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The Best Pink Nail Polish Colors for Every Skin Tone

The Best Pink Nail Polish Colors for Every Skin Tone

From the soft pastel of ballet slippers to the eye-catching pop of fushia, shades of pink can add a fun dimension to any ensemble and even complement your complexion—depending on the exact hue you choose.

So, when searching for the perfect pink non-chip nail polish, it’s helpful to pay attention to your skin tone and find a shade that truly makes you glow.

In this article, we’ll look at how you can discover your unique family of pinks based on your skin tone and select the perfect pink polishes to add to your collection. For more inspiration, take a peek at our guide to the best pink nail polish colors for every season.

Start by Identifying Your Skin’s Undertones

A lot of nuance goes into curating your personal color palette. Understanding your skin’s undertones and how they impact your overtone can help.

Everybody has a skin “undertone,” or a color hue or tone present in the skin.1 These hues are always present and never change.

Your skin undertone is different from your skin overtone, which has to do with the amount of melanin in the top layer of your skin.2 In other words, your overtone describes your skin color, while your undertone describes the hue beneath the skin’s surface that impacts your overall complexion.

Determining your skin undertone can help you select colors that create a beautiful, finished look that fits your preferred aesthetic and helps your features pop.

The Different Undertones

There are three main categories of skin undertones3:

  • Warm undertones – Hues of orange, peach, or gold
  • Cool undertones – Hues of pink, purple, and blue
  • Neutral undertones – Includes characteristics of both warm and cool undertones

How to Determine Your Unique Undertone

Discovering your skin undertone can help you curate your style, from your clothes to your cosmetics. Here are a few different ways you uncover your skin undertone (pro tip: perform these tests in natural light for the most accurate results).

  • Check out your veins – How your veins appear through the skin of your wrist (where the skin is thin) is one of the most helpful ways to understand your skin’s undertone.3 If your veins appear greenish, you probably have a warmer undertone. Veins that look more blue or purple indicate a cooler undertone. Somewhere in between? Then you probably have a neutral undertone.
  • Try on a white tee – The white t-shirt test3 is another surefire way to determine your skin undertone. You have a warm undertone if a stark white t-shirt makes your skin appear yellowish. If your skin looks pink and rosy, that indicates a cool undertone. If you don’t own a white tee, you can do this same test with a plain piece of printer paper held next to your face.
  • Compare jewelry – Have you noticed that certain metals complement you better than others? It could be because the metal tones align with your skin’s undertones. If you find silver more flattering, you likely have a cooler skin undertone. Alternatively, golds work better for people with warm skin undertones. If both look great, then you’re lucky: neutral undertones can mix and match their metals.

Matching Pinks to Your Undertone

Once you determine your skin’s undertone, you can confidently identify the shades of pink that will look best on you:

  • If you have a cool undertone – This undertone is naturally reddish, making pink an ideal choice. Lean into cool and soft pinks rather than warmer tones.
  • If you have a warm undertone – Warmer undertones mean more yellow, gold, or orange than blue or purple, so peaches and corals are right up your alley.
  • If you have a neutral undertone – Neutral undertones can play around with warm and cool palettes. You can also rock bold neons with ease.

Pink Nail Polish for Each Skin Tone

Let’s break down each skin undertone/overtone combination and some of our top picks for pinks that are sure to make you glow.

Best Pink Nail Polish for Dark Skin

Dark-skinned beauties look gorgeous in colors that contrast nicely with the deep richness of their skin, like nudes or bold, bright colors. Jewel tones are also great for those with beautiful brown or dark skin. Here are a few of our favorite pink shades for darker skin tones.

Best Pink Nail Polish for Medium or Tan Skin

Whether you’re naturally medium-toned or your summer self identifies as sun-kissed, tan skin tones have a beautiful, golden radiance that can be enhanced with bold neons or soft pastels.

Best Pink Nail Polish for Olive Skin

Much like the fruit it’s named for, olive skin glows with a gold-green hue and tends to tan easily. Olive-skinned beauties look great in earthy colors that complement their natural glow.

Best Pink Nail Polish for Fair Skin

Pale or fair-skinned people may have a more neutral foundation to start with, but their skin overtone can be easily overwhelmed by too-bright colors. This doesn’t mean you can’t be bold—by factoring in your skin’s undertone, you can choose the right pink nail polish for your skin tone.

Finding the Prettiest Pink to Paint Your Nails

There’s no one-shade-fits-all when it comes to matching your pink polish and your skin tone. Every one of us has beautiful, unique skin and different style preferences.

By learning more about the different aspects of your skin, from your undertones to your overtone, and how those aspects may be impacted by the nail polish you use, you’re better equipped to find pink shades that you love—and that love you back.

Finding Other Nail Polish Colors for Your Skin Tone

If you're interested in learning more about the best nail polish color for your skin tone, check out our other articles:

Why Choose Dazzle Dry?

Selecting the right nail polish goes beyond color. It’s also about the ingredients and quality of the polish; you want something that ensures strong, healthy nails, and a lacquer that lasts.

Created by bioorganic chemist Dr. Vivian Valenty, the Dazzle Dry System promises a quick-drying, salon-level manicure every time, with lacquer made from high-quality, non-toxic, and cruelty-free ingredients. Check out our vegan nail polish selection and discover your new favorite shades that dry in 5.

 

 

Sources:

  1. Good Housekeeping. Here’s How to Find Your Skin Undertones, According to Makeup Artists. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/makeup/a41392557/undertone-guide/
  2. Belorens. All You Need to Know About Skin Tone and Undertone. https://www.belorens.com/blog/skin-tone-undertone/
  3. Healthline. Skin Undertones Chart: Warm, Cool, Neutral, Olive, and More. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/skin-undertones#how-to-find-yours

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