Nail Colors

Orange might be the most underrated color in the nail world. It is cheerful without being loud in its softest forms, and it turns heads without trying in its boldest ones. From the barely-there peach of spring to the burnt terracotta of autumn, orange covers more ground than almost any other shade family. Below are…

Gray is the minimalist’s power neutral. It reads polished without trying, pairs with everything in your closet, and sits perfectly between stark black and soft white. The catch: gray has undertones, and the wrong undertone against your skin can look flat or washed out. This guide fixes that. Below are 18 gray nail designs organized…

Butter yellow is the pastel that almost never works: go slightly too bright and it reads like a highlighter, go too pale and it washes out the hands completely. The sweet spot is a creamy, warm pastel with the softness of actual butter at room temperature, and when you land it, butter yellow nails are…

Pastel nails are manicures painted in soft, lightened versions of classic colors: baby pink, butter yellow, lilac, mint, and sky blue. They work because the whitened pigment flatters every skin tone and reads as polished without being loud, which makes pastel nails one of the most wearable nail trends you can choose. If you are…

Rainbow nails are the simplest way to wear every color you love at once. A true rainbow manicure uses multiple colors in one set, from the classic one-color-per-nail skittle to blended gradients and hand-painted rainbow motifs. Below are 16 rainbow nail designs organized by how the rainbow is applied, so you can jump to the…

Silver nails are the cool-toned metallic that goes everywhere chrome goes and further: a single color family that can read sheer and office-quiet in daylight, then turn into a mirror under evening lights. This guide collects 18 silver nail designs, grouped by the light they look best in: Daylight Chic, Moonlit & Holographic, Evening Sparkle,…

Gold nails are the one manicure that works as hard at a wedding as it does at a holiday party. This guide rounds up 18 gold nail designs, organized by how much gold you actually want on your nails, from full liquid-chrome coverage to a single gilded accent. Every design includes its own photo, notes…

Burgundy nails sit exactly between red and brown: deep wine reds with purple and brown undertones that read as rich rather than loud. The color flatters nearly every skin tone, suits short and long nails alike, and works year-round, though it peaks in autumn and winter. Below are 18 burgundy nail designs organized by how…

Brown nails are the warm neutral your manicure rotation has been missing. The family runs from near-black espresso to pale caramel, so there is a brown for every skin tone and season. Manicurists call it the softer alternative to black: all of the polish, none of the harshness. Below are 18 brown nail designs grouped…

Milky nails are the sheer, glossy manicure that looks like your natural nails on their very best day: a translucent wash of white or pink that lets the nail show through, blurred and brightened, like skim milk in a glass. The look went mainstream as part of the “clean girl” and “no-makeup nails” movement, and…