light green nails with dark green french tips

When I think of classic nail designs the French tip immediately comes to mind, and the perfect way to make it fall-ready is by swapping in some of our favorite autumnal shades. Think two-tone nails in light sage green & a deep evergreen, but you could also try ruby reds, deep blues–pretty much any jewel tones. The possibilities are endless!

two tone nails in shades of green

Adding color with a monochromatic touch brings a fresh and modern fall take on the classic French, and it’s simple to do at home. Here’s what you’ll need to DIY these cute green nails:

Light Green Nails with Evergreen Tips

two-tone light green nails with dark green french tips

Supplies:

  • Base coat
  • Sage green nail polish (I used Essie’s So Matcha Energy)
  • Dark green nail polish (I used UO Nail Lacquer in Envy)
  • Thin nail art brush
  • Glossy top coat

Instructions:

Step 1: Prep and file your nails to your desired shape

Step 2: Apply a base coat to protect the nails and to give you a longer-lasting manicure. This is especially important when using deeper shades this fall since they’re more likely to stain!

Step 3: Apply 1-2 coats of the sage green nail polish until opaque, which will be your base shade.

Step 4: Once that dries, the dark green polish will be your French tip. There are two ways you can approach French tip application, depending on what you’re most comfortable with! The first method requires no tools: Using the brush straight from the bottle, make sure there’s not too much excess on the end and carefully brush on your French tip following your nail shape. Alternately, you can also use a nail art brush dipped in the dark green shade to draw a thin line to map out your shape. Then fill in the top with the nail polish brush once you’ve got your desired edge.

Step 5: Once your two-tone nail design is dry, top with a glossy top coat and cap the free edge.

Did you try this tonal manicure? Show us your cute green nails on Instagram @Lulus using #lovelulus–then stock up on more fall essentials!

Melanie Graves is a self-taught nail art enthusiast who loves to create colorful, and easy to DIY designs for the fellow home manicurist.