Natural nail colors you need to know about

Natural nail colors are an absolute Godsend.

Sometimes life gets complicated, crazy, or hella dramatic.

In those moments, looking down at simple, natural nails somehow makes me feel a little calmer, a little more composed, and ready to deal.

Not only that, but natural nail colors also go with every outfit and work for literally every occasion.

So, what’s not to love?

In this post, we’re going to share our favorite natural nail colors for a variety of skin tones.

Plus some expert tips and advice to help you choose your perfect match.

So whether you’re looking for natural gel nail colors, dip powders, acrylics, or good ol’ regular nail polishes, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s get on with it and find your perfect natural nail polish color!

Natural nail colors

What is a natural nail color?

Well, that depends on your skin tone and your taste.

Natural nail colors range from the prettiest pale ballet slipper pink to the most decadent chocolate brown.

We’ll deep dive into the best nude nail polishes for dark, light, and medium skin further down.

But for now, here are a few of our favorite natural nail polish options and who they work best for:

Essie ballet slippers (check price)

This natural shade from Essie is one of the most popular natural nail polish colors.

It works well for almost anyone.

But it’s most complimentary for those with medium to light skin tones in the neutral range.

OPI Baby take a vow (check price)

This pale natural pink is subtle and elegant.

It works best for those with light and cool skin.

Zoya’s Grace (check price)

This milky peach nude looks amazing on light to medium-warm-skinned beauties.

OPI A clay in the life (check price)

This subtle light pink is a great natural-looking nail color for those with warm and dark skin.

Beetles Milky White gel polish (check price)

This is a gel polish that needs a UV or an LED lamp to cure.

The color is gorgeous on everyone and is truly universal.

Natural gel nail colors

If it’s gel polish you’re after, check out these classy and elegant nail polish offerings.

Whether you want short natural gel nails or longer ones, these colors will look chic.

Warm-toned colors harmonize best with warm skin tones, and if you have cool skin, go for a cool-toned natural nail color from the following list:

All the nail colors in this section are long-lasting, chip resistant, and must be cured with a nail lamp.

They make great bases for natural gel nail designs too.

Natural dip nail colors

For natural-looking dip nails, you’ll need an acrylic dip powder that’s understated and chic.

Here are some great options for natural dip nail colors and powder lovers.

You’re sure to find some natural dip nails ideas you’ll love from these options.

Natural nail colors for dark skin

Dark-skinned beauties, this section’s for you.

These polishes will help you to channel your inner goddess.

OPI nail polish colors for dark skin:

• Icelanded a bottle of OPI

• Somewhere over the rainbow mountains

• You’ve got that Glas-glow

• My Italian is a little rusty

Other natural nail colors for dark skin:

• Pear Nova – Dianna Boss

• Deborah Lipmann – Fashion

• Essie – Centerpiece of attention

• Essie – Sheer silhouette

• Essie – Keep branching out

Natural nail colors for brown skin

If you have brown skin, you should check out the colors in the dark skin section above as many of these may work for you.

But here are some beautiful colors for brown skinned-beauties:

• OPI – Put it in neutral

• OPI – Coconuts over OPI

• Essie – Low tide High slit

• Essie -Topless and barefoot

• Essie – Lighten the mood

• Essie – well-nested energy

• Essie – Hostess with the mostess

If you have brown skin, you should find that one or more of the polishes in this section will work beautifully for you.

Natural nail colors for light skin

For my fair-skinned beauties, here is a selection of carefully curated polishes just for you.

For OPI colors, please scroll down to the OPI natural nail colors section below.

• Zoya – Evelyn (a soft cool-toned pink blush)

• Zoya – Agnes (a warm-toned muted blush)

• Zoya – Sabrina (white with hints of fleshy pink)

• Zoya – Madison (pale pink with a milky finish)

• Essie – Lighten the mood (ivory white)

• Essie – Of corset (sheer warm beige nude)

Natural nail colors acrylic

These are all acrylic powders that look very natural for sculpting a full set of nail extensions:

• Morovan – nude pink acrylic powder

• Karlash– professional acrylic powder in natural pink

• Beetles – acrylic powder in peach nude

These are all great options for natural-looking acrylic nails.

OPI natural nail colors

Here are our favorite natural nail colors from OPI.

To make your nail life a little easier, we’ve organized them according to the skin tones they work best for.

You’re welcome.

OPI natural nail colors for light skin

If you are light and cool, try these shades:

These are great colors for light and neutral-skinned beauties:

• You’ve got that Glas-glow

• Don’t bossa nova me around

• Somewhere over the rainbow mountains

What OPI nail colors to wear if you’re light and warm:

OPI nail colors for medium skin

If you are medium and cool, check out these awesome shades:

Here are some shades to suit medium and neutral skin tones:

• Somewhere over the rainbow mountains

Medium and warm skin tones might wanna try out:

OPI nail colors for dark skin

Colors to try if you’re dark and cool:

Here are some amazing shades to suit dark and neutral skin tones:

• Icelanded a bottle of OPI

• Somewhere over the rainbow mountains

• You’ve got that Glas-glow

These are some stunning nail color ideas for those with dark and warm skin:

• My Italian is a little rusty

I hope that you found that useful.

Natural nail colors with glitter

If you like natural colors with a touch of sparkle then here are some great options for you:

These polishes will all add a little extra something to your nude mani.

How to choose the best natural nail color for you

I wouldn’t feel like a good nail friend if I didn’t give you my top tips to help you choose your perfect color match.

So here they are.

1. Know your skin tone. You need to know 2 things. First – are you light, medium, or dark? 

Next, are your undertones warm, cool, or neutral? If you’re not sure exactly, check out this guide.

2. Choose polishes that compliment both your skin tone and your skin’s color intensity level. This is known as shade matching.

3. Try matching your nail color to your nail beds instead of your skin tone for an equally harmonious look.

4. Choose nail colors that you love. It sounds simple, but it’s true. If you don’t love the color, you won’t wear it.

5. Pick a finish that you like. Do you prefer creams, shimmers, metallics, or glitters? 

Think about your own personal style and what you tend to wear most often. This will help you narrow down your choices.

Let’s polish things off

Natural nail colors are a great choice for anyone who wants a versatile and low-maintenance manicure. They go with everything and work for any situation from the office to a special event.

If you’re unsure of what shades to choose, consider your skin tone and undertone, as well as the intensity level of your skin color. And most importantly, pick a polish that you love!

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that you found it useful.

Thanks for reading and happy polishing!