If you’ve ever taken a picture of your hands, like after a manicure, or maybe while holding a big ol’ donut at brunch (hey, what do you take pictures of?), then you know how, uh, ugly hands can be in the wrong lighting, or with the wrong polish, or with a bad donut. (Just kidding—there are no bad donuts.) Which is why we’re really into the idea of nail-polish contouring, which is basically just picking specific colors for your skin tone to give your hands a bit more oomph. No, we’re not saying that this is a required step for any human being, because we realize that hands are just hands, but if you’re planning to wear nail polish anyways, why not make it purposeful?
To help you decode your digits, we asked the very brilliant manicurist Jin Soon Choi to break down the best shades for your skin tone and dream hand look. Because that’s a thing, right? Right.
Nail Colors That Make Your Hands Look Younger
When looking for your next shade, look for colors that accentuate your hands without coming off too bright. "Choose colors that are not too immature or too neon-like," says Choi. "They should be more elegant and have sharp color pigmentation to make your skin look vivid."
Fair Skin: Try a soft, blush-y pink, like Bubble Bath.
Medium Skin: Look for a bright coral orange, like Enflammee.
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OPI Bubble Bath
JINsoon Enflammee
OPI Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya
Olive and June Bold & Unshaken
Nail Colors That Make Your Hands Look Tan
No matter your skin tone we can all appreciate a bronzy glow. "Try to use colors that make your hands look a bit more bronzed, like orange, yellow, green, or opaque pastel colors," says Choi.
It's important that you choose colors that make your nail beds stand out, especially if you prefer short nails. "Opaque whites and pastel shades give your nail beds a bigger appearance in contrast to your skin," says Choi.
Deep colors are perfect for the colder months and the perfect approach to a toned-down, neutral manicure. "Darker shades tend to make nail beds look smaller, so make sure that you choose deep colors that naturally compliment your skin tone, especially in the winter," she says.
Fair Skin:Look for an oxblood red, likeSingle Ladies.
If you don't want your nails to stand out too much, or you are not a fan of experimenting, match colour density to your skin: pair pale skin with pastels and nudes, go for medium tones if your skin is medium dark, and choose midnight blue, purple, dark grey or black if you have dark skin.
“Nail polish colors that have cool tones—like blue, lavender, and light pink—typically complement people with cool undertones,” says celebrity manicurist Queenie Nguyen. Pastel colors, blue-based reds, and jewel tones are also very flattering. If you're choosing brown nail polish, lean toward taupes.
Warm-toned nail colors like coral, peach, or bronze can enhance your tan. These shades create a harmonious and flattering look that brings out the warmth in your complexion. Experiment with different warm-toned shades to find the ones that complement your skin tone the best.
Beige – If you're looking for a truly neutral shade, try a classic and timeless beige such as French Vanilla. This polish is an ideal option for both professional and casual settings. Its undertones complement warm-toned fair skin well.
A bluish shade indicates a cool complexion, while a greenish one shows you have a warm complexion. This makes matching easier, since cool complexions ask for cool shades (any tone of green, blue and purple), whereas warm complexions obviously require warm shades (all tones of yellow, orange, red and violet).
Among the colour palette that boasts versatility, classic red holds an absolutely special place. Red nails - a one-of-a-kind classic, a striking manicure idea that you can combine with nail ornaments. What nail colour goes with everything? The answer is simple: red nails!
The "Red Nails Theory" is a popular theory that states that men are more attracted to women with red nails. This theory has been around for years, and has been backed up by scientific studies. One study found that men were more likely to rate a woman as attractive if she was wearing red nail polish.
“For younger-looking hands, orange or peach-based hues work best,” says Colette Keenan, butter LONDON national field manager, adding that shades with orange undertones, such as reds or corals, draw attention away from any signs of aging.
"Expensive looking nails have a real chic look about them. Opting for a one colour manicure in either a sheer nude, a rich dark red or even a classic pillar box red screams luxury to me!
For example, if you have a warm undertone, go for shades of red, orange, and yellow. If you have a cool undertone, try shades of green, blue, and purple. If you're not sure what your undertone is, there are plenty of online quizzes that can help you figure it out.
Nude and pastel colors are a great choice for short nails, as they actively make them look longer. Because they visually appear like they're continuing your finger line, they make your fingers look thinner and slimmer. For best results, use a color that's a shade lighter than your skin tone.
When choosing your neutral nail polish, the trick is to stick to your temperature/tonal range (warm, cool or neutral). To offer a bit of contrast to your complexion, experiment with colours that are a touch deeper or lighter than your actual skin colour within your tonal group.
The Sun Exposure Test: Spending time in the sun is a good way of revealing one's undertone. If you tend to tan easily and rarely burn, you have a warm tone.If you burn very easily and tan minimally, you are cool-toned.If you both tan and burn, you have a neutral tone.
“If you have a lighter skin tone, the color would differ depending on how fair your skin is, but corals, greens, and red would be good for older hands because it draws attention to the nails,” according to Orly. According to Orly, older adults with darker skin may look best in orange, gold, and gray shades.
Consider Your Skin Tone: Different nail colors can complement different skin tones. For fair skin, light pastels, soft pinks, and nude shades work well. Medium skin tones can pull off a wide range of colors, including vibrant reds, corals, and purples.
Should Your Manicure and Pedicure Match? Simply put, no – you mani and pedi doesn't have to match. Back in the day, it used to be mandatory to match the colour on your fingernails to your toes but, over the years this trend has become predictable and a little boring too.
Nail polish popularity ebbs and flows with the tides of trends, but the most enduring shades are the classics: red, nude, pale pink, sheer white, and opaque white.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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