How to Choose a Nail Polish Colour to Suit You

Taking care of our hands is just as important as taking care of our faces and bodies! A simple at-home manicure makes the hands look neat, and different colours allow you to have fun and experiment with your looks.

It's not that challenging to get a manicure done at home, but often people get stuck when choosing a nail polish colour that works best for them. 

From neutral nudes to bright reds to sparkly metallics, there are so many shades out there today, and we're here to help you identify and choose nail polish colour that suits you and your skin tone best.

 

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Skin undertones

Just as it is essential to know your skin undertones when picking a lipstick or eye shadow, identifying them helps choose nail polish too. 

And while knowing whether your skin is fair, tanned or dark is pretty straightforward, you might need to do a little test to understand its undertones.

Here are a few ways to determine your skin undertone. 

White sheet test. Hold a white paper sheet against your hands. If you see a yellowish hue, your undertones are most likely warm - if the skin hues are pink or reddish, the undertones are probably cool. 

Vein test. Take a good look at your hands - are the veins green or blue and purplish? If your veins are green, your undertones are probably warm; if they're blueish - they're cold. 

Suntan test. People who tan easily generally have warm undertones, and those who get burnt or red easily are more likely to have cool undertones. Which one are you?

If you're still confused after the first test, do all of them - if all the results match, you've probably determined your undertone correctly. 

How to choose nail polish colours for skin tone

Now that you know your undertone let's finally answer that "What nail polish colour should I wear" question! 

Fair/pale skin 

Warm undertones

Fair skin with warm undertones look best with soft pink, pink nudes, mauve and light blush colours. Also, consider peach, coral, amber and gold shades.

Avoid beige or very dark nail polish (brown, black or dark grey).

Cool undertones

Pick taupe or sheer taupe nudes or cool, almost blue, pink and neutral pinks if you have cool undertones. Most pastel colours will look great too.

Avoid bright reds, oranges, greens and black colours. 

 

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Tan skin

Warm Undertones

What colour nail polish looks best with a tan? If you have identified that your tan skin has warm undertones, your best choices are pink, pink beige, brown and brown beige nudes, and rose gold. Peach, ivory, coral, amber, gold, cream, white, silver and olive green also look excellent. 

Cold Undertones

Light brown and beige will look great if you like neutral and nude colours. 

Otherwise, choose brighter shades like pink, purple, blue, orange, rosy mauve or dark plum.

 

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Olive Skin 

Olive skin with cool or neutral undertones looks excellent with caramel, gold, peach, cream neutral colours, and taupe. These all work well for autumn and summer looks.

Metallic shades, silver, burgundy, plum, or deep red, are a fantastic match too.

Avoid crimson and navy blue shades.

 

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Dark skin 

Dark skin looks great with chocolate brown, grey, silver, copper, mauve, soft pink and rosy beige. 

If you love brighter colours, consider burgundy, magenta, eggplant. Pastels like sky blue will also look fantastic.

How to choose nail colour for an outfit?

One of the best ways to choose a nail polish colour to go with your outfit is to colour block (colour blocking is trending in 2022). This means pairing contrasting colours, e.g. blue and yellow, green and red, etc.

Another way to approach the styling is matching your nail colour to your accessories like a bag, scarf, necklace or even shoes—this is a subtle form of pairing colours and creating balance in your entire look. 

If you have a special occasion or event, you can also consider not matching your nail colour to any of your clothes and choosing a complementary colour, e.g. navy with red and similar. Of course, you can always opt for nudes and neutrals which work with everything.

Lastly, if you're wearing a print or patterned outfit, it's best to avoid intricate nail art or colours that might clash with the shades of your dress or blouse. You can choose a neutral manicure or pick up one colour from your clothing to echo in your nails.

However, fashion is supposed to be fun, so don't be afraid to experiment and play with different colours whatever you're wearing! 

At-home manicure

Everyone can do their own manicure at home with the right tools and high-quality products. 

One of the biggest challenges is getting it to last longer and maintaining healthy nails. Luckily, it's not too complicated, and with the right preparation and upkeep, you can enjoy a beautiful manicure with rich, beautiful colour, with healthy nails and one that lasts.

Here are a few tips for your at-home manicure.

Use a nourishing oil on your nails at night after your manicure and during the periods when you have your bare nails to strengthen them and prevent chipping. Do not apply the oil prior to the manicure as oil may not allow the polish to properly adhere to the nail and it may peel off. 

Use a protective base coat and topcoat before and after your nail polish. It creates a barrier between your nails and the nail polish and helps the polish adhere allowing the colour to last longer. 

Our Nail Polish Kit includes the Dual Base & Top with Celery Seed Extract, the Celery Seed extract is a natural nail hardener which strengthens and boosts your nail health whilst wearing coloured nail polish. The non-toxic nail polish base is enriched with organic superfood ingredients which help to stimulate nail growth and repair damage while providing a long-lasting smooth nail finish. 

 

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Use breathable nail polish. Breathable nail polish allows you to enjoy healthy nails without having to take a break between your manicures. 

Our non-toxic Breathable Super Food Infused Nail Polish enriched with organic superfood ingredients boosts your nail health, helps stimulate nail growth and has a long-lasting smooth nail finish. The 82% plant-based formula keeps your nails  healthy and strong!