Looking for inspiration for your next mani? Wanna see nail polish colors nail polish that go well together?
If you want to know what nail colors go together like PB and J, cupcakes and frosting, or cookies and cream, then look no further 🙂
In this post, we’re going to dip our toes intoa little color theory.
Then, once you have the basics of how to mixand match down, we’ll take a look at some amazing nail polish colorcombinations that you might not have thought of.
We’ll also show you specific examples of the exact shades that work besttogether.
So, you don’t need to worry about trackingdown that perfect pearlescent nude, pastel yellow, mint green or light pink.
Then let’s get right on it! Why does choosing the right nail polish colors matter?
Choosing the right color of nail polish, and picking out nail polish colors that go well together, matters way more than the design.
You don’t always need a fancy design to get tons of compliments on your nails.
You can create (or copy) the most amazing nailart design ever to grace the IG feeds, but if the colors aren’t quite right,it’s not going to look anywhere near asgood as it could.
But, if you know a little bit about colortheory, and you have a basic knowledge of what colors work together and why…
Well, that’s a total gamechanger.
Once gained, you can use your color-combiningskills to create really simple but utterly amazing looks that all your friendswill want to copy!
With a little color theory under your belt,not only will your nail polish pairings always be harmonious, but you can alsofigure out what colors will work best with specific outfits.
And you can save time and money by notbuying nail polish colors that clash with the colors that tend to dominate yourwardrobe.
So, now that we’ve covered the importance ofcombining the right colors, let’s look at what color combinations work.1. Any 2 (or more) Neutrals.
Neutrals are the most versatile colors incolor theory.
Technically, neutrals are “colors with littleto no color”, which sounds kinda weird.
All it means is that neutral colors can blendeasily with most, if not all, other colors.
So, if you paint your nails in neutral colors,there’s a really good chance thatthey will go with anything and everything in your closet!
Most of my wardrobe (and my nail polish collection) is made up of them.
Neutral colors like black, white, and grey areso versatile and easy to match that they make a great choice for your nails,especially if you like to wear a lot of different colors in your outfits.
They also look equally good with minimalistoutfits that are made up of neutral colors.
The best thing about neutrals is that you can choose any 2 neutrals (or more) and you can guarantee that they will be nail polish colors that go well together.
If you find neutrals a little bit less thanexciting, don’t worry, because it’s not all black, white and grey.
In fact, here’s a list of 15 neutral colorsfor you to experiment with.
Try combining 2 or more of the following colors in your next mani and marvel at how long you can go before you feel the need to change those nails up again: Neutral nail polish colors that go well together:
- Black
- White
- Gray
- Navy
- Silver
- Beige
- Brown
- Cream
- Ivory
- Olive green
- Sage green
- Nude
- Blush
- Taupe
- Tan
It’s important to note that some neutrals area little more versatile than others. The ones with the least amount of color, like black and white, will go with anything.
But neutrals with stronger undertones ofcolor, like ivory (which has yellow undertones) sage and olive green, and blush(pink undertones) while still amazingly versatile, can be less versatile thanyour classic neutrals like black and white.
There are so many possible color combinationsjust in this small “neutral” category alone.
Here are some of my personal favorite neutral on neutral combinations using either 2 or 3 different neutral colors:Gray, white and pink
Essie – Press pause /OPI – Alpine snow /Essie– Adore-A-Ball
(Click the above links to check prices on Amazon)Navy and White
Navy and white are perfect examples of neutral nail polish colors that go well together. This is one of my fav combo’s.
Essie after school boy blazer /OPI – Alpine snow Black and silver
Essie – Licorice /OPI Designer Series – Radiance Beige and blush
OPI – Maintaining My Sand-ity/OPI – Aphrodite’s Pink Nightie Sage green, gray and silver
Here are 3 beautiful nail polish colors that go well together:
Essie –Sage You Love Me/OPI – I Cannoli Wear /OPI Designer Series – RadianceNude and tan
Essie –rainwear don’t care/Essie – don’t be latte Olive green and taupe
OPI –Olive for Green/OPI – Taupe-less Beach
When you are matching up your neutrals, yourpersonal preference is also going to play a role.
For example, even though brown and gray dotechnically work together, I would never combine them, simply because I justdon’t like that particular combination. A note about glitter, metallicsand other finishes.
If like me, you love the versatility ofneutrals – but you also like shiny things, then you can easily add a touch ofglam to your neutral manicure by adding some glitter.
Essie – Sparkle on top
You can either stick to your neutral colorpalette and use say, silver glitter on a black and white mani for example.
Or, you could add some interest by including anormal and a metallic version of your chosen color, a mixture of matte and highgloss finishes, or sticking on a few nail gems.
Ok, that’s it for our first color combination.
Let’s dive in.2. 1 or 2 neutrals and anyother color.
I’ll say it again. I love neutrals.
Not only do they all go with each other, butneutrals also go with any othercolor.
This second option simply builds on the firstone.
To create this next color combination, whatyou’re going to do is take 1 or 2 of your favorite neutrals from the listabove, and then add any other color you like!
Since you are only introducing 1 color, youdon’t need to worry about clashes.
This combo is a great option if you just wantan eye-catching pop of color, or if you’re still a bit unsure about colormatching.
Seriously, you can’t go wrong with thismethod!
For excellent color combinations that workevery time, try choosing 1 or 2 neutrals from the list above and matching themwith any other color you like.
Think hot pinks, bright yellows and vibrantoranges, or pastel greens, pale blues and lilacs, anything goes with thiscombo, so have some fun!
Some of my favorite combinations using one or 2 neutrals and 1 other color are:Pink and Grey
OPI – Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around / OPI – Steel Waters Run DeepNavy and Coral
essie – After school boy blazer / OPI – Coral-ing Your Spirit AnimalNavy and mint green
Essie – after school boy blazer / OPI – This Cost Me a MintBrown and baby blue
OPI – You Don’t Know Jacques! / OPI – To Be Continued… Navy and mustard yellow
OPI – Get Ryd-of-Thym Blues / OPI – Sun, Sea, and Sand in My PantsCream and rose pink
OPI – Funny Bunny / OPI – Aphrodite’s Pink Nightie Navy and Peach
OPI –Get Ryd-of-thym Blues/ OPI – Machu Peach-UCream and Green
OPI –Funny bunny/ OPI – How Does Your Zen Garden Grow? Peach and Blue
OPI –Machu Peach-U / OPI –To Be Continued… Red, white and black
Essie – Red hot rio / OPI Funny bunny / Essie –Licorice Olive green, brown and gold
OPI –Suzi- The First Lady of Nails / OPI –Over the Taupe / Essie – You’re goldenRed, white and Navy
OPI – Red hot rio / OPI – Funny bunny / Essie – After School Boy Blazer Sage green, gray and coral pink
Essie – Sage you love me / OPI – I Cannoli Wear / OPI – Kiss Me I’m BrazilianBeige, tan and mint green
OPI –Maintaining My Sand-ity / Essie –Don’T Be Latte / essie – Fashion Playground
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but itshould be enough to get you inspired.
If you add in the options for differentfinishes (matte, high gloss, metallic, gems etc.) then this method of combiningcolors should last you ages!
Then, once you get bored with neutrals, youcan just move on to color combination number 3 below 🙂3. Shades of the same color.
This is a really simple but very effective wayof creating a well-put-together nail look.
All you need to do is follow 1 simple rule.
Because shades of the same color will always go well together.
So, why not use 2 to 3 or even 4 or 5 shadesof the same color to create amazing monochromatic (meaning all one color)nails!