Winter Nails: 7 of the Coolest Colours to Paint Your Nails This Season
From crisp cherry red and plum shades to cool chrome and icy grey.
As we brace ourselves for a frigid winter, we look to our nails for an extra source of joy and creative expression.
Summer brought us saccharine-shaded pastel polishes, fall channelled vampy vibes, and winter is simply playing it cool. The trendiest colours of the season both embrace the icy mood of the moment and go against the grain with dashes of vibrant colour (hint: red is going nowhere).
Ahead, we round up seven of the coolest colours to wear on your winter nails, plus where to shop nail polishes to get the look.
Go for gold
If you’re more of a gold gal than silver, opt for an aureate-hued manicure to help warm up the winter months. Just as chrome was on trend all 2023 long, we suspect gold nails may be on the rise in 2024.
Any polish that can match all your jewellery, whether it be gold or silver, is a total plus. We’re not afraid of mixing metals around here, and you shouldn’t be either! Who can resist the pull of glittery, golden fingertips?
Is there anything more chic than saying, “It’s ‘Phénix’ by Chanel,” when onlookers ask what sparkling gold polish you’re wearing on your nails? Doubt it.
Love gel polishes? Try CND’s Vinylux Longwear Shellac polish in the shade “Seeing Citrine.”
Ice, ice, (blue) baby
Brrr! It’s cold in here. Or is it just these frosted blue fingertips? For the long winter ahead, we encourage you to take the ice-blue plunge and sport a set of wintry azure nails.
Not to be confused with summer’s blueberry milk nails, this glacial hue is a little darker in shade and not quite as vibrant. Think winter blues, but the good kind.
Gucci’s “Lucy Baby Blue” nail polish is positively cool and ultra-glossy. With a single swipe, you’ll already be impressed by this polish’s colour payoff and ability to smooth out imperfections and ridges on your nails.
Going grey
If you can’t escape the winter chill, embrace it by painting your nails a chic shade of grey. With its icy, edgy undertone, wintertime calls for subdued shades like this one.
Though it may seem dull or drab to some, the possibilities for grey-hued polishes alone are endless. Your grey can read anywhere from a near-blue hue to a warmer-toned “greige” — each shade is more elevated than the last.
Give in to grey, why don’t you? Start by shopping a neutral shade like this one from OPI called “Dawn of a New Grey.” Formulated with 75 per cent naturally derived ingredients, you can feel good about flaunting this polish.
For more of a cool-toned grey, opt for Essie’s “Toned Down” shade. Equipped with the Essie Easy Glide Brush, this polish delivers salon-quality colour at an affordable price point.
Very berry
Velvety, sugar plum shades of polish are the perfect way to mimic the moody atmosphere of winter without going all the way to the dark side. Consider these deep-hued berry tones winter’s more sophisticated answer to the blueberry milk nails that dominated nail trends this summer.
Perhaps they’re our sign that food-inspired beauty trends (hello, latte makeup and glazed donut nails!) will continue to live on in the new year.
Hermès’ 24-shade collection of nail enamels boasts a luxurious array of rich-toned and long-wearing nail lacquers. This “89 Violet Byzantine” polish was practically made for winter wear.
Butter London’s “Proper Do” polish ensures a manicure that reads classy and chic. Thanks to its Patent Shine 10x formula, your nails will be left looking stunning, strong, and healthy.
Bright and light neutrals
Reflect the glow of the snow sure to come this winter with a set of soft nails. Much like the neutral clothing hanging in our closets, a neutral manicure can easily be dressed up or toned down.
A solid neutral polish makes an immaculate base for ornamental rhinestones as we countdown to the holidays, and New Year’s Eve party-approved shimmer and glitter shades. Or, if you like to keep things simple, it’s a tried and true hue that looks elevated all on its own. Ranging anywhere from milky pinks to sheer wintry whites, the keyword to keep in mind here is: bright!
For a soft, sheer hint of colour that finds the perfect medium between pink and white, opt for Essie’s “Marshmallow.” Keep it sheer with one to two coats, or build it up to an opaque shade by adding more layers.
Where sheer pink shades are concerned, there’s hardly a polish more coveted than OPI’s “Bubble Bath.” After all, it’s one half of the formula popularized by #beautytok that combines with the brand’s “Funny Bunny” polish to create the *ultimate* neutral nail colour.
Chrome is where the heart is
From futuristic silver shades to soft vanilla chrome, this colour trend popularized by Hailey Bieber’s glazed donut nails of last summer shows no signs of stopping during the winter months.
With its glistening, icy appeal, the metallic hue of silver chrome polish feels festive enough for soirée season, yet cool and understated enough to last the length of winter while still being wearable.
A chrome powder is typically required for this widely sought-after chrome look, but Londontown’s Lackur Enhanced Colour polish in the shade “Dishy Splendour” allows you to cheat your way to silver chrome. With its highly pigmented and long-lasting formula, it’s the only product you’ll need to recreate this colour.
Cherry bomb
This winter, the red renaissance lives on! Unlike the moody rouge shades we embraced during the fall, we’ll be favouring vivacious bursts of bright red hues to liven up the cool months.
Lucky for us, this colour trend doubles as truly timeless and right on-trend — having been spotted, well, everywhere from the runways to red carpets this year.
Chanel’s “147 Incendiaire” polish is not your average red. This warm-toned shade is oh-so-chic with a fiery essence that’ll keep you and your nails looking hot all season long.
If you’re looking to achieve your dream red mani on a budget, shop Sally Hansen’s Xtreme Wear polish in the shade “Red-ical Rockstar.” With a streak-free and fade-resistant promise, your red tips will shine bright through the dull, winter months.
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