What Color Should I Paint My Nails

How it works

Stuck at the polish rack or the salon wall? Press the button for one color or a two-tone idea, each shown as a swatch. It works the same for fingernails and toes.

Read the full guide

Narrow it to one group

After your first press, a list beside the button narrows the draw: Nudes and neutrals, Pinks and reds, Dark, Bright, Pastels, Metallic, or Two-tone and nail art. Every color has the same chance inside its group.

What color should I paint my toenails?

Anything on the list works on toes. A strong color such as classic red, coral or cobalt blue shows well from a distance, while a French manicure needs room for the white tip.

Tips

A clear top coat helps stop chips, and regular polish usually lasts two to seven days, so a color you tire of soon goes.

Questions and answers

What nail color should I get for a first try?

Start with a group rather than a single shade: Nudes and neutrals if you want nails that look clean and even, Pinks and reds if you want the classic look, Bright if you want people to notice.

What is a French manicure?

A natural pink or nude nail with a white tip, made to look like a clean natural nail. A modern version paints the tip another color, which is the Colored French tips card.

What nail polish color should I get if I cannot decide between two?

Wear both. The Two-tone and nail art group has ideas for two colors at once, such as one accent nail, alternating nails or a fade from the cuticle to the tip.

All 53 nail colors

Nudes and neutrals 9

Beige A warm, solid neutral that goes with any outfit.
Clear gloss No color at all: a clear coat for shine alone.
French manicure A natural pink or nude nail with a white tip.
Greige Halfway between gray and beige.
Milky white A soft, semi-sheer white, gentler than bright white.
Mocha A milky coffee brown.
Sheer nude A see-through skin tone that makes nails look clean and even.
Soft gray A pale, cool gray, quiet but not plain.
Taupe Gray-brown, a neutral with a little edge.

Pinks and reds 9

Brick red An earthy red with brown in it.
Bubblegum pink A sweet, candy-bright pink.
Burgundy A dark wine red.
Cherry red A deep, glossy red with a hint of blue.
Classic red The true red that nail polish has come in since the 1920s.
Coral Pink-orange, warm and summery.
Hot pink A loud magenta pink.
Pale pink The palest pink, close to the natural nail.
Rose A dusty mid pink with a touch of brown.

Dark 7

Black Glossy black, one of the first nail polish colors.
Charcoal Near-black gray, softer than black.
Chocolate brown A rich dark brown.
Deep teal A dark blue-green.
Forest green A deep, dark green.
Navy A dark blue that reads almost black indoors.
Plum A deep purple-brown.

Show all 53 nail colors (28 more)

Bright 6

Cobalt blue A strong, pure blue.
Lemon yellow A sharp, sunny yellow.
Lime green A neon yellow-green.
Tangerine A bright, juicy orange.
Turquoise A bright tropical blue-green.
Violet A vivid blue-purple.

Pastels 8

Baby blue A pale sky blue.
Butter yellow A soft, creamy yellow.
Lavender A soft pastel purple.
Lilac A pink-leaning pastel purple.
Mint green A cool pastel green.
Pastel rainbow A different pastel on each nail.
Peach A pale orange-pink.
Sage green A muted gray-green.

Metallic 8

Bronze A deep brown metallic.
Champagne A pale gold, close to beige.
Copper An orange-brown metallic, like a new penny.
Gold A warm metallic yellow.
Gunmetal A dark metallic gray.
Pewter A soft, dull silver-gray.
Rose gold A pink-tinted gold.
Silver A cool, bright metallic gray.

Two-tone and nail art 6

Accent nail Nude on every nail but one ring-finger nail in gold.
Black and white Alternate the two nail by nail.
Colored French tips A nude nail with the tip painted a color instead of white.
Half-moon Red with a bare crescent left near the cuticle, as in the 1920s and 1930s.
Navy and gold Navy nails with gold tips or one gold accent.
Pink fade Pale pink at the cuticle fading to hot pink at the tip.

How this list was compiled: 53 nail polish colors and two-tone ideas for fingernails or toenails. Checked on 2026-09-23 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_polish: nail polish traditionally came in clear, white, red, pink, purple and black; nail colors moved from French manicures and standard reds to wider palettes from the 1920s; a French manicure has a natural pink or nude base with white tips, and a modern one may use another color for the tips; the French manicures of the 1920s and 1930s were generally red with a crescent near the cuticle left bare; regular polish typically lasts two to seven days without chipping and gel polish up to two weeks; a clear top coat helps prevent chipping. Our own, not from a source: the list, the names (plain color words, no brand shade names), every hex value (chosen by eye so a swatch can be shown), the groups and every line. No brand is named. Licence: own work