Winter Nail Colours for an Instant Outfit Update

by Kathleen Loxton
Winter Nail Colours

To complete your winter look you need the perfect winter nails. With this guide you’ll know which colours to choose, whether you want festive sparkle or deep, warming colours.

Adjusting to the winter weather is hard, especially when it comes to your nails. They spend half the time hidden inside gloves, so it’s easy to forget about them. But there are so many gorgeous colours to experiment with this winter that you’ll be spoilt for choice.

What Nail Colours are in This Winter?

Gone are the bright pinks and yellows of summer. It’s time to welcome the winter tones and the sparkling ice colours.

Go Dark

As the dark nights draw in the newest nail trends are going darker to match, but this doesn’t mean they have to be drab and dull. Popular colours this winter are deep reds, purples, midnight blues and dark greens. These deep shades are intense and warming with burgundy reds looking like it will be one of the favourites.

Essie Dark Winter Nail Colours

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Icy Colours

If you want to stand out this winter, you should swap the warm colours for icy hues. Pale blues, greys and stark whites are a popular winter colours every year, because who doesn’t want to be an ice princess?

If you are choosing white nail polish this winter go for cold shades with hints of blue, and add a little glitter to really make your nails pop.

Icy Winter Nail Colours

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Glitter Metallic Nails

Glittery festive nails become popular around Christmas time. But why not start to embrace them early? You can choose full coverage or just a subtle top coat of glitter. Gold is the most popular but you can now find glitter nail polish in all your winter colours.

If you don’t want to fully commit to the glitter nail polish trend choose a deep colour you like, then add some contrast by using a glitter top coat on just one nail. Or if you want shiny instead of glittery there are many popular metallic shades this winter. Blues and browns are a good choice. Blend your metallic colours with white or black nail polish if you want to darken or brighten your look.

Glitter Nail Colours

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Winter Manicure

If you’re more of a French manicure kind of girl, you can still add a touch of winter charm to your nails. Just a hint of glitter or sparkle will turn your nails from simple manicure to gorgeous winter nails. Alternatively, you can swap the nude base colours for one of the on-trend winter colours, like the dark red shown below.

Take a look at some winter manicure trends below for ideas.

Winter ManicureTrend

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Nude Nails

If you’d rather stick a clean, natural look you can still keep your nails on trend for winter. To stay subtle, swap your nude colour for the same shade in a metallic polish. You could also keep it simple by adding a top coat of barely-there glitter colour to your nails.

If you like vintage or retro styles, half-moon nail art is a quirky alternative to the French manicure. Choose a dark winter colour at your nail bed to contrast the nude base colour (below, left).

Nude Nails for Winter

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Top Nail Polish Brands

As it starts to get colder, it’s time for the nail polish brands to release their fall and winter collections. Here are three of our favourites.

Essie

For those of you looking for a brand to take you into the colder seasons, Essie’s six-shade fall 2016 collection will take you straight through autumn and all the way to winter. As you may be able to tell from the quirky names, like maki me happy and kimono over, this collection was inspired by Tokyo’s bustling city. The burnt orange and crimson colours are warming for autumn. While the icy grey and blue bring you straight out into the cold.

Rimmel

If you’re following the glitter nail polish trend, you’ll love Rimmel’s Love Glitter collection. With ‘shards of shimmering glitter’, these are the ultimate festive nail polishes. From ‘Queen of Bling’ gold (centre) to a more muted ‘Mistletoe Mischief’ (bottom left), there is a colour for everyone. There’s also ‘Tinsel Toes’ (top right), with shards of pink and blue, for those who want the perfect winter toe nail colours.

Rimmel’s Love Glitter nail varnishes can be worn as a top coat or over nude nails. Apply two coats for maximum sparkle.

Zoya

If you’re looking for nail varnish specifically for Christmas, Zoya’s Enchanted: The Xmas Collection is a range of six magical colours. They’re festive without looking tacky. Elphie is a deep Christmas tree green with a touch of pixie dust. With its iridescent blue, Saint is a shimmering icy nail polish.

Zoya also has an Urban Grunge Metallics winter colour range for those of you who want a bit of sparkle without the glare of glitter.

How to Rock the Nail Polish Trends

It’s not all about the colours. How you blend and style them is just as important. So here are a few ideas, from Fashion Trend Seeker, of this winter’s nail polish trends.

Overall…

Now you know the best winter nail colours and brands of this year you have a lot of styles to choose from. Whether you want to keep it subtle or go mad with glitter, keep our quick guide in mind so you stay on trend.

Guide On Winter Nails

  • For icy nails go for whites, greys and blues.
  • For warmer tones, darker reds, purples and greens are on trend this season.
  • Use glitter nail polish as a top coat for a sparkly look.
  • Alternatively choose a metallic nail polish.
  • Swap the nude base on your French manicure for an instant winter update.
  • Don’t forget your clear topcoat to keep your nail polish on for longer.

Read more great articles on women’s beauty & makeup at Alexie.co

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