6 Back-to-School Nail Ideas That Will Ace Your First Day

Even before the scent of pumpkin spice wafts through the neighborhood, it's time to set aside summer and head back to school. But one of the fun parts of leaving summer behind is coming up with super-cute fall styles, including these totally adorable back-to-school nail ideas.

These cute nails are brighter than a box of colored pencils! You can find your fave pencil color in a lacquer polish and swipe a different one on each finger, or you can buy a super colorful gel polish kit like this one from Beetles. You'll need a curing lamp and a no-wipe top coat. 

Whether you choose a pretty candy-apple red (we like OPI's Big Apple Red) or a Granny Smith green (we love OPI's Hello Kindness lacquer) — or alternating fingers of both, declare your intention to be teacher's pet with these apple-themed nails. 

Pay homage to the most basic school supply — the trusty No. 2 pencil — with these pencil-yellow nails. They're the perfect back-to-school accessory. Sally Hansen's InstaDry in my Ca-banana is the perfect shade. 

Related: 32 Fall Weather Nail Ideas to Go With Your Sweater Weather Style

Speaking of pencils, we love this matte graphite-colored nail that'll match your pencil lead perfectly. You can even alternate graphite and yellow, and see if anyone gets what you're going for. Get the matte graphite look with OPI's Rub-a-Pub-Pub and finish with OPI's matte top coat. 

Okay, we know it's technically still summer when you head back to school, but we can smell the sweater weather from here. So, while it may be a bit warm to wear your fave sweater, there's nothing stopping you from representing sweater cuteness on your nails. You'll need gel polish — like this black and white gel polish kit from Beetles, a curing lamp, a no-wipe top coat, and acrylic powder. 

Follow the instructions in the video, and you'll be rocking adorable sweater nails while it's still too hot to wear a sweater. 

We don't know about you, but we pretty much longed for summer the second we started school. So we love this sweet, watermelon-y reminder that summer is still with you. It's about the vibe, not the date. We like Absolute from LA Color Craze and NYC Apple Envy from Duri to carry on with your summer state of mind, even once you have to crack the books again. 

Summer is already in your rearview mirror, and your mind has turned to backpacks and books. So as you head into a new semester, make a big statement with your back-to-school nails.