Nail Techs Swear By These Dark Nail Colours for An Expensive-Looking Manicure

There are some nail colours that exude a classy vibe. They are the expensive-looking nails colours that transcend nails trends, and make you look like you dropped a lot of money on your manicure. You see, dark nail colours tick all of the boxes. They're chic, ultra-glossy and add a certain luxurious vibe to your fingertips. In fact, I'm wearing these nails colours all through autumn and winter to elevate my nails alongside my autumn/winter wardrobe.

There are certain dark nail colours that I've been recommended by nail techs over the years, both in gel polish and nail polish, and they've become somewhat iconic. And I see them everywhere when I scroll on Instagram. There's an art to making dark nails look as luxe as possible. Manicurists tell me that dark nail polishes look best on short nails, with a soft square or oval shape, for the most luxe-looking results. Dark nails can look great on long nails too, but lend more of a gothic vibe. For this look, keeping nails short lets the nail colour do the talking.

If you're ready for some dark nail colour ideas, scroll ahead to see all the best dark nail inspiration I've saved, as well as the best dark nail polishes to recreate the look at home if you're not heading into the salon.

1. Bordeaux

Deep red, burgundy, oxblood or Bordeaux—whatever you call it, it's a timeless and chic option if you want to go for a dark nail colour that's elevated. Nail techs love OPI's Malaga Wine and Chanel's iconic Rouge Noir nail polishes for a dark red mani, which is pictured above.

Shop Bordeaux nails polishes:

2. Hunter Green

If you find black too harsh, then opting for a deep green is a chic way to tap into the dark nail colour trend. In fact, I've been seeing so many people wearing this Bioscultpture gel shade in Free Lovin'. If you want to recreate the look with polish, I've found some equally beautiful options below.

Shop hunter green nail polishes:

3. Onyx

Black is an excellent choice for nails. Like black boots or a black leather handbag, black nails will go with whatever you're wearing, no matter the time of the year. As this hue is so dark chips can be more prominent, so be sure to apply a top coat every other day to keep chipping at bay if you're opting for nail polish.

4. Chocolate

I'm seeing brown nails everywhere night now. Brown nails were backstage at London Fashion Week for SS24 and I spied them on the hands of the LFW attendees, too. Wether you opt for dark bitter brown or milk chocolate, there's a brown nail polish hue to suit everyone. Nail pros love OPI's range of brown nail polishes, as well as the longevirty of CND's Vinylux polishes.

Shop chocolate brown nail polishes:

5. Olive

I've been seeing olive green nails a lot lately. While in summer we wore matcha green, for Autumn/Winter I'm seeing more khaki and olive tones doing the rounds. It's the ideal colour if you want a pop of colour that still feels right for the season.

Shop olive green nail polishes:

6. Navy

Inky blues lend a brilliant shine to nails, and much like a navy jumper or dark wash of denim, it's a timeless colour to have in your nail wardrobe too. Trust me, it'll go with everything. The above shade is Bioscultpture's Blue Mushroom if you want to ask your nail tech for it. However, Chanel, Dior and Nails Inc have some beautiful navy blues for your DIY mani at home.

Shop dark blue nail polishes:

7. Rosewood

I see this beautiful brown-red shimmer crop up around this time of the year, and it's such a pretty shade if you want a deeper take on red. The brown undertone in this Rosewood Stardust shade by Biosculpture has flecks of gold shimmer, making it a great hue to take you through any occasion.

Shop rosewood nail polishes:

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