Five shades to know, from glazed chrome to cherry red, and the polishes to shop now.
Summer nails have shifted. After a few seasons of barely-there neutrals and clean girl nudges, the mood this year is bolder, more deliberate, and honestly, a lot more fun. This is the summer of colour with actual conviction — shades you choose because you want people to notice, not because you’re playing it safe.
The good news is that bold does not have to mean difficult. The five shades dominating right now are all genuinely wearable, which is precisely why they keep showing up from London to the Balearics. Whether you are heading to Wimbledon, boarding a plane, or simply want your hands to look interesting again, here is where to start.
Low-key green
Green nails sound like a decision you might regret, but this is the softer, earthier version: a light khaki with a creamy finish that sits somewhere between sage and matcha. It works against tanned skin in a way that brighter greens never quite manage, and it pairs with pretty much everything in a summer wardrobe — linen, white, terracotta, camel. Understated but still interesting.
Nailberry
Love you very Matcha
£17.00
Shop NowMilky coconut
There is a version of white nails that looks stark and clinical, and then there is this: a warm, creamy white that reads more like fresh coconut than brilliant white. The finish is clean without being cold, and it works for every occasion from the office to the beach. If you want one shade to carry you through summer without thinking too hard, this is it.
Nails.INC
Find Me In Fulham Quick Drying Nail Polish
£7.20
Shop NowCherry red
Red nails will never not work. What makes this particular shade worth knowing about is that it leans incendiary rather than classic — a deep, lacquered cherry red that photographs brilliantly and wears like a statement without requiring one. The Chanel formula delivers the kind of glossy, pigment-rich finish that cheaper polishes tend to promise and rarely deliver.
CHANEL
CHANEL Le Vernis Nail Colour
£30.00
Shop NowLace blue
Blue has been building for a while, and this shade is the intelligent take on it. Not cobalt, not navy, not baby blue — something in between, softer and more nuanced, the kind of colour that looks unexpectedly chic against gold jewellery and sun-kissed skin. Chanel’s Muse sits in that precise territory, which is probably why it sells out consistently.
CHANEL
CHANEL Le Vernis Nail Colour
£30.00
Shop NowButter yellow
Yellow is having a proper moment this summer, and butter yellow specifically feels like the friendliest version of it. It is warm, it is happy, and it is far more wearable than it sounds — especially if you go for a soft, creamy finish rather than anything neon-adjacent. Essie’s Summer Soulstice shade gets it exactly right.
The real shift this season is that nails feel like part of the outfit again, not an afterthought. Pick one shade, commit to it, and let everything else follow.
