Beauty
13 Soft Goth Nail Designs Wednesday Addams Would Love
Embrace your (soft) dark side.
It doesn’t matter if Halloween is tomorrow or eight months away, because it’s never a bad time to bring out your inner Wednesday Addams and rock a set of soft goth nails.
Soft goth nails, a nail art trend with over 112 million views on TikTok, is the everyday answer to gilded crosses, inky black nail polish, and other traditional goth mani designs. According to Deborah Lippmann, a celebrity manicurist and nail care brand founder, soft goth is all about incorporating darker colors into nail designs that are typically light, like French manicures. “I have also seen many add designs and details to create a bolder look,” she tells Bustle, pointing to nail chains, pearls, and spiderweb-style art. Basically, if a design or nail accent feels like something the characters in The Craft would wear, go forth.
Alena Monson, the founder of What’s Up Beauty and Nails, refers to soft goth as “wearable goth” because these more subtle designs and colors work in a variety of settings, from weddings to the beach and everywhere in between. The trend also works perfectly with your soft goth fashion looks — so pull out your best Wednesday-inspired ‘fit and scroll through for 11 soft goth nail ideas to match.
1Black Ombré
Blurring your black polish into an ombré effect is one way to take the intensity down from a solid black mani. Lippmann also suggests pairing black ombré with gray or beige polish as a base.
2Chain Details
“I love adding chains and metal pieces on top of the nail,” Lippmann says. Go for a painted silver chain or lay an actual mini chain right into the acrylic. It’s edgy and unique without being too over-the-top.
3Black Micro French
Paint a slick of black paint onto your tips to combine the micro French mani trend with a soft goth aesthetic. As Lippmann says, “If I were to choose a soft goth look to recreate, I love the traditional French manicure with black instead of white — it’s both chic and classic at the same time.”
4Clusters Of Pearls
Pearl details give off slightly historical, Victorian-era energy while still being wearable. “With soft goth, you can create a look that is so much softer and more intricate than just adding black to your manicure,” Lippmann says. She recommends keeping the base colors neutral for this one.
5Chrome
Chrome nail polish is having a moment all on its own, but can also be added to your soft goth nail art to spice things up. “It gives a balance of an edgier look while still being able to keep the manicure simple,” Lippmann says.
6Gothic Fonts
If you’re going to write something on your nails, make sure it’s in a Gothic font. According to Monson, Gothic fonts are a staple for goth designs — they’re bold, strong, and they give off vampire vibes. To soften the look, she suggests using a radial ombré as your base and going for a sweet word — like love — to show “you’re the biggest softie gothy around.”
7Spooky Scenes
To lean into your (slightly) darker side, Monson suggests painting spooky scenes on your nails, like a moon and stars, spiderwebs, or a mini skull. To make it soft goth, keep your polish light. The goth imagery juxtaposed with a brighter or pastel background softens the look, she says.
9Bats, Bats, Bats
“Nothing says goth quite like black bats flying from their lair, but when you paint the night sky in a beautiful sparkly ombré starfield, you really soften the goth,” Monson says. “This orange-to-pink to-purple background lets you pair the look with more wearable colors while still exuding your dark side.”
11“Eyeliner” Lines
“Goths are known for wearing black clothing and gorgeous dark, abstract eyeliner,” says Karina Medrano, a licensed cosmetologist at Elle B. Savvy in Denver, Colorado. For a similar look on your nails, she recommends going with a milky white base and painting abstract lines in silver or back.
