You only need 3 nude nail polishes to find the best shade for your skin tone
Zola Ganzorigt simplifies shade hunting once and for all
Trends like clean nails, lip oil nails, and soap nails have had us all by the necks for the last five years, and for good reason — nothing hits quite like a nude.
The only issue we have with the minimalist look is that there are a plethora of nude nail polishes to browse through at Chemist Warehouse. And although, we've done our research and know which nail polishes are the gold standard when it comes to longevity, we're still not getting any closer to finding the perfect nude nail polish shade for our skin tone.
However, if there's one thing we know how to do, it's ask for help when we need it — BEAUTYcrew spoke to Sydney salon owner Jocelyn Petroni to mine the beauty therapist for her expertise on the subject.
We're also somewhat embarrassed to admit that we Internet stalked Hailey Bieber's nail artist, Zola Ganzorigt, to figure out how she always manages to achieve that perfect nude base for her signature glazed manicure.
Turns out she always uses a combination of the same three nude nail polishes: OPI Bare My Soul ($12.95 from Best Nail Supply), OPI Put It In Neutral ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse), and OPI Bubble Bath ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse).
Want to know how to find the right nude nail polish for your skin tone using Ganzorigt's ingenious hack? Keep scrolling, BEAUTYcrew's about to break it down for you.
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The best nude nail polish for fair and light skin tones
“The trick with light skin tones is finding a polish that complements your skin, rather than competes with it or washes it out, [beige nudes] look yellow and jar with your soft, rosy complexion," Jocelyn Petroni tells BEAUTYcrew.
“I will mix nude nail polish for my clients to match their skin tone, but it’s usually some combination of OPI Bare My Soul ($12.95 from Best Nail Supply), OPI Put It In Neutral ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse), and OPI Bubble Bath ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse)," Ganzorigt explained in an interview with Nylon.
"Some people have pink undertones, in that case, I use one coat Put It In Neutral ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse) and add one coat of Bubble Bath ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse)," she shared.
Image via: @alyxlippiatt
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The best nude nail polish for medium and olive skin tones
Ganzorigt likes to tweak the combination of her nude nail polishes to combat the yellow undertone of olive skin tones.
"Some people have a more yellow under tone, so I use one coat of Bare My Soul ($12.95 from Best Nail Supply) and one coat of Put It In Neutral ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse)," she explained.
But — if you're open to playing with colour — you can, Petroni tells BEAUTYcrew.
"With a deeper pigment there is much more flexibility with colour choice, regardless of whether you have cool or warm tones," she explains.
Image via: @overglowedit
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The best nude nail polishes for dark skin tones
For darker skin tones, Ganzorigt layers one coat of Put It In Neutral ($18.99 from Chemist Warehouse) with two coats of Bare My Soul ($12.95 from Best Nail Supply) — "that’s how you get that perfect shade".
"Dark skin tones can carry off stronger and bolder nude polish colours, especially the more trend-led shades," Petroni tells us. "Look for polishes with yellow or brown-based undertones."
"I am loving Essie’s bold greige shade, Chinchilly ($13.90 from Chemist Warehouse), to make this skin tone pop," she explains.
"Legende [from] CHANEL’s Longwear Nail Colour [range] ($49 from David Jones) is my go-to nude for all skin tones dark enough to pull of this richly warm hue that complements the skin and brings out your summer glow," says Petroni.
Image via: @lefevrediary
Main image credit: @nailsbyzola
Now that you've selected the right nude nail polish for your skin tone, it's time to learn how to get the perfect manicure at home.
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
