From sheer tints to soft blues, this season's nails are all about subtlety. Ditch your heavy jewel tones from winter and fall and pick up a lightweight lacquer for the warm weather ahead.
The 7 Trendiest Nail Colors to Wear This Spring
For your fingers and (newly free) toes
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Published Feb 26, 2016
Warm Neutrals
From pinky sheers to opaque creams, nude polishes come in many forms. This season's take is a bit warmer and understated so that it blends with your skin to create the illusion of long, elegant fingers.
Zoya ($10)
Cool Grays
Swap your moodier blacks and blues for a cooler gray instead. It's less predictable than a nude but just as wearable.
Lauren B. Beauty ($18)
Sheer Tints
It may not look like it in the bottle, but these thinner formulas are supposed to go on light to add just a hint of color. (Meaning you can get away with an imperfect paint job.)
OPI ($9)
Periwinkle Blues
One of two Pantone picks for 2016, this calming blue offers a nice contrast to your neutral knits now--and breezy dresses later.
Essie ($9)
Rosy Pinks
Pantone’s second pick, this soft pink is a tried-and-true classic for good reason: It works on everyone. Try one shade on your fingers and the other on your toes for a foolproof feminine combo that will take you through the season.
Smith & Cult ($18)
Opalescent Hues
A riff on the Insta-famous glass nail, these shade-shifting hues look different in every light. Then the pearly finish makes everything--and every color--look more refined.
YSL ($28)
Subtle Textures
Fact: A textured polish (like this finely flecked topcoat) upgrades a basic mani in seconds. It’s nail art for when you don’t feel like messing with painter’s tape--or dropping cash at a salon. Just apply a base color of your choice and swipe on a topcoat in a different finish to give it some contrast.
Jin Soon x Barneys ($18)
Opening Image: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images
