Finding nail colors that suit your skin tone

Start with your undertone

Depth is how light or deep your skin looks. Undertone is the hue underneath, and it is usually cool, warm, neutral or olive. Two people of the same depth can look quite different in the same red, so undertone does more of the work when you pick a color. These quick checks can help:

• Wrist veins that look blue or purple suggest cool, green suggests warm, and hard to say suggests neutral
• Silver jewelry looking brightest on you suggests cool, and gold suggests warm
• A slight green or gray cast in some light can point to olive
• No clear answer on any of these usually means neutral, and neutral skin can borrow from every list below

Fair and pale skin

Fair skin shows contrast clearly, so deep shades look crisp and light ones look delicate. Cool-toned fair skin pairs well with ballet pinks, lilac, berry, blue-based red and navy. Warm-toned fair skin tends to glow in peach, apricot, warm rose and coral.

Nudes take a little care. A beige with too much yellow can blend into the finger and look washed out, so look for one with a touch of pink or peach in it. A sheer milky shade is an easy alternative. If your knuckles flush easily, very bright pinks and orange-reds can make that redness stand out, and a berry or soft neutral balances it.

Medium and olive skin

Medium skin is flexible. Warm undertones look rich in terracotta, coral, caramel and teal, and cool undertones take raspberry, plum and soft gray nicely. A caramel or rosewood nude usually sits close to the skin and makes fingers look longer.

Olive skin carries a green or gold cast that loves depth. Emerald, plum, burgundy, rust and warm taupe tend to sit beautifully against it. Yellow-greens and very ashy beiges can pull out the green, so try those against your hand before you commit.

Nail colors for dark skin and deep tones

Nail colors for dark skin have an enormous range, because deep skin carries saturated color so well. Cobalt, fuchsia, tangerine, emerald and crisp white all stand out, and gold or copper chrome looks rich against it. Oxblood and espresso can look elegant too, especially with a glossy finish. Pastels deserve a place on the list as well, since lavender, mint and baby blue make a sharp, fresh contrast against deep skin.

Nude is the shade to be picky about. Standard pale beige can look chalky, so ask for a caramel, toffee or chocolate close to your own skin. Undertone matters at every depth: red-leaning deep skin looks warm in copper and orange-reds, and blue-leaning deep skin looks striking in magenta and violet.

Trying colors before you commit

None of this is a rule, and any color you love is the right one to wear. Salon lights and bottle glass can both fool your eye, so hold a bottle against your finger and look at it near a window. Skin also changes through the year in South Florida, and a nude picked in January may look pale by August, after months of sun.

Toes are a low-stakes place to test a bolder shade, and regular polish is included with every spa pedicure. On your fingers, the Deluxe Manicure starts at $45 for about 40 minutes. For sheer color, Jelly Colors start at $10 on builder gel, Gel-X, dip and acrylic services. Chrome starts at $18 on the first three and $20 on acrylic. A finish changes a color too: gloss brightens it, and Matte, from $10, softens it, which can make a strong shade easier to wear.

Questions guests ask

Do dark polishes suit pale skin?

Yes. Dark shades stand out strongly against fair skin, which looks sharp on short, tidy nails. If black feels too heavy, try navy, espresso or deep plum for the same contrast with a softer edge.

Which red suits most skin tones?

A balanced true red, neither very orange nor very blue, is the easiest starting point. From there, cooler skin usually prefers a berry lean, and warmer skin usually prefers a slight orange lean.

Can someone help me choose a color?

Yes. Tell your tech what you usually wear and whether you want something quiet or bold, then try a few swatches against your hand before your polish goes on.