Coral Nail Polish, Neon, Pink, Bright, Light Designs & Best Brands

You are probably here because you love coral nail polish or maybe you have just heard about it and want to learn more. In here, find what coral nail lacquer is, colors such as neon, pink, bright, light, red, orange, designs, best brands including Opi Essie and tips to use it on dark Skin and a lot more!

Coral Nail Polish-what is it?

Coral Nail Polish is basically a shade between bright red, pink, and orange which looks extra bright and vibrant for summer time. In fact coral nail polish is deemed by many as the ultimate summer shade as it closely resembles the color of strawberry lollies and watermelon. Some coral shades though lean more towards warm red while others have slightly cooler pink undertones.

Coral Nail Polish color names Designs Best Brands — Coral Nail Polish

Coral Nail Polish colors + Names

Even though coral is a distinct shade on its own, it can be further divided into several secondary shades depending on how bright or dark it is and its color undertones. Here is a guide on the most popular shades and recommendations for each.

Bright coral nail polish

Bright coral nail polish (similar to Neon nail polish) is usually light and bright enough for the summer season. China Glaze’s Flip Flop Fantasy and INLP so coral are probably the brightest corals you can find around.

Dark coral nail polish

Unlike bright and light coral nail polishes, this shade is dark enough to reach the red spectrum shades. Examples of dark coral nail polish are: Revlon Coral Me Wild and Rimmel Lycra Pro in 317, Coral Romance.

chart coral nail polish colors — Coral nail polish colors

Neon coral nail polish

Neon coral is almost the same shade as bright coral but their main difference is that neon coral may look brighter in dark U.V light. American Apparel Neon Coral nail polish and Zoya Paz shade are great neon coral shades.

Light coral nail polish

Apart from obviously being a light coral shade, light coral shades tend to lean towards the pink/orange side with no hint of red. Examples of this shade are: Essie Haute as Hello ( a light pink coral shade) and Elf in coral dream (a light coral orange shade).

Matte coral nail polish

Matte coral nail polish is a tricky shade not carried by most brands as coral shades tends to be bright and shiny, but there are a few options if you want to make the difference and go for a matte coral shade instead. Revlon’s Matte Nail Polish in Flaming and Piggy Paint (which is toxic-free and safe for children) natural as mud in Let’s Flamingle (a light matte coral pink shade) are a two options.

Coral pink nail polish

Coral pink nail polish, as it names implies is a neutral coral, usually light or medium, with pink undertones almost like a pink salmon shade. Examples: OPI Back To The Beach Peach) and Maybelline Color Show in Coral Craze.

Best Coral Nail Polish Brands

There are actually quite a few brands that carry this and similar shades in their nail polish collection. Here are some of the best choices:

Essie

Essie has multiple coral shades in their collection. Two of their most popular ones are Boat House (a dark coral with red watermelon undertones) and Essie California Coral (a deep coral red shade with warm undertones).

OPI

OPI also has a few great coral nail polishes in their collection and OPI has a great reputation for offering highly pigmented formulas that go opaque in just 1-2 strokes and lasting up to 10 days in some cases. OPI’s best coral shades include Carnaval (A bright coral shade with a hint of pink salmon hues) and Cajun Shrimp (a warm red coral with subtle orange undertones).

Revlon

Although not as popular as Essie or Opi, Revlon’s coral shades offer the same quality with the same or even lower price than most high-end brands. Revlon’s recommended coral nail shades are Revlon Craving Coral (a true coral red shade) and Coral Me Wild ( a medium coral shade with pink undertones).

Avon

Avon offers inexpensive yet good quality nail polish formulas and is also among the best options for coral nail polish. Avon’s coral reef (a light pink coral shade) and Avon’s gel finish in Coral Shimmer (a shimmery and bright coral shade with orange grapefruit undertones).

Chanel

Although a high-end and expensive brand, Chanel offers good quality formulas and color payoff that deserve their extra cash. Chanel’s best coral shades include shade 647 lilis (a muted orange coral), and shade 307 Orange Fizz which is a true pink grapefruit shade.

China Glaze

China Glaze’s impressive shade collection has more than 5 coral shades among others, which go opaque after 2-3 strokes. China Glaze most popular coral nail polish shades are Flip Flop Fantasy (a bright coral pink) and Flirty Tankini (a medium to dark coral red with pink undertones).

Sinful

Sinful colors is one of the least expensive brands to try out for getting a coral shade. Two of their best coral shades are Island Coral (a light coral pink with soft cool undertones) and Boogie Nights, which is a rich coral red shade with neutral undertones.

Estee Lauder

Among the high-end brands of nail polishes is Estee Lauder’s collection which features high quality formulas that last up to 10 days. Estee Lauder coral top choices include Hot Coral ( a true reddish coral shade with neutral to cool undertones) and Hot Spell (a dark coral red with subtle orange undertones).

Coral Nail Polish on Dark Skin

Coral shade is a bright shade that compliments almost any skin tone, but some coral shades will look best on lighter skin tones whereas others make an interesting contrast with tanned or naturally dark skin.

If you have a tanned or dark skin tone, these shades will look great on you:

OPI’s “I’m his coral friend”
Dior in shade 656 Cosmic
Pixi Caliente Coral

In general tanned and dark skin tones should ideally go for dark coral red or coral pink shades as anything too light with pink undertones may make their hands look washed out instead of brighter. Here is an example of a bad coral shade option on dark skin with golden/yellow undertones:

coral nail polish on golden dark skin — Coral on Dark skin

And here is an example of a great coral shade for tanned or dark skin:

Coral nail lacquer for tanned skin — Coral for tanned skin

Coral Nail Polish Designs

Coral is a shade that goes along well with neutral shades like white black and blue since it’s bright enough on its own and doesn’t need too much color contrast or else the result will look too bright and excessive. The only bright shade that really blends well with coral is a cool toned light teal, especially for summer.

Here are some ideas for coral nail art and other shades:

Design #1