8 Chic Ways to Wear Olive Green Nails This Fall

Fall brings out the best color palettes, with moody colors like burgundy, brown, and green reigning supreme. Everything from leather jackets to cozy sweaters is made up of these autumnal hues, and that includes our fingertips. Olive green is an ideal color if you want to deviate from the classic deep red or chocolate brown polishes and incorporate a bit of playful color into your fall manicure.Whether you prefer a clean, glossy manicure or want to experiment with swirls, polka dots, and chrome finishes, there are so many ways to wear olive green on your fingertips this fall. You can even get literal with some dirty martini-esque designs. Ahead, the best olive green nail ideas to screenshot before your next salon appointment.Glossy Olive@themaniclubYou can’t go wrong with a classic olive shade finished off with a glossy topcoat. Some of the best polishes to get the look are OPI’s Suzi the First Lady of Nails or Essie’s Willow in the Wind. You can achieve this look on any nail length or shape, but something about a medium-length almond nail makes the shade look especially elevated.Silver Chrome@heluvieeOnce you’ve coated your nails in your favorite shade of olive green, take the shine up a notch by layering on a silver chrome topper for a mirror-like effect. It’s the chicest way to elevate a simple solid-color manicure with little effort.Color Blocking@overgloweditColor-blocking, also known in the beauty community as “Skittles nails,” makes an appearance every season with a brand-new color palette, and for fall, olive is taking center stage. Pair the hue with butter yellow, espresso brown, and burgundy, to lean into all the autumnal vibes, and add in some alternating French tips for even more contrast.Colorful Plaid@nailsby_halAs I mentioned, the deep green looks stunning with an array of fall-coded polishes, and this plaid design is the perfect way to bring the colors together with an intricate pattern. Go for all-over plaid on some fingers, a sheer base on others, and throw in a couple of French tips like the above inspo. I wish I had the skills to do this on myself, but that’s what nail techs are for!Brine-Inspired Designs@nailartbysigNow, if you want to take the olive theme literally, try going for some fruit-covered fingertips (and yes, I too just found out that olives are technically considered fruits!). This one doesn’t require any manicure skills; just paint a green base coat, and top it off with a burgundy dot somewhere on the top or bottom of the nail bed. This looks good enough to add into your next dirty martini.Green Swirl@karinebeauty.salonThis swirled finish is reminiscent of a matcha latte that looks good enough to stand in line for 30 minutes and pay $8 for. Start by choosing two green shades, perhaps a more muted tone, then a deeper olive, to get the contrasting look. Apply your lighter shade as a base, then add a few wavy lines of the darker polish while the base is still slightly wet. Use a fine nail-art brush or toothpick to gently drag the colors into each other, creating a marbled effect.Burgundy Polka Dots@avrnailswatchesIf you’re sensing a pattern here, it’s that burgundy and green are an unfailing fall color combo. Start with an olive base, then use a dotting tool or the tip of a pin dipped in burgundy polish to add dots across each nail. Keep the dots uniform for a more classic polka-dot look, or vary their sizes for something a little more funky.French Tips@nailsbyalsnAnd of course, you can never go wrong with a milky base paired with a colored French tip. Apply two coats of a sheer, milky nude or pink polish, then use a fine nail art brush to paint a thin olive-green tip along the edge of each nail.Jasmine Hyman is the Assistant Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she writes about the latest beauty trends and must-have products. Her most prized beauty possessions are a meticulous skincare routine and salon blowouts. You’ll also likely find her in bed reading a good book or endlessly scrolling TikTok (spoiler: it’s usually the latter) while listening to Harry Styles’ entire discography on repeat. Follow her on Insta to be inundated with pictures of her meals.