12 Fashion Girls Share Their Favorite Nail Polish Shades of All Time

By and large, fashion girls’ taste in nail polish is markedly different from, say, beauty gurus’ taste. That’s because women who are into clothes above all else tend not to go for the same nail art designs, colors, or even the same brands as those who don’t wake up in the morning thinking about their outfit (which, like, who are those people again?). For style-minded humans, nails serve one main purpose: to complement the bags, shoes, silhouettes, and color palettes that are trending at the moment (or that generally represent their signature style). So… loud shades and complex designs tend not to be the fashion girls’ go-to.

That said, nails are still a key part of fashion girls’ ensembles. But which? To find out, we asked 12 style influencers and editors to share their holy-grail nail polish colors. Keep scrolling to see the 28 different shades they named.

“I love just about every color J.Hannah creates, but this moody, soft yellow is a favorite." — Lauren Caruso, site director at The Zoe Report

“Everyone should have a good lavender on hand. This one is neither cool nor warm, so it flatters every skin tone.”

“My overall style is pretty subdued, but I love Givenchy Beauty’s Vivid Orange 14, an opaque orange that reminds me of being a kid.”

“I tend to lean toward nudes because I have to take pictures all the time for my job as a content creator and model.” — Kelly Augustine, influencer

“My all-time favorite is Ballet Slippers from Essie, or Diana Boss from Pear Nova if I want something more opaque.” — Kelly Augustine, influencer

“The perfect shade of red and my all-time favorite nail polish formula and brush.” — Noor Elkhaldi, influencer

“The ideal shade of green—bright but not quite neon.”

“A lovely deeper shade of green (I’m very into green right now).”

“This sunshine yellow shade always gets a ton of compliments and it always makes me happy when I look down at my nails.”

“The perfect red, it makes me think of the Warden’s homemade nail polish in Holes, (minus the rattlesnake venom.) Doesn’t require multiple coats and dries with a sheen that looks like a professional manicure.” — Anya Schulman, social media manager at Marc Jacobs

“The Marc Jacobs spring 2019 runway show was breathtaking, and my favorite throughout the time working for the brand (so far!) The pink polish in this is slightly iridescent and walked the runway on models wearing iconic looks. A flawless compliment to any summer look and a sweet reminder of a collection that’s very close to my heart.”

“Admittedly, I’m pretty boring when it comes to nail colors. I’ve tried out the lime greens and soft yellows of the nail world, but typically end up wishing that I’d gone with a nude color with some flare. Recently, I got my nails done at Paintbox in Soho and got nude with a red stripe and loved it. Sadly, it’s all chipped off now, but I’d definitely get it again next time around.” — Eliza Huber, fashion market writer at Refinery29

“If I’m being a little more daring, I’ll go with a couple different colors on each nail—maybe nude, red, a dull mint shade and lavender or something along those lines. Definitely more muted shades of these.”

“A dark nail polish is a must have and it looks good on any skin tone. Also, this one is a nice shade of very dark purple as a softer alternative to black.” — Ellie Delphine, influencer of Slip Into Style

“Another staple in one’s beauty bag must be a red polish, and this one is gorgeous shade of bright red, which is perfect for summer.”

“I rarely put color on my hands, but when I do I love a natural color like Chanel’s Organdi. It’s a really beautiful nude with a slight peachy tone.” — Cydney Edwards, designer & founder of Stone Cold Fox

“I like to have fun on my feet, but always with a vibrant deep fuchsia. I love Chanel or YSLs tones because they last so long and the color stays looking fresh.”

“When it comes to nail polish I often go for a color that stands out. My favorites are from YSL and OPI. What I love about those brands is that the polish last for more than a few days, and you honestly do not need more than two layers.” — Nnenna Echem, influencer

“I love the pastel tones for summer, they’re so pretty on tan hands–but I still love a good dark green or dark blue for a night out.” — Jennifer Azoulay, influencer and consultant

“The best base coat ever.” — Amrit Sidhu, DJ and influencer

“It is a beautiful muted green that feels unexpected but is so flattering.” — Lauren Johnson, influencer

“A color I have purchased over and over again. It’s a beautiful dark red that almost looks black in low lighting and is, in my humble opinion, the sexiest nail polish color out there.”

"If you want your nail color to be cool, you can basically close your eyes and pick any J. Hannah nail polish. Though I like this earthy nude especially." — Kat Collings, editor in chief of Who What Wear

"Eva Chen posted on her social that the Allure shade from Essie ‘literally looks like I have nothing on my nails, and I love it.’ For a low-key manicure, it’s my favorite."

What’s your favorite nail polish shade? DM it to us on IG @whowhatwear!

Opening Image: Nnenna Echem

Source: Who What Wear – Amanda Montell