Choosing nail colors for skin tone comes down to two things: depth, which is how light or deep your skin is, and undertone, the warm, cool, neutral or olive cast underneath. Depth decides how much contrast a shade gives you, and undertone decides whether it looks fresh or a little off. In short, fair skin tends to suit soft pinks and blue-reds, medium and tan skin suit corals and jewel tones, and deep skin suits saturated brights and caramel nudes. The chart, the Nail Color Finder and the sections below give you picks for every skin tone and undertone. Treat every pick as an option, not a rule. Start with the Finder, or jump straight to your skin tone.
In This Guide
Find Your Nail Color: The Nail Color Finder
Quick undertone check: look at the veins on your inner wrist in daylight. Green suggests warm, blue or purple suggests cool, a mix (or you can’t tell) suggests neutral, and a greenish-gray cast to the skin itself suggests olive. On deeper skin, where veins are hard to see, try the gold vs silver jewelry test instead. More undertone checks are below.
Nail Color Finder
Answer four quick questions to see the shades that suit you.
1Your skin tone
2Your undertone
3The occasion
4Your favorite finish
Pick your skin tone above to see your colors.
The Nail Color Finder uses the same chart as the guide below, so every pick it shows is explained in your skin tone’s section.
Nail Color Chart by Skin Tone
This chart sorts nail polish colors for skin tone: each row is a skin tone and each column is a shade family. Start with your row, then use your undertone to choose between the names in each cell.
| Skin tone | Nude and Neutral | Pink | Red and Berry | Dark | Bold | Metallic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair / Pale | sheer pink-beige milky white | dusty rose ballet pink peach pink | blue-red cherry | navy plum | coral cool lavender powder blue | silver rose gold |
| Light | soft peach-beige milky white | rose peach pink | true red | wine navy | coral sage lavender | rose gold silver |
| Medium | caramel beige milky white | mauve | raspberry brick red | chocolate emerald | terracotta teal | gold silver |
| Tan | toffee milky white | fuchsia coral pink | orange-red cherry red | burgundy chocolate | coral turquoise | gold bronze |
| Olive | warm taupe milky white | berry pink dusty mauve | tomato red | forest green plum | mustard cobalt | bronze gold |
| Deep / Dark | caramel cocoa milky white | fuchsia lilac | cherry red | wine plum | emerald cobalt bright orange | gold copper chrome |
Nude and neutral shades sit closest to your skin, and dark and bold shades give the most contrast. On a phone, each skin tone shows as its own card. The color swatches in the Finder and the chart image are a guide only, since every polish looks a little different in the bottle and on the nail.
How to Find Your Undertone
Your undertone stays the same whether you are pale in winter or tanned in summer, which is why it is a better guide than depth alone. Try two or three of these checks in natural daylight, with no self-tan or foundation on your hands.
The vein test
Green-looking veins point to warm, blue or purple to cool, and a mix to neutral. It is not reliable on deep skin, where veins are harder to see, so use one of the next two checks there.
Gold vs silver jewelry
If gold looks brighter against your skin, you are likely warm. If silver does, you are likely cool. If both look good, you are probably neutral.
White vs off-white paper
Hold a sheet of bright white paper and a sheet of cream paper next to your bare hand. Skin that looks better next to cream tends to be warm; skin that looks better next to bright white tends to be cool.
How you tan or burn
Skin that tans to a golden brown is often warm, and skin that turns pink before it tans is often cool.
Olive is an undertone rather than a depth. It is a greenish-gray cast that shows up most often on light to tan skin, and it can look neutral in some light. If none of the checks give a clear answer and your skin looks slightly green or gray next to bright white, olive is a good place to start.
| Undertone | Shades that tend to flatter | Approach with care |
|---|---|---|
| Warm | peach, coral, gold, orange-red, olive green, chocolate | icy pastels, blue-based silver |
| Cool | blue-red, berry, lavender, navy, silver, cool pink | yellow-based orange, mustard |
| Neutral | most of your skin tone’s row in the chart | nothing in particular |
| Olive | muted greens, mustard, plum, bronze, berry | yellow-based oranges, gray beige |
Best Nail Colors by Skin Tone
Not sure of your depth? Use how your skin reacts to the sun:
Best Nail Colors for Fair and Pale Skin
Fair and pale skin gets strong contrast from almost any mid or deep shade, so even soft colors read clearly. The thing to watch is a nude so close to your skin that your nails seem to disappear. Cool undertones look fresh in blue-based pinks and reds, and warm undertones glow in peach and coral.
For everyday wear, dusty mauve shades and dusty rose give color without looking loud. For a classic red, a blue-red cherry tends to look crisper on pale skin than an orange-red. Navy and plum are softer alternatives to black, and silver suits cool, pale skin the way silver jewelry does.
Try: ● dusty rose, ● ballet pink, ● peach pink, ● blue-red cherry, ● navy, ● coral
Neutral picks: ● sheer pink-beige, ● milky white
Go easy on: chalky beige the same shade as your skin, which can look washed out
Best Nail Colors for Light Skin
Light skin sits between fair and medium, so it can wear a little more depth than pale skin without losing contrast. A true, balanced red is often the easiest red of all on light skin, and rose pinks have enough color to stand out.
Warm undertones look bright in coral and peach pink, and cool undertones suit lavender, navy and silver. For a deeper shade, wine looks rich without feeling heavy. Sage is a calm, modern green for neutral and olive-leaning light skin, and rose gold is a soft metal that flatters most light hands.
Try: ● rose, ● true red, ● coral, ● wine, ● lavender, ● sage
Neutral picks: ● soft peach-beige, ● milky white
Go easy on: very pale nudes that blend into your skin
Best Nail Colors for Medium Skin
Medium skin is one of the most flexible tones for nail color: it has enough depth for jewel tones and enough lightness for brights. Mauve is an easy everyday pink with a grown-up depth, and emerald and teal look expensive against medium skin.
Warm undertones suit brick red, terracotta and gold, while cool undertones suit raspberry and silver. For deeper shades, warm browns like chocolate look polished and softer than black.
Try: ● mauve, ● raspberry, ● brick red, ● chocolate, ● emerald, ● terracotta
Neutral picks: ● caramel beige, ● milky white
Go easy on: grayed beiges, which can look dull
Best Nail Colors for Tan Skin
Tan skin makes bright colors pop, which is why coral, fuchsia and turquoise are classic picks. Warm undertones look golden in coral pink and orange-red, and cool undertones look clean in cherry red and fuchsia.
Burgundy and chocolate give a smooth, polished finish for evenings, and gold and bronze glow against tan skin. For the season’s brightest shades, see our summer brights.
Try: ● fuchsia, ● coral, ● orange-red, ● cherry red, ● burgundy, ● turquoise
Neutral picks: ● toffee, ● milky white
Go easy on: pastel grays, which can make tan skin look ashy
Best Nail Colors for Olive Skin
Olive skin has a greenish-gray cast, so shades that work with that cast tend to look best. Forest green, plum and bronze pick up the undertone instead of fighting it, and berry pink usually flatters olive skin better than a baby pink.
Tomato red echoes olive skin’s warmth, mustard is an earthy bright, and cobalt is a cool jewel tone that stands out. For a nude, warm taupe tends to look more natural than a pink-beige.
Try: ● berry pink, ● forest green, ● plum, ● tomato red, ● mustard, ● cobalt
Neutral picks: ● warm taupe, ● milky white
Go easy on: yellow-based oranges and gray beiges, which can make olive skin look sallow
Best Nail Colors for Deep, Dark and Brown Skin
Deep, dark and brown skin carries saturated color beautifully. Cherry red, fuchsia, emerald and cobalt look rich and bright, and gold and copper chrome shine against deep skin. Soft colors work too: lilac and light mauve give a striking, soft contrast.
Very deep shades such as wine and plum can sit close to deep skin, so a glossy top coat, chrome or a gold accent keeps them defined. Browse deep wine and burgundy shades for ideas that use those finishes.
For neutral nail colors on dark skin, caramel and cocoa nudes tend to look more natural than pale beige, and milky white is a clean contrast pick for everyday wear. Warm undertones lean caramel, and cool undertones lean cocoa.
Try: ● cherry red, ● fuchsia, ● lilac, ● emerald, ● cobalt, ● gold
Neutral picks: ● caramel or ● cocoa, ● milky white
Go easy on: pale beige nudes, which can look ashy
Dusky and Wheatish Skin
Dusky and wheatish skin is often medium to tan in depth with a warm or olive undertone. If that sounds like you, start with the medium skin or tan skin picks, then check the olive skin section if your skin has a slightly green or gray cast. Warm brick reds, berry pinks, bronze and gold are good first shades to try.
Best Nude, Red and Pink for Your Skin Tone
Nude, red and pink are the three most personal shade choices, so each gets its own table. Find your skin tone, then read across to your undertone. Olive undertones can follow the warm column for nudes and the cool column for pinks, and either column for reds.
Nude Nail Polish for Your Skin Tone
| Skin tone | Warm undertone | Cool undertone | Neutral undertone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair / Pale | sheer peach-beige | sheer pink-beige | sheer pink-beige |
| Light | soft peach-beige | rosy beige | soft peach-beige |
| Medium | caramel beige | rosy caramel | caramel beige |
| Tan | toffee | rosy toffee | toffee |
| Olive | warm taupe | rosy taupe | warm taupe |
| Deep / Dark | caramel | cocoa | caramel |
A nude works best one or two shades lighter or deeper than your skin, so it reads as polish rather than blending in.
Red Nail Polish for Your Skin Tone
For reds, blue-based shades tend to suit cool undertones and orange-based shades suit warm ones. For more ideas, browse our dark cherry red designs.
| Skin tone | Warm undertone | Cool undertone | Neutral undertone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair / Pale | warm true red | blue-red cherry | blue-red cherry |
| Light | warm true red | blue-red | true red |
| Medium | brick red | raspberry | brick red |
| Tan | orange-red | cherry red | cherry red |
| Olive | tomato red | deep berry red | tomato red |
| Deep / Dark | brick red | cherry red | cherry red |
Pink Nail Polish for Your Skin Tone
Pinks range from barely-there ballet pink to bright fuchsia. The deeper your skin, the more saturated a pink can go. See light, dusty and dark mauve for the in-between shades.
| Skin tone | Warm undertone | Cool undertone | Neutral undertone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair / Pale | peach pink | ballet pink | dusty rose |
| Light | peach pink | rose | rose |
| Medium | coral pink | raspberry pink | mauve |
| Tan | coral pink | fuchsia | fuchsia |
| Olive | dusty mauve | berry pink | dusty mauve |
| Deep / Dark | coral pink | fuchsia | lilac |
How Finish Changes a Color
The same color can look quite different in another finish. Here is how each one tends to read on lighter and deeper skin.
- Glossy: shows color at its richest and keeps deep shades readable on every skin tone. It is the safest finish if you are unsure.
- Matte: makes colors look a little darker and softer. On fair skin it looks modern and velvety. On deep skin, very dark matte shades can read as black, so a glossy tip or accent helps.
- Chrome and metallic: pick the metal that matches your undertone, as you would with jewelry: gold, bronze and copper for warm, silver for cool, rose gold for neutral. Chrome shows up brightest on tan and deep skin.
- Jelly and sheer: let the natural nail show through, so they flatter every depth and look softer than full coverage. A sheer red or pink is an easy step up from a nude.
- Shimmer and glitter: fine shimmer looks polished on fair and light skin, and bolder glitter shows up best on tan and deep skin.
For examples of each, see our velvet, chrome and jelly finishes.
Short nails: lighter and sheer shades a step off your skin tone make short nails look longer, because the eye does not stop at the nail edge. A single deep color in a high gloss also looks neat and deliberate on short nails.
Toe Nail Colors by Skin Tone
Toes can usually go brighter and bolder than hands, since they are seen from farther away and often next to sandals or a tan. Warm, bright shades that might feel loud on your fingers can look fresh on your toes.
On tan and dark skin, white and coral give a crisp contrast, which is one reason white toe polish is a summer favorite. On fair and pale skin, navy and berry look polished without washing your feet out. Light, medium and olive skin can wear almost any bright. In cooler months, deep reds and browns carry the same look; see our fall toe colors for ideas.
- Fair / Pale: navy, berry, cherry red
- Light and medium: coral, red, fuchsia
- Tan and olive: coral, white, turquoise
- Deep / Dark: white, orange, fuchsia, gold
Nail Colors for Mature Hands
On mature hands, sheer nudes and jelly finishes tend to blur ridges on the nail, and soft pinks flatter the skin around it, so the hand looks smooth. Classic deep reds and berry shades stay elegant on every skin tone, and shorter oval or rounded shapes look neat and are easier to keep up.
Gloss usually looks more flattering than matte here, since it reflects light and hides texture. If you love dark shades, try them on short nails with a glossy top coat. Very pale chalky shades can highlight dryness, so a ridge-filling base coat helps under light colors.
Seasonal Picks
The picks above work all year, because your skin tone matters more than the season. For shades tied to a season, see our summer nail colors and winter shades, and the Halloween colors by skin tone table for October. Each of those pages has its own skin-tone tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
What nail color suits my skin tone?
It depends on your skin’s depth and undertone. Deeper skin can carry brighter, saturated shades, and fair skin gets contrast from mid and deep shades. Use the Nail Color Finder or the color chart to see picks for your skin tone.
How do I know if I have a warm or cool undertone?
Check your skin in daylight. Gold jewelry looking brighter suggests warm; silver suggests cool; both suggest neutral. Green veins point to warm and blue to cool, but the vein test is less reliable on deep skin. See how to find your undertone.
What nail colors look good on every skin tone?
A classic red, a soft mauve-pink, navy, milky white and a sheer neutral suit almost everyone. Adjust them for depth: blue-red on fair skin and cherry red on deep skin, for example, and choose a nude a shade off your own skin.
What nail color makes fingers look longer?
Sheer pinks and nudes a shade lighter or deeper than your skin tend to make fingers look longer, because they create less of a visual break at the nail. A high gloss and almond or oval shapes add to the effect.
What nude nail polish suits dark skin?
Caramel, toffee and cocoa nudes tend to suit dark skin better than pale beige, which can look ashy or gray. Warm undertones lean caramel and cool undertones lean cocoa. The nude table has picks for every skin tone.
Does nail color look different on toes?
Yes, slightly. Toes are seen from farther away, so they can carry brighter and bolder shades than your hands. White and coral look crisp on tan and deep skin, and navy and berry suit fair skin. See toe nail colors.