How to Choose the Best Nail Color for Your Skin Tone
Ever picked a color that looked perfect in the bottle and wrong on your hands? It's usually not the color's fault. It's the undertone. Here's how to find yours and the shades that look best on different skin tones.
Step 1: Find your undertone
Your skin's surface color can change with the seasons, but your undertone doesn't. Look at the veins on your inner wrist in daylight:
Mostly blue or purple: cool undertone.
Mostly green: warm undertone.
A mix, or hard to tell: neutral undertone.
Another test: if silver jewelry looks best on you, you're likely cool. If gold looks best, you're likely warm. If both work, you're probably neutral.
Best nail colors for pale and fair skin
Cool undertones: soft pink, lavender, blue-red, berry, navy and gray.
Warm undertones: peach, coral, warm red, terracotta and soft gold.
Nudes: choose a sheer pink or pale beige with a hint of pink. Very beige or yellow nudes can wash pale skin out.
Bold: deep shades like burgundy and navy look striking against fair skin.
Best nail colors for medium and olive skin
Rich jewel tones: emerald, sapphire and amethyst.
Warm reds, berry, plum and chocolate brown.
Nudes with a rosy or caramel base.
Be careful with very pale pastels and yellow-green shades, which can clash with olive undertones.
Best nail colors for deep skin
Bright, saturated colors: cobalt, fuchsia, orange and true red.
Metallics and chrome, especially gold and copper.
Deep nudes in mocha, cocoa or caramel.
Crisp white, which looks especially striking.
Colors that work on almost everyone
A true red with a balanced undertone.
Soft mauve.
Sheer, milky pink.
Deep burgundy.
How to find your perfect nude
The perfect nude is the hardest color to choose from a chart. A good rule: pick a shade slightly lighter or darker than your skin rather than an exact match, with the same undertone. At our studio, your tech can hold a few swatches next to your hand in good light before you commit. With over 1,500 colors on site, we can almost always find one that fits.
Don't forget the finish
Any color looks better with a clean cuticle line and a smooth, even surface. That's what a structured gel Russian manicure is designed to deliver. Planning nails for an event? See our ideas for bridesmaid and wedding guest nails and fall colors.
Book in Wheat Ridge
NashlyNails Studio is appointment-only at Gold's Marketplace, 10087 W 26th Ave in Wheat Ridge, just west of Denver. Book online and ask your tech to help you find your shade.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my skin's undertone for nail polish?
Look at the veins on your inner wrist in daylight. Blue or purple veins usually mean a cool undertone, green means warm and a mix means neutral.
What nail color looks good on everyone?
A true red with a balanced undertone, soft mauve, sheer milky pink and deep burgundy flatter almost every skin tone.
How do I choose the right nude nail color?
Pick a shade slightly lighter or darker than your skin with the same undertone, rather than an exact match.
What nail colors look best on deep skin?
Bright, saturated colors like cobalt, fuchsia and true red, gold and copper chrome, deep mocha nudes and crisp white.
