From Neutrals to Bold Brights—These 8 Nail Colors Complement Dark Skin Tones Like It's Their Job

There's nothing worse than taking the time to plan a trip to the nail salon and realizing that none of the shades leave you with that clean, polished look you crave. The process of selecting a stunning color that complements a deep skin tone can be made that much more difficult when there's no immediate reference for how trending polish shades look on darker skin. No one wants to spend their appointment testing endless similar polish shades.

As someone who's experienced that painful process firsthand and is a self-proclaimed manicure enthusiast, I'm always on the hunt for neutral nail colors that are versatile enough to be great on any skin tone and look absolutely immaculate on their own. Recently, I had the opportunity to go straight to the source and ask the ridiculously talented celebrity nail artist Elle Gerstein for her go-to shades as well as her tried-and-true process for creating the perfect manicure. Gerstein has been behind the gorgeous nail looks of celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan, Storm Reid, Blake Lively, and Mariah Carey.

How do I select the best polish for deep skin tones?

There's no one way to select a polish shade that works the best for all deep skin tones, but the way to achieve a salon-level manicure is by taking the time to take care of your nails before, during, and after painting. Gerstein's philosophy for achieving a clean, polished look for any manicure that looks stunning on dark skin is to prep the nails and give them a great base coat. Her personal favorite is Butter London's Priming Base Coat ($18). "[It] makes the nail have a good, even base for sheer colors, as it will prevent and camouflage the streaking and discoloring," she explains.

Gerstein recommends focusing on a base coat that will give your nails that bubble-free look while also extending wear time and turning up vibrancy. "A lot of the newer base coats are like concealers for nail problems such as white spots, ridges, streaking, and polish-stained nails, as they disguise and conceal so you can wear sheer colors and still look flawless," she says. When it comes time to select a nail polish that works well with brown skin, consider using a neutral tone that accentuates the undertones of your complexion.

For a pink polish that will stand out against melanin, her top pick is LeChat Nails' Nail Lacquer in Pure Confidence ($5), which the brand describes as "a confident pink buff" with a sheer finish. After giving your nails the TLC they need, it's time to move on to selecting your color. Keep scrolling to reveal the top nail colors I'm loving for medium- to deep-toned skin.

Toasted Brown

Looking to add some warmth to your look? Try a shade that's not quite red or brown and has a rosy undertone to it. It can be applied as a sheer pop of color to the nails but is also buildable if you're in the mood for something with a little more punch.

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Polished Onyx

You can never go wrong with ultra-glossy black to bring effortless glamour to your finished manicure. While I normally gravitate toward soft, neutral shades of pink and brown, every now and then, I go for an inky black that looks as effortlessly chic in person as it does on all the most stylish people from coast to coast.

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Muted Mauve

I'll always love a good neutral, especially if it plays up the natural tone of my skin. For deeper skin, a brown-based neutral can serve as a versatile nude. It also helps that polishes are all over the place right now and range from warm, sandy tones like the one above to nearly mauve. There's one for everyone.

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Beige Rose

Take it from Gerstein: Rosy tones are the way to go for a brown skin–friendly neutral nail look. When deciding on a shade, she looks for a sheer hue to avoid it appearing too white, opaque, or gray on darker skin tones. Adding a hint of shine or shimmer is an easy way to take this manicure to the next level.

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Canyon Orange

Kick things up a notch by trying a warm orange with brown undertones to deliver depth and dimension to any manicure. Staying away from muddy brown can keep the color from appearing gray and washed out against deep skin tones. It also happens to be the shade I come back to toward the end of fall to transition into the holiday season with a splash.

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Pearly White

Show off deep skin tones by opting for pearly white polishes for a clean look. If you'd like to take it one step further and add a hint of eye-catching shimmer, try layering your chosen white shade with a semisheer pearly polish like the ones below by OPI and Sally Hansen.

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Electric Blue

As much as I love treating myself to a timeless, neutral manicure, I'll always love the way dark skin looks with bright blue. In fact, I'm obsessed with the idea of mixing the color with a moody brown for an elevated and nostalgic take on the polka-dot nail trend that's dominating 2025.

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Chocolate Brown

Landing on the right shade of brown can take a classic manicure to the next level, and a rich chocolate like the one featured in the manicure above is the epitome of romance. When I'm deciding between two similar brown shades, I always pick the one with a red or purple undertone and extra gloss.

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This is dark chocolate in a bottle. The 45 Second Speedy Gloss Nail Polish in Chelsea is everything I want with a rich pigment, a fast drying time, and streak-free coverage that lasts. It's also infused with calcium and magnesium to strengthen the nails and uses a patented no-drip brush that's designed to mimic the shape of your cuticle.

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