Of All the Nail Colours Trending Right Now, These 6 Are the Classiest and Most Versatile


People tend to fall into two camps when it comes to their nail choice—bold and bright or timeless neutrals. Typically, I’m all for a head-turning manicure choice with tomato reds and sky blues being the kinds of shades that I tend to gravitate towards. However, 2024 has undoubtedly been the year of the nail trend and with so many incredible nails looks emerging each week I’ve been inspired to step out of my manicure comfort zone over the last few months. And while, for some, that might look like swapping their sheer nail colours for some more experimental nail art or a more head-turning hue, for me that means ditching my rainbow manicures for something a little more pared-back—and, right now, that means light nail colours.

“A light coloured manicure is easy to DIY and actually longer-lasting than brighter or darker hues,” explains session manicurist Ami Streets. “Any regrowth with paler, skin-toned or sheer colours is almost imperceptible which makes it the ultimate low-maintenance manicure already.” For me, as a beauty editor who loves a lazy beauty routine and a busy mum of two, this in itself is enough to convince me of the joys of light nail colours. However, easy upkeep aside, experts agree that light manicures are also delightfully on-trend right now.

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“My clients share my love for a neutral colour so they love light nail colours,” says international manicurist Georgia Rae. “Often I’ll mix colours to create a bespoke nude for my client depending on their skin tone, but a consistently popular shade is Bio Sculpture’s Sweet Candy Breath—a soft pink—which is universally flattering and the perfect blend of neutral tones.” And best of all? Light nail colours truly go with everything. Call them boring if you like, but if you haven’t got time to switch up your nails with your outfit then a light manicure might just be your new best friend.