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The Best Nude Polishes For Every Skintone
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The Best Nude Polishes For Every Skintone

The best neutral polishes for a chic, goes-with-everything mani

nude nail polish

By Annabelle Fernandez - published

"In the same way that a nude pump elongates the legs, a nude fingernail makes the hands look lengthened, feminine, and clean," says celebrity manicurist Michelle Saunders. Selecting the right one, however, can be a challenge. Here, the best nudes for every skin type.

This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.

Additional reporting by Hanan Haddad 

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This opaque cocoa color looks like a million bucks, which makes its puny price tag even more of a steal. <b>China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Give Me S'More, $8</b>
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China Glaze

This caramel-tinted brown looks like milk chocolate in the bottle and is just as decadent on your fingertips. <b>Black Up Nail Lacquer in NVAO 08, $13</b>
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Black Up

This shade looks almost purple in the bottle, but on skin it warms up to a nail-friendly nude. <b>L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Nail Colour in Liya's Nude, $6</b>
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L'Oréal

A whisper of peach makes this shade ideal for warm tones. <b>Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Brown Nose, $8</b>
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Sally Hansen

The creaminess of this shade keeps it in the nude family instead of going clay-brown. <b>Butter London Patent Shine 10X Nail Lacquer in Tea Time, $18</b>
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Butter London

Think of this pretty putty color like foundation for your nails. <b>Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Nail Lacquer in Covet, $10</b>
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Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

Almost-rosy, almost-brown, the all-purpose je ne sais quoi of this polish is part of the appeal. <b>Context Skin Nail Polish in Take It Off, $15</b>
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Context Skin Nail Polish

For skin with hints of olive, this cafe au lait shade is pitch perfect. <b>Deborah Lippmann Nail Color in Terra Nova, $18</b>
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Deborah Lippmann

This milky almond shade makes nails look flawless. <b>Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Toasted Sugar, $36</b>
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Tom Ford

A little bit peachy with a dash of gold, this nude has just enough color to make nails look refined, not bland. <b>Color Club Nail Lacquer in Barely There, $9</b>
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Color Club

This shade will be everyone's fall go-to, but a cool earthy gray like this is perfect any time of year. <b>Julep Nail Color in Alaina, $14</b>
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Julep

Pair this fawn shade with a luxurious suede bag and watch the Instagram likes roll in. <b>Smith & Cult Nailed Lacquer in Doe My Dear, $18</b>
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Smith & Cult

A touch of brown keeps the polish from skewing too mauve. <b>Nails Inc. Gel Effect Nail Polish in Porchester Square, $15</b>
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Nails Inc

A bottle this pretty is destined for prime vanity placement. <b>Oribe Lacquer High-Shine Nail Polish in Lavender Smoke, $32</b>
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Oribe

Long, elegant-looking fingers are just a couple of swipes away with this pretty greige. <b>OPI Nail Lacquer in Don't Bossa Nova Me Around, $11</b>
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OPI

Trendy nail shades come and go, but this subdued rosy nude will stay in your mani rotation for years. <b>Burberry Nail Polish in Nude Pink, $23</b>
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Burberry

Just the faintest hint of gray adds some edge to this creamy nude. <b>Jin Soon Nail Lacquer in Nostaliga, $18</b>
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Jin Soon

Shiny with just a hint of apricot, this polish is a full glow-up for your nails. <b>Dior Vernis Gel Shine & Long Wear Nail Lacquer in Incognito, $27</b>
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Dior

This delicate pink is perfect for those with cool undertones. <b>Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colour in Ballerina, $28</b>
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Chanel

The soft pink shade inside may be demure, but there's nothing boring or basic about this luxe bottle. <b>Christian Louboutin The Nudes Nail Color in Madame Est Nue, $50</b>
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Christian Louboutin

Available in a myriad of shades to suit all skin tones, Butter London's barely-there tint not only provides nails with an intense hit of hydration, but lends sheer wash of colour that is almost chiffon-like in its effect. <b>Butter London Sheer Wisdom Nail Tinted Moisturiser </b>
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Nude Nail Polish

The snazziest nail varnish we've come across in a long time, Oribe's does-what-it-says-on-the-tin varnish is the ultimate cashmere jumper nude shade that looks chic on all skin tones. <b>Oribe The Lacquer High Shine Nail Varnish in The Nude</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

Tom Ford's mauve-toned nude is ideal for anyone that wants a safe for work mani without having to bare all. <b>Tom Ford Nail Polish in Black Sugar</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

This delicious chocolate shade provides light to dark olive skin with a healthy radiance and the gilt-topped bottle looks seriously pretty on any dressing table. <b>Estée Lauder Nail Lacquer in Nouveau Riche</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

There's a reason why ESSIE's Ballet Slippers has been a firm favourite for over almost 34 years! It is a universally flattering hue that is both clean and classic and a single slick is enough to dress nails in a chic blanket of colour. If Meghan Markle's a fan, then count us in. <b>ESSIE Nail Lacquer in Ballet Slippers</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

Resilient and pristine, Deborah Lippmann's chip-resistant nude nail polish evokes images of drinking cappuccinos on a roof terrace in Italy. It gives such a healthy glow to those with darker skin. <b>Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in Shifting Sands</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

Thanks to the lilac undertones, this gentle, chemical-free nude polish breathes life into pale skin and looks absolutely dreamy on short nails. The clever formula allows air and moisture to pass through, so your nail bed doesn't suffocate underneath the layers. <b>Nailberry L'Oxygene Breathable Nail Polish in Mystere</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

A tone that sits between warm peach and pale beige, ORLY's breathable colour is so pretty on longer nails. A mega-mix of Argan Oil, B5 and vitamin C means your manicure stays around for much longer. <b>ORLY Breathable Colour in Nourishing Nude</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

Marc Jacobs' stunning rose taupe polish washes nails with a gel-like formula that's high-shine finish means you can skip a topcoat altogether. <b>Marc Jacobs Nail Lacquer Nail Polish in Ladies Night</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

The closest thing to a professional manicure at home, each of Nails Inc's Gel Effect Nail polishes are fantastic (hello, amazing pigment and staying power) - but it is Colville Mews, a cool, almost grey-toned nude - that we go back to time and time again. <b>Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish in Colville Mews</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

A few swipes of Soigne's creamy beige has the ability to make hands look groomed in an instant. It has a nod to the ultra-sophisticated Frenchwoman about it. <b>Soigne Creme Au Beurre</b>
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Nude Nail Polish

A deeper soft pink might be the perfect statement nude you are looking for and the Sally Hansen gel formula will last you ages too. This deep rose shade is at the cusp of being bright, yet it's nude enough for every day. <b>Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polish in Mauve-Olous</b>
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Sally Hansen

Tags

Black UpBurberryButter LondonChanelChina GlazeChristian LouboutinColor ClubContext Skin Nail PolishDeborah LippmannDiorJin SoonJulepL'OrealNail PolishNailsNails IncNude NailsNude PolishObsessive Compulsive CosmeticsOPIOribeSally HansenSmith & CultTom Ford
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