A crisp manicure is significant in elevating your style. Manicures communicate significant elements about you, including your style and personality. Moreover, the burgeoning nail art scene presents countless nail polish colors and shades, facilitating experimenting.
Even so, you most likely receive outstanding compliments for adorning specific nail polish colors and limited compliments for other color shades. So, why the stark difference in manicure color perception?
Like other cosmetic products, the best nail polish color to elevate your style should match your skin tone. But how do you identify the best nail cosmetics for your skin tone? Keep reading to explore this style hack and identify the most flattering color shades for your skin tone.
Best Nail Polish Colors For Your Skin Tone
Skin tone is the overtone or skin surface’s color influenced by your skin’s pigmentation. Pigmentation results from melanin or natural color pigments produced by melanocytes (specialized skin cells). Besides skin overtone, the melanin effect also influenced eye and hair color.
Back to skin tone, there are over 20 skin tone shades, depending on who you ask. Moreover, besides melanin, environmental factors like seasonal tans also affect skin tones. The skin tones range from fair to dark and influence compatibility with clothes and cosmetic product range colors, including nail polish.
Although skin tone shades vary significantly, broad classifications include light, medium, olive, deep, dark, and ebony. Below is an overview of the most compatible nail colors for each skin tone shade highlighted above.
1. Best Nail Polish Colors For Light/Fair Skin Tones
Light or fair skin tones are highly compatible with delicate or airy nail polish colors like nudes, pink blush, and pastels. Such soft color palettes complement the equally delicate skin tone without creating an overpowering goth-like look or a washed-out look on the other side of the spectrum. Moreover, nude and pink nail color ranges are ideal for versatile looks, including the timeless French manicure and ombre nail art.
However, if you have a fair skin tone but love a pop of color, pastel options like sage scarf, mint green, and lilac are go-to. Additionally, light grays may not scream color but are a versatile option for fair skin.
Besides muted neutrals and pastels, bold options like classic red and navy are elegant for light/ fair skin. Both colors compliment the cold and warm undertones synonymous with light skin.
2. Best Nail Colors For Medium Skin Tone
Medium skin tones have a slight tan and warm undertones. Therefore, unlike fair skin, medium skin tones can rock lighter nude nail polish ranges without exhibiting unflattering yellow hues or a washed-out effect.
Second, medium skin tones are also compatible with earthy tones like reds and orange shades because such tones add a natural glow to the complexion’s undertones. So, shades of red like Bordeaux, ruby, and burgundy accentuate the medium skin tone.
On the other hand, if ultra pigmentation is not your thing, you can still add pops of color to your nails by rocking blue and purple nail polish shades. Also, pink-orange shades like peach and coral are perfect for a sheer finish on medium skin tones.
3. Best Nail Colors For Olive Skin Tones
The olive skin tone is almost similar to the medium skin tone. Consequently, it is normal to find olive skin tone classified as a range within the medium skin tone spectrum. Nonetheless, the primary difference between medium and olive skin tones is that while the former has warm undertones, the latter has warm and neutral undertones.
Given the similarities between medium and olive skin tones, the latter is compatible with earthy red and orange tones. The neutral tone also facilitates compatibility with darker shades like navy and black.
Also, lighter tones like beige, pink, and soft grays perfectly elevate the olive skin tone. Therefore, the olive skin tone is compatible with a wide range of nail polish colors, but the key is knowing whether you have warm or neutral undertones.
4. Best Nail Polish Colors For Dark Skin Tones
Dark skin tones home cool undertones compatible with incredibly bold color choices due to the stark contrast. Therefore, dark-complected individuals can rock bright, bold color choices like the high-impact neon range.
On the other hand, if neon is not your thing, consider bold ultra-pigmentation options like deep blues (cobalt, airforce), dark reds ( Bordeaux, ruby, burgundy), emerald, dark purple, and chocolate brown.
Moreover, while subtle nail color tones often wash out the complexion in fair-complected individuals, the contrast such color palettes deliver on dark skin tones is elevating. Therefore, consider lighter palettes like white, cream, beige, taupe, soft pinks, and gray for a more natural look.
How To Choose The Best Nail Color Polish For Your Skin Tone
Below are tips to help you identify the best nail polish color for your skin tone:
1. Know Your Skin Tone
Your skin tone or overtone is the overt color complexion everyone sees. However, it may change slightly depending on environmental factors, seasons, and overall health.
Examine your jawline under natural light to determine your skin overtone, as this area experiences negligible change. Also, you can use makeup color charts.
2. Establish Your Skin Undertone
The skin undertone is the color shade beneath your overtone. Examine the veins under your eyes to establish skin undertones; blue veins signify cool undertones, green indicates warm undertones, and no venation color signifies a neutral undertone.
3. Match Nail Polish Color Density/ Pigmentation to Your Skin Tone
Consider using lighter pigmentation nail products with a lighter skin tone and ultra-pigmented products with darker skin tones.
Conclusion:
The tips highlighted in this guide are not cast in stone because nail art is essential to self-expression, and you cannot limit your self-expression to your skin tone. However, identifying wearable nail colors that best accentuate your skin tone helps elevate your style.