Whenever I have some extra money to spare, I always treat myself to a manicure and/or pedicure. One of my favorite things to do at the salon is look at the giant wall of nail polishes and search for the perfect color. However, as much as I love finding the right shade of polish at the salon, I actually only own a few bottles myself. On the other hand, I have friends who own huge bags filled with dozens of nail polishes.
{RELATED POST: The Top 9 Hottest Nail Color Trends Right Now}
But whatever the size of your nail polish collection, there are some colors that every girl should own. So here are our top 5 must-have colors, as well as some tips for finding your perfect shade:
Table of Contents
#1 A Classic Red
Product Information: Love & Beauty’s Rose, Chanel’s Dragon, OPI’s Big Apple Red, Essie’s Who’s She Red
Red is a timeless shade for your nails; it’s the perfect basic choice that works for both formal and everyday events. A classic red will never go out of style.
Related reading: 17 Beautiful Red Nail Ideas You Can Rock Year-Round
#2 A Pretty Pink
Product Information: Elf’s Bubblegum Pink, M.A.C.’s Steamy, ULTA’s Berry-Go-Round, ORLY’s Basket Case
Pink polish screams feminine and is always a popular pick at salons. The color is a great choice for spring or summer and brighter shades really pop against a (hopefully faux) tan.
#3 A No-Nonsense Neutral
Product Information: China Glaze’s Linger, Maybelline’s Blushing Bride, OPI’s Malaysian Mist, Revlon’s Barely Peach
A neutral shade is the perfect polish to wear if you want a barely-there look that will never appear over-the-top. Natural shades of polish are also great choices for conservative workplaces or interviews.
#4 A Mysterious Dark Color
Product Information: Essie’s Material Girl, ORLY’s Liquid Vinyl, OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark, OPI’s Yoga-ta Get This Blue!
As soon as September hits, I usually switch over to darker-colored polishes and stick with them throughout most of fall and winter. There are lots of options here when it comes to shades – you can go with a bold black or a polish with blue, purple, red or brown undertones. Dark colors look chicest on shorter nails, and do require more maintenance than lighter hues because chips are more obvious.
#5 A Color That Makes You Happy
Product Information: China Glaze’s Turned Up Turquoise, Love & Beauty’s Plum Glitter, Pop Beauty’s Radioactive, Champagne by Models Own
I’m sure most of you know that color can affect your mood, so I think that everyone should own at least one polish color that just makes you happy. It can be your favorite color, a metallic or something with some sparkle. You could even try a trendy polish, if that’s your style!
Tips for Finding a Perfect Shade of Nail Polish
The key to finding the perfect nail polish color is to locate the shade that works best with your skin’s undertones. OPI’s website has a tool for doing this (found under ‘try it on’), and although it can only be used for the company’s nail polishes, it will give you a good idea of the general shades that would work best on you.
It’s also important to remember that polish often looks different on your nails then it does inside the bottle. To know what I’m getting before I buy, I check online for reviews or pictures to see if anyone has tried the polish in question. All Lacquered Up is my favorite place to look; the woman who runs it has tried thousands of different nail polishes, gives honest opinions and takes lots of pictures. It’s a fantastic resource.
What do you think?
Do you agree with these choices? What are your must-have colors? Do you own a ton of nail polish? What are your favorite nail polish brands? Be sure to leave a comment and let us know!
So I have Yo-ga- to get this blue, and turned up turqouise and I LOVE them!!!!!
So true! I’m a fan of shimmering blue, myself.
omg this post makes me happy.cuz i have every single one of them! =)
Awesome post!!
Yay a nail polish article! I’ve been trying to find a colour to match a light teal skirt today, what colour would any of you guys pick out? 🙂
See, I don’t have any “must have” colors… I must have ANY color! I think nail polish is my one beauty obsession.
Lottie, I’m with Laura… yellow and purple were my first choices. Or silver/gold, depending on your accessories.
My favorite nail color of all time…Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dry in Cinna Snap (awesome dark red shade!!)
These must-haves definitely mirror my own little collection! I have 2 reds…one standard “neutral” red and one more coral-ish for summer. I also have a good nude neutral, a pink, a dark navy, and a metallic silver.
Haha Laura the jaundiced comment made me laugh 😛
I don’t think i’m brave enough for orange.. definitely going to give a yellow or purple a go.. and probably gold (not at once though ) Thanks!
I mostly have happy colors (I think the only mysterious color I own is Midnight in NY by Sally Hansen, actually…), but I love this list anyway.
One thing I have to add is to look for swatches of people actually wearing the nailpolish of your choice. Often times, these swatches are included in the product images of Amazon.com, as people add them themselves. I mainly say that because I’ve noticed the Try It On feature on OPI doesn’t always accurately depict the colors – I once “tried on” a shade and didn’t realize I already owned the color because I didn’t even recognize it.
Yes, yes, yes!
Spot on!
I was watching tv and they showing different color nails on each how would I do that would I match up different pink or something black and white thanks
how about a bold orange, lottie??? or a bright yellow? unless your skin doesn’t suit yellow well, mine certainly doesn’t (makes me look jaundiced). Or even a bright purple? i like purple with teal 🙂
Lovely! I am looking for the perfect black nail polish- I just really like the look of them.
perfect! i own all those colors and i LOVE them 😀