have to be the exact same, so just start at the upper left-hand corner of your nail and sweep the brush down, curving as you go."

Autumn Nail Art Trend: Ride the Wave

Autumn Nail Art Trend: Tonal Studs

"A standout from [Paintbox's] FW19 collection is our Have a Ball manicure, which pairs tonal studs with rich opaque lacquers in colourways of grape, khaki, blue, and marigold," Langston said. "Adding a tonal stud [9] is easy to do and looks modern and subtle. It adds chic interest to your nails."

Tell us about it, stud.