Best Nail Polish Colors for Dark Skin Tones

Knowing the right nail color for your dark skin is important if you want to not only to look super cute but also a person who understands her skin tone and what to do bring the best out of it. Find out more…

What are the Best for Dark Skin Tones?

If you have dark Afro-American or Latin skin tone like Beyonce, Tyra Banks, or even Lupita Nyon’go, you can do well with warm or cool in some cases medium to dark shades, depending on how dark your skin tone is and if you have olive or neutral undertones.

If you want to go beyond the ordinary range, you can even sport some light and bright colors like teal or candy pink (think of Nicki Minaj) but any bright shades like that should be worn in warmer months as they will look too bright and fake on winter.

Nail Polish on Dark Celebrities-Lupita and Beyonce — Beyonce & Lupita with Nail polish

Summer Nail Colors for Dark Skin

Despite the popular notion that dark skin tones can only wear dark colors, during summer, you can wear various bright shades that are also worn by lighter skin tones.

Here are some ideas you could try out:

nail-lacquer-for-dark-skin-milani — Milani

Bright Teal shades like:

Sally Hansen’s the real nail polish. This a beautiful medium to light nail polish with subtle fine silver glitters. The formula may need more than 1 coat to cover to look even and opaque but online reviewers say that this lasts more than 5 days.
Milani Fresh Teal nail polish. This is a true Tiffany blue shade that creates an interesting contrast when paired with dark skin. Celebrities like Rihanna and Nicki Minaj are fans of this nail polish shade for summer.

Sea Blue/Green shades like:

Sephora by Opi Teal we meet again. A great deep teal shade with blue sparkles that add that radiant sea/mermaid look.
Opi’s Ski Till We drop. A dark blue teal color with a glossy non-glittery finish that’s perfect for dark skin tones in the summer and doesn’t look too bright or pretentious.
Sally Hansen in “Turquoise opal”. If you want to turn heads in a summer night or party out, this shade is perfect for this purpose. It’s basically a dark sea green with a holographic glitter finish that changes depending on the light.

Fuchsia pink shades like:

Opi in “Hotter than you pink”. This a true hot pink shade that creates an interesting contrast with dark skin tones
Dior in 667 Pink Graffity. Another great summery hot pink shade with purple undertones and a natural semi-glossy finish.
Essie Brides No Grooms. A perfect berry hot pink shade with a glossy finish and a long lasting formula.

Vibrant Coral Red Shades like:

Essie Meet Me and Sunset. A deep coral red shade with orange undertones, perfect for holidays and matches almost any summer outfit.
Dior Corrail in shade 899. A magnificent coral shade that resembles the color of a red martini.

You can also try out blue navy shades and jadestone greens if you are not a fan of too bright shades for summer. The only colors that won’t suit you much are bright or burnt orange hues with brown undertones as they will make our natural skin tone looks more yellowy-orange that it is already.

Fall Nail Colors for Dark Skin

If you have a dark skin tone and you are looking for the perfect fall shade to match it, here are some ideas:

Magenta and Burgundy Reds such as:

Essie Sure Shot. A radiant semi-holographic magenta color that is perfect for the fall season.
Chick Fling Cherry. A cool red cherry color that looks very elegant on dark skin tones.

Cool deep Purples like:

Opi Casino Royale. A classic deep purple with cool undertones and glossy, long-lasting finish.
Mac Nail Polish in Taste Temptation. A medium to dark cool purple with a natural , semi-glossy finish.
Butter London in Proper Purple. A very interesting deep purple shade with a subtle two-dimensional finish that doesn’t look too glittery or obvious.
Zoya Nail Lacquer in Monica. A deep purple berry shade with a semi-matte finish.

Medium to Dark Nude browns like:

OPI’s San Antonio. A medium nude brown shade with neutral beige undertones.
Lunasol’s medium beige. A cool-toned medium to dark beige shade that’s perfect for the fall season and matches up any outfit.
Butter London. A tan brown beige with neutral undertones for any dark skin tone regardless of skin undertones.

Golden Greens like:

CQs Golden Green Nail Polish. A radiant golden green nail polish with olive undertones and a pearly duochrome finish.
Model’s own in Beetle Juice. Another gorgeous duo chrome golden green shade that looks great on a fall night (or day).

Winter Nail Colors for Dark Skin-Red & Blue

Most fall shades like the ones discussed earlier in the fall section can also be worn on Winter, although if you want more festive nails here are some ideas you could try out:

Red

While almost every red looks amazing with dark skin tones,

Medium to Deep reds like:

Deep reds work well with darker skin tones and give “a slight variation.” Think full, rich shades that you might find in gemstones or a glass of amazing red wine. This is according to Lippmann

Nars Rouge Andalou. A medium to deep fiery red with a subtle pearly sheen.
Essie in Bordeaux. A deep red Bordeaux shade with neutral undertones, perfect if you are not a fan of cool plumy red shades.
Dior 999 in Red Royalty. A medium fiery red shade that looks great in the festive season.

Blue

Cool toned-dark blues like:

Dior in Blue Label. A very impressive and elegant deep blue shade with a leathery glossy finish. A must-have for dark skin tones during winter.
Zoya in Dream (from the Winter 2013 glitter collection). A head-turning blue shade with a holographic glossy finish that almost looks like a snowy night sky.

Silvers, golds, bronzes and rose golds are also perfect for cold winter months and make your nails look all glammed up without any need to add additional designs or sparkle.

Matte & Gel Nail Polish for Dark Skin

Matte

Purple Velvet is a nice grape purple matte. It comes with a hint of shimmer in it. Purples that are too light or dark may not give the best results but with this shade you are guaranteed some cool results. Requires two coats now that its matte

You can also try Zoya Nail Lacquer in Charisma. It is an ultra-bright neon magenta-red purple color that gives a matte finish.

Gel

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Hydro Electric;
Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy in Get Lucky

How to Choose Best Nail Polish Colors for Dark Skin -Ideas & Tips

Best nail polish color for dark skin tips and ideas — Nail polish Colors for dark skin

If you have dark skin tones want to play up your solid nail polish color, try some black and white designs, purple and white, red with golden designs and anything metallic that adds some touch of sparkle.

During summer it’s best to avoid combining baby pastel hues like for example mint green with baby pink flowers as they will look too bright and unnatural in contrast to your natural skin color.