After a summer dominated by sheer pinks, milky manicures and, increasingly, completely bare nails, autumn marks the return of proper nail polish. And there’s something about the first hint of cooler weather that makes an almost-black manicure feel right again.
Vogue’s top dark nail polish shades for autumn at a glance:
The difficulty is choosing which almost-black. Oxblood, black cherry, aubergine, espresso, navy: at first glance, the difference between them can seem negligible. Put them on the nails, however, and those subtle undertones become much more apparent. A burgundy that looks suitably vampy in the bottle can pull surprisingly purple against the skin; the perfect chocolate brown can suddenly look flat. As anyone who has confidently chosen a colour under salon lighting only to question the entire manicure and all of your life choices on the walk home will know, dark polish can be deceptively difficult to get right.
Celebrity nail artist Iram Shelton's advice is to pay attention to your skin’s undertone – whether cool, warm or neutral – rather than simply matching polish to how light or deep your complexion is. But don’t become too beholden to the rules. “I don't think people should be too restricted by traditional ‘rules’,” she tells British Vogue. “Sometimes the most interesting manicure is the one that slightly contrasts with your colouring. If you’re very fair, for example, a glossy true black can look incredibly striking.”
For autumn, Shelton is particularly drawn to shades with a little more nuance. “I love a nail that feels almost like a piece of clothing or jewellery,” she says. “I know I must say this every year, but something deep, glossy and expensive-looking.” Oxblood is a particular favourite: “It has that perfect balance between red and brown. It feels sexy without being too obvious.” And for anyone tentatively emerging from a summer of Bubble Bath and bare nails? “I’d actually recommend trying a deep chocolate or black cherry before going straight to black. You still get that dramatic autumn feeling, but it’s slightly more wearable.”
- The best dark nail polishes for cool undertones
- The best dark nail polish shades for warm undertones
- The best dark nail polish shades for neutral undertones
- The autumn nail colours to know now
- How do I know which nail polish colour suits my skin tone?
- How can I tell whether a dark nail polish is warm or cool?
- What dark nail colour should I try if I usually wear nude?
If the veins around your wrist tend to appear blue or purple and silver jewellery typically works well against your skin, there's a good chance you have cool undertones.
“For cooler undertones, I love blue-based reds, black cherry, burgundy, plum and true navy,” says Shelton. “A shade like a blue-toned oxblood or aubergine can look incredibly elegant.” The best dark nail polish shades for warm undertones
OPI
Lincoln Park After Dark Nail Polish
Why it’s Vogue-approved: There’s a reason OPI Lincoln Park After Dark has survived countless manicure trends since it first appeared in 2005. Technically a deep aubergine, on the nail it reads almost black until the light catches its purple undertone – exactly the kind of complex dark Shelton is talking about.
Manucurist
Green Nail Polish - Dark Pansy
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Sitting somewhere between burgundy and a deep berry red, Dark Pansy gives you the drama of a dark manicure without losing its colour completely. Manucurist describes it simply as burgundy, but its depth makes it particularly good as the weather turns.
OPI
Nail Lacquer - Black Cherry Chutney
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Black Cherry is particularly good if you want a shade that changes character with the light. OPI’s version combines a deep black-red base with a subtle pearl finish, so rather than looking completely flat, there’s a hint of burgundy-purple shimmer as the nails move.
Warm undertones tend to have more golden, peach or yellow tones, with greenish veins and gold jewellery often sitting particularly well against the skin. Rather than blue-heavy berry shades, look towards rich browns and reds with warmth running through them.
“For warmer undertones, I’d look for chocolate browns, warm burgundies, mahogany, deep brick reds and slightly warmer navy shades,” Shelton advises.
Manucurist
Green Flash LED Gel Polish - Clove
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Brown is shaping up to be one of autumn’s most useful nail neutrals, and Clove is a proper chocolate rather than a black masquerading as brown. It’s rich and autumnal, but noticeably softer than jet black – particularly good if you’ve spent the summer wearing very little colour on your nails.
Chanel
Le Vernis Rouge Noir
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Few shades make a stronger argument for the blackened-red manicure. Rouge Noir has that difficult-to-pin-down quality that makes a great dark polish work: deep enough to appear almost black at first glance, with a warm wine-red character that emerges in brighter light.
Manucurist
Green Nail polish - Terracotta
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Not every autumn manicure needs to be almost black. A burnt, earthy red can work beautifully against golden undertones, while offering something slightly unexpected amongst the season’s inevitable sea of burgundy. Manucurist’s Terracotta is aptly described by the brand as “scorched red earth”.
If neither distinctly warm nor cool colours seem to dominate your complexion, you may have a neutral undertone – which gives you considerably more room to experiment.
“If you have a neutral undertone, you’re lucky because you can really play with both,” says Shelton. Deep navy, chocolate, oxblood, aubergine and true black are all fair game, so this is where personal preference becomes more important than colour theory.
Manucurist
Green Natural Nail Polish - Aubergine
Why it’s Vogue-approved: Aubergine occupies the sweet spot between burgundy and black. Manucurist’s version is a true dark purple, making it an excellent option for anyone who loves the depth of Lincoln Park After Dark but wants the purple pigment to be a little more apparent.
So, which colours should be on your radar this season? “I think we're going to see a move away from the obvious flat black and towards richer, more complex dark shades,” Shelton tells British Vogue. “Chocolate, oxblood, deep burgundy, navy and almost-black plum are all going to be huge.”
Brown, in particular, is worth watching. “I’m interested in brown as the new neutral,” she says. “A really deep espresso or bitter chocolate looks incredibly beautiful on the nails without feeling as harsh as black. It gives a softer appearance in the same way a brown mascara would.”
Also emerging are those aforementioned chameleon-like colours that refuse to fit neatly into one category. “I’m seeing a lot more interest in shades that look almost black in low light but reveal another colour in daylight – like blackened cherry, aubergine, ink blue or dark forest green.”
It makes the return to polish considerably more interesting. After months of barely-there manicures, perhaps the answer isn't simply to go darker for autumn, but to choose a colour that makes you want to keep looking at your hands.
How do I know which nail polish colour suits my skin tone?
Start with your undertone rather than the depth of your skin. Broadly speaking, blue-reds, plum, aubergine and cool navy tend to complement cooler undertones, while brick, mahogany, chocolate and warmer burgundies work beautifully with golden and warm undertones. Neutral undertones can usually move easily between both.
That said, treat this as a useful starting point rather than law. Nail polish is much easier to experiment with than foundation, and deliberate contrast can often be what makes a manicure interesting.
How can I tell whether a dark nail polish is warm or cool?
This is where daylight becomes your best friend. Two bottles that look virtually identical beneath artificial salon lighting can reveal completely different undertones outside.
“One of my favourite tricks is to look at the polish in natural daylight rather than under salon lighting,” says Shelton. “Some dark colours can look almost identical indoors, but once you’re outside you suddenly see whether they're pulling blue, red, purple or brown. That little difference can completely change how the colour looks against your skin.”
If you’re choosing in a salon, ask to see a swatch rather than judging the colour through the bottle alone – ideally holding it against your hand near a window.
What dark nail colour should I try if I usually wear nude?
Don't feel you need to make the leap from sheer pink directly to jet black. Shelton recommends chocolate or black cherry as softer transitional shades, while oxblood, aubergine and deep navy offer the same depth with noticeably more colour.
And if you really can't relinquish your nude manicure? There’s nothing wrong with that either. OPI Bubble Bath isn’t going anywhere. Sometimes autumn’s best nail colour is simply the one you actually want to wear.