Is there anything you can’t achieve with natural nail colors? Ethereal and endlessly chic, nude nails are capable of rounding out looks for any occasion, subtly conveying cleanliness and dewy health along with an eye for styling details. You’ve seen them everywhere on your friends and on the runway. Perhaps you’ve experimented with a few shades yourself and have found that, like choosing the right foundation, selecting the perfect polish is often easier said than done.
Perhaps you’ve discovered a shade you love, only to find that it contains offputting ingredients like methylisothiazolinone and formaldehyde, wrapped up with a dollop of animal testing. That’s why AILA offers a range of natural nail colors suitable for everyone and makes sure our products are fully vegan, cruelty free, and gluten free, keeping your nails, your body, and the planet as happy and healthy as possible.
Historically, the range of available shades of nude nail polish has been somewhat limited. Nail technicians would adjust to those limitations by mixing and layering custom colors for their clients, while those painting their own nails hoped to get lucky with a little trial and error. More recently, the market has expanded, and today’s nudes are no longer restricted to a couple beige hues.
But what should you look for when determining the perfect nail polish for you? It comes down to a couple deciding factors– your skin’s shade and undertone, and the contrast you’d like to draw in relation to that. Once you determine your undertone, which will range from cool to warm or olive, take a look at the color wheel and find the hue directly opposite to determine your complement. Choosing a nail color with underlying complementary hues will highlight your natural tone, and bring a subtle glow to your hands. Non-traditionally natural shades can also be used as nude colors on dark skin– don’t be shy towards experimenting with deep mauve, rosy beige, and shimmering gold.
In sun-kissed summer months, one can make their tan pop with a nail color of a slightly lighter shade. Creamy beige and sheer white tones create a vibrant contrast that highlights your hands, with a greater range of contrasting shades for the tannest of tans. Try examining your nail bed in natural light to determine your skin tone, then check the polish against your cuticles to see if they accent successfully. The wrong polish will give your cuticles a reddish hue, and make them appear tarnished. On the other hand (pun intended), matching your nail bed too closely can give you the appearance of “mannequin hands,” lacking distinction between the nail and the fingertip. As always, pay attention to your undertones, and you’ll be golden.
When the seasons turn and your tan begins to fade, the time is perfect for sheer colors with a touch of pink to offset cooler undertones. If you have warm undertones, chilly greys and ivories look fantastic and bring out an air of effortless cool. Pair a cool polish with a cool undertone, however, and you run the risk of making your hands look washed out and grey. Don’t forget to pay attention to the finish! Top your nails off with a sheer polish for that classic manicured look, or break out of the box with a matte or opaque top coat.
Last but not least, rules are made to be broken, and if you find a polish you love, wear it loud and proud!
