HALLOWEEN NAIL ART: Spooky Tree Silhouette Nails

by - October 12, 2021


One thing that I've found as I've gained more experience with different nail art techniques is how to manipulate nail polish in certain ways. For today's mani, I'm using a technique that I'm pretty sure I invented - I don't think I've ever seen anyone do this before - and I feel like it's going to be a bit of a game changer for me when it comes to backgrounds for nail art. This is another mani that definitely evolved in process, but it all started with a loose idea of spooky trees and a sort of multicolored background.

Keep reading for more!


A technique I've seen used a lot and have even used myself a few times for getting a sort of grungey multicolor background is using little ripped up bits of makeup sponge and dabbing them onto the nail and that's definitely where I'd say the idea for this technique was derived. Basically, I figured that if I roughly tore the top off a makeup sponge in order to give a rough surface, added little swipes of polish to that rough surface, and then lightly dabbed it onto the nails I could get a really cool, textured look without having to go color by color and risk messing it up. 

I knew that I would have to use really pigmented polishes to get the look that I wanted, so I grabbed for these four shades from Heroine NYC that are just perfect for the color story I wanted and also super pigmented and creamy. I applied the lightest shade, this sort of lavender grey, to all of my nails and let them dry down. Once I had applied a cuticle barrier, I then went in with my sponging technique and was immediately in love with it.

If my instructions for what I did here aren't clear, definitely head over to Instagram to check out the video tutorial because I think that makes it a little bit more clear. 


Once I was happy with the sponged background to all of my nails, I went in with my stamping. I feel like the silhouettes of craggy trees have an inherent spookiness to them, so I really wanted to do a full mani featuring them this Halloween. I actually ended up using the same tree image for all of my nail, turning and adjusting the placement on each nail so that each nail looks different from the rest. I had to be a little bit careful with this placement since the image I used is kind of a weird tree and could pretty easily have gotten a little bit overwhelming to the design, but in the end I think it worked out.

To finish, I sealed in my design with a water based top coat and then finished with a quick dry glossy top coat for volume and shine - although even as I write this, I'm wondering if I should have gone with a matte. Anyway, voila!


All Products Used
Heroine NYC - London Fog
Heroine NYC - In The Deep
Heroine NYC - Poison Ivy
Heroine NYC - Lovesick
Whats Up Nails - Neither Noir
Maniology Smudge Free Top Coat
Quo Flash Dry Top Coat
ZJoy Plus 010 Stamping Plate from Aliexpress
Whats Up Nails Magnified Clear Stamper


I have the very sneaking suspicion that this technique is going to get a lot of play from me in the future because I really, really love the way that this turned out. It has so much texture and it's actually really easy to accomplish - which is my favorite. If you end up trying out this technique, I'd love if you'd tag me so I can see it. Again, if you want to check out my video tutorial on this mani, head over to @pblnails on Instagram and be sure to follow me there for all of my nail art videos.

Also, of course, be sure to come back every day in October for more Halloween nail art designs!

Thanks for reading!

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