According to Schuetz, the darker your skin tone, the wider variety of colors you can wear. Which means playtime for you. For a bold nail look, try a fun metallic nail polish (which was all over the New York Fashion week runways) like Deborah Lippmann Lacquer in Glamorous Life or Essie Nail Polish in Good as Gold. "Metallic colors add beautiful contrast to deeper skin tones," says Schuetz.
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Orange You Glad
"I love neon on most skin tones, but on darker skin tones it's eye-catching and fun," says Edwards. Whereas the yellow undertones in some neon nail polishes can pull out the yellow in lighter skin tones, making skin look jaundiced, deep skin tones have less obvious undertones, so you're freer to play around with color.
In case you haven't heard, orange is the bright color to pull off this season. Edwards suggests oranges and corals with "a bit of vibrancy" like Morgan Taylor Nail Lacquer in Sweet Escape or China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Mimosas Before Manis.
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Go Naked
Nude nail polish (much like nude lipstick) can be tricky territory when it comes to any skin tone. Schuetz advises going a shade or two lighter than your skin to keep the look young and fresh. According to Edwards, this summer's nude nail trend will be getting a moody makeover for fall. "The fall season is about making it more opaque, giving the color more life and depth." Zoya Nail Polish in Minka or Shay are fresh takes on nude polish for any season.
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Make Pastels Pop
Schuetz, who has done Zoe Saldana's nails for multiple awards shows, loves the look of a pastel nail polish on this skin tone -- if it's done right. "Pastel polishes can look muddy or gray, unless you do a goldish topcoat." For Saldana's Oscars nail look, Schuetz topped a sheer pale pink polish, slightly lighter than Saldana's nail beds, with a shimmering topcoat. (Pictured is Sephora Formula X Translucents in Wondrous and Butter London Stratford Honey Overcoat.)
White nail polish can have a similar effect to pastel shades, making the skin appear almost dead-looking, says Schuetz (Probably not the look you're going for). If you love a fresh white manicure, steer away from bright, blue-whites (the shade you think of when you envision true white) and towards warmer white tones. The new 3.1 Phillip Lim for Nars Nail Polish in Anarchy is just right.
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Purple Reigns
Every spring and summer, shades of purple take over the runways, and this year was no different. The color of the year, after all, is radiant orchid. Naya Rivera's rosy tan skin tone has warm, almost orange undertones to it. For these peachy complexions, Edwards says to look for blue-based hues, such as deep mauves or purples. She used Morgan Taylor Nail Lacquer in Hide and Sleek to get the dark purple nails at Zac Posen's F/W 2014 fashion show. Another favorite -- Berry Contrary.
You would think picking out a nail polish color would be as simple as putting on your shoes in the morning (you know, once you've decided which pair you're going to wear). But finding a nail polish color that will flatter your skin tone, appear on-trend and keep your hands from looking dull or aged -- that's the challenge. We spoke to Elsbeth Schuetz, celebrity manicurist for Nailtini, and celebrity and editorial manicurist Gina Edwards on how to find the nail color that's right for you.
