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I have to be honest: Many of the same nail colors tend to trend every fall. Associate editor Annie Blay-Tettey and I were recently lamenting (and laughing) about how “vampy” and “foliage-inspired” hues continue to dominate. But seeing the same shades come back each fall isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “They stick around because they feel natural for the time of year, like the changing leaves and shorter days,” says Mazz Hanna, a nail artist and founder of Nailing Hollywood, a boutique agency. These colors have their place, just like sipping pumpkin spice lattes, blasting Folklore through your speakers, and going apple picking.

In addition to the old reliables, though, there are some new entrants to the fall nail color scene. I spoke to multiple nail pros about the shades popping up on social media, runways, and red carpets that don’t feel like the same old, same old. Whether it’s the color itself (pink jelly isn’t just for summer) or the reason behind its resurgence (like society’s current obsession with grunge and goth trends), each of these colors.

Meet the experts

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Jin Soon Choi is a New York City-based nail artist and founder of JinSoon.

Sarah Chue is a Los Angeles-based nail artist.

Elle Gerstein is a New York City-based nail artist.

Mazz Hanna is a Los Angeles-based nail artist and the founder of Nailing Hollywood, a boutique agency.

Miss Pop is a New York City-based nail artist.

Sheer blush

Courtesy of @jinsoon

Courtesy of @matejanova

Courtesy of @chuenails

Summer was the season of scaled-back manicures, with jelly finishes (translucent formulas) reigning supreme. But one shade of the airy look has made it to the fall: sheer blush. “[This color] enhances the natural nail rather than covering it,” says nail artist and brand founder Jin Soon Choi, “offering a sophisticated take on the barely-there aesthetic.”

She recommends Jin Soon’s nail polish in Pixie, a semi-transparent petal pink that she painted on Anne Hathaway. Cirque Colors Nail Polish in Rose Jelly is just as sheer, but ever-so-slightly rosier. Manucurist Active Plump adds an extra shine to your nails with finely-milled flecks of pink glitter.

Deep Navy

Courtesy of @melanated.mani

Getty Images

Black cherry is the trend that won’t quit, and you’ll likely see the shade continue its reign this fall. (Choi even says so.) But if you’re looking for an unexpected hue that’s just as smoky, try a dark navy, which Hanna describes as “bold and crisp without the starkness of black.”

Hanna recommends the extra-moody OPI Midnight Mantra, while many of us at Allure are partial to Chanel Le Vernis in Fugueuse. For a take on the trend with see-from-space shine, try Mooncat’s The 13th Hour, a black polish swirled with finely-milled navy glitter.

Off-white

Courtesy of @riyahtaylorkealohi and @oliveandjune

Courtesy of @matejanova

Warm-toned off-whites are everywhere this season, say Hanna and nail artist Elle Gerstein. Think of them like your plain white tee: basics that go with just about everything.

The two artists suggest wearing the various options in different ways. Gerstein favors opaque, parchment-colored polishes, calling them fall’s “pastels.” And Hanna prefers a milky vanilla with warm undertones, saying that the semi-translucent take on the trend “keeps the lightness of summer but adds a softer, blurred finish that pairs perfectly with early fall layering.”

Hanna continues, “I’ve seen this echoed in fall knitwear trends, especially oversized cream sweaters and ivory outerwear.” She recommends DazzleDry Nail Polish in Pawn. You can also try Olive and June Nail Polish in Chemistry or Londontown Lakur in Murray Me, which has a similarly cozy feel,

Dirty plum

Courtesy of @betina_goldstein

Courtesy of @manucurist

Courtesy of @matejanova

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Instead of the usual brown tones of fall, consider a brown-tinged plum. “It provides the perfect contrast against neutral tones, adding a pop of color that isn’t overwhelming, as it’s still an earthy tone,” says nail artist Sarah Chue. She recommends Manucurist Paris in Victoria Plum, which is an amalgamation of purple, pink, and brown. I also like Essie’s Mismatch to Match, which is slightly loamier, and Gitti 012 for a deeper hue that still reads as plum against beiges.

Caramel

Courtesy of @riyahtaylorkealohi and @oliveandjune

Courtesy of @matejanova

Full-bodied, deep browns dominated our feeds for the past two years (last year it was espresso, thanks in part to a song we couldn’t get out of our heads, and the year before, gray-brown), making this season’s glossy caramel feel extra refreshing.

Chue considers caramel a mood-booster. She recommends Londontown Lakur in Bee’s Knees, a glossy, orange-brown. ILNP’s Nail Polish in Caramel is a deeper option, and I’m obsessed with Olive and June’s Caramel Budino, which looks exactly like Werther’s Original Caramels.

Black

Courtesy for @overglowedit

Getty Images

Ask any New Yorker: Black can be worn all year round. But the reason why it’s trending this season has a lot more to do with how people are feeling these days. “Black isn’t just another nail polish color, it’s a whole mood,” Miss Pop says. “It was the big shade in the ’90s and indie-sleaze eras.”

Grunge is one of this season’s biggest trends, and we previously reported on its influence on makeup; makeup artist Alex Levy told Allure, “I think politically and socially, makeup is being used more to provoke and unify—either as a middle finger to social norms or a way to connect with other like-minded folks who see beauty in a similar way.” The same sentiment can be applied to nail polishes.

I love Mooncat’s Emo for Life, which is a jet black that goes on ultra-smoothly; Gucci Beauty Vernis à Ongles Glossy Nail Polish in Crystal Black’s long handle makes it easy to apply; and Essie Nail Polish in Licorice will cost you only a cool Hamilton.

Read more about the latest trends:

9 Cozy Fall Pedicure Colors to Wiggle Your Toes In

This Fall’s Nail Art Trends Are All About Touchable Textures

Fall’s Makeup Trends Are All About Raging Against the Machine

Fall’s Top Fragrance Trends Welcome the Witching Season

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