Nail polish can change a woman’s entire look. It can make her appear chic and sophisticated or fun and flirty. Nail polish is often seasonal, glowing bright and fresh in the spring, going neon or beach bright pinks and oranges in the summer, getting darker into maroons and metallic in the fall and finally falling into crimsons in the winter.

Apart from the seasons, each skin tone has its own color palette that would look the best on it. While some colors may look amazing on the model’s hands or even on your friend’s nails but at the same time they can look dull or unflattering on your own fingers and toes. Nail paints pep up your style! Though, experimenting with nail polish colours is fun but at times, it could really turn out to be a disaster! It’s not about wearing the matching colour nail polish to your dress, it is about wearing a shade of nail polish which would actually complement your skin tone rather than messing around with it! It’s a fact that not every shade can look good on every skin tone and stating that if a shade suits you in lipstick will suit your skin tone when applied as a nail polish is false! There is no such rule!

Below is the basic guide of color tones that will work for different skin types:

Very Fair Skin

Women with very fair skin usually have pink undertones to their skin tone. Though, wearing a blank nail polish and ‘invisible’ nail polish can be nearly a disaster! There are plenty of colours and shades, which can perfectly complement your skin tone. Try shades that belong to the pastel family. In case you want to apply dark colour nail polish, go for very dark blue, navy blue and midnight blue shades. To get a chic look, you can apply dark shades of red and pink. Avoid applying shades like dark orange, gold and green as they might hinder your beautiful look.

Fair Skin

Women with fair skin tone can play with various shades of light colours. However, staying away from dark colour nail polish will be the best advice. Pastel shades work like a charm for fair skin toned women. You may even apply colours like red and pink to brighten up your complexion. Shades of blues, oranges and peach enhance the beauty of your skin tone as well. If you want more of a subtle style, then apply white, silver, beige or pale pink. Nail polish colours like plums, burgundy and purple also work very well for women having fair skin tone.

Medium Skin Tone

Women having medium or olive complexion enjoy a wide range of colours. Colours like dark burgundy and wines look fabulous on your skin tone. To go for something bright and fun, opt for vibrant colours like pink, blue, yellow and orange. Since, olive skin tone has a combination yellow undertone and greenish hue, peach and shades of gold enhance olive complexions. Colours like chocolate browns and reds look awesome and complement this skin tone. If you are looking for a darker shade, then you may go for black, navy dark pinks. Silver and metallic blue also enhance the grace of this skin tone. Ladies having medium skin tone should avoid wearing shades like dark purple, navy blue and red. Also, bronze colours and pastel shades won’t appear good with your complexion.

Tanned Skin Tone

Tanned skin tone looks best in warm colours. Shades of light blues, pinks and purples do their job fantastically! Colours like tangerine, light brown, copper brown and chocolate look pretty with tanned skin tone. Girls having this skin tone should totally avoid nail polish having light shades or shades of gold because they might blend in with their complexion and lose its charm.

Dark Skin Tone

Women with dark skin tone are suggested to wear rich and deep shades. Nail polish colours like burgundy, vibrant purples and plums work like a charm! If you want to pep up your look, go for bright orange and pinks. Though dark shades look great with this skin tone, very dark tones like deep purples, grays and black should be completely avoided! Neon yellow, neon orange and neon green will total disappointment if you were planning on wearing them. White, silver and pastel shades should also be avoided.

Once you know which shades would complement your skin tone, all you’ll need is that perfect shade and a nice manicure. There are chances that some of your favorite nail paint colours don’t actually look good on you! So, just gift it to a friend or a cousin whom you think the shade will work on!

Since you know the colors that will work on your skin tone I would also like you to know the Top 12 trending colors of this year which are Buttery Yellow, Dusty Teal, Juicy Magenta, Mellow Mushroom, Bold Chartreuse, Forest Green, Mod White, Shimmering Cobalt, Soft Lavender, Silky Grey, Fiery Orange and Ballet Pink.

Now you know a lot about Nail paint so below are some general tips to always have the best looking Nails:

• Your nails should always be evenly cut and filed to the same height and shape. They can be short, long, square, rounded or pointed and will look good this way even without anything on them.
• Dark colours & glitter/metallic polishes look best on shorter nails
• If you keep your nail length long, make sure it’s not so long that it restricts your movement and looks silly. They should always look like they could be that length naturally even if you’ve extended them.
• Red nails with gold glitter on top/blue nails with pink glitter and all such contrasting combinations of colour and glitter should generally be avoided, you don’t want to look like an 8 year old whose just been allowed to wear nail polish for the first time.
• Nail art and interesting manicures are all the rage, so try them but make sure the quality and finish is neat, otherwise again they will look juvenile.
• Chipped nails are a big no. If you’re nails chip you should just remove the colour asap.
• Remember to give your nails a periodic break by not wearing anything on them. The health of your nails is important.
• When in doubt go for a nude, beige, or taupe polish on short nails for an instant put together vibe.
• Buy high quality products as cheap ones not only affect the health of your nails but also turn them yellow.

Have fun and experiment to find what you love! It’s just nail polish at the end of the day, and if you don’t like it, you can take it off the very next minute. I hope you had fun reading my guide to your best looking nails, let me know what you thought and if there are any colours you absolutely can’t live without! I’d love to try them myself and add them to this list.