These days, with the amount of options on the market, it’s not difficult to find a nail polish color that suits our preferences–it’s hard to choose just one! Even when you have a vague idea of what you’re looking for–green nail polish, anyone?–, it’s not always easy to land on the perfect color. Would you rather wear bright and cheery limes, or moody emeralds? Subdued olives, or fresh mints?
To help you make up your mind, we’ve gathered some of our favorite green nail polishes in this post–from the lightest to the darkest, from the brightest to the most muted. Which one will you choose for your next manicure?
Emerald green nail polish
Emeral green nails are a classic: they are elegant and sophisticated, suitable for all occasions, nail shapes, and skin tones, and will never go out of style. For those who prefer a more classic style, emerald green nail polish can be a good alternative to classic red or classic burgundy polish. If you prefer a bolder look, emerald green won’t let you down either: it’s a bold and confident color, with an ever-modern and stylish finish.
If you’re looking for an emerald green nail polish with a pure, bold color, try the Flormar Green Up Nail Enamel 025 Free Nature: it’s a super saturated nail polish, with a bold color and an elegant finish. If you prefer a darker and more dramatic nail polish, try the essence Shine Last & Go! Gel Nail Polish 83 Trust In Me, a very dark emerald green polish that’s very close to black. It’s a great way to wear color on your nails without taking a big risk!
Olive green nail polish
Somewhere between green, brown, and yellow, olive green may seem like a hard nail polish color to pull off–but we disagree. With their moody tones and relatively low saturation, olive green nails strike the perfect balance between edgy and sophisticated. Try a touch of olive instead of your traditional red or burgundy, and you’ll see what we mean:
When it comes to specific olive shades, we like the Flormar Green Up Nail Enamel 014 Green Love: it’s a dark and moody olive green that works just as well for professional looks as it does for a more casual outfit. We also like the Catrice ICONails Gel Lacquer 106 Olives And Wine, a beautiful dark olive green that looks almost brown-black in different lighting conditions. It’s definitely closer to the olive fruit itself than the olive leaf! If you’re looking for a dark nail polish with a discreet twist, this is a great choice.
Lime green nail polish
Bright and airy, breezy and fresh, lime green nail polish is a great choice for those who don’t want their nails to go unnoticed. Now, there’s definitely some ambiguity in the definition of “lime green”, but we’ve decided it can be either a very bright green (think lime peel) or a citrusy yellow (think lime wedge). Whatever shade of lime green you choose for your nails, we’re sure it will bring you joy–take it from this writer, who’s a long-time fan of these green-yellow shades!
If you’re looking for that perfect green-yellow-lime-wedge sort of color, try the essence Gel Nail Colour 49 Save Water, Drink Lime: it’s a beautiful pastel shade that will infuse any manicure with a touch of citrusy energy. For a bright and bold lime-peel green, try the Flormar Green Up Nail Enamel 027 Lay On The Grass, a hyper saturated green nail polish that feels like summer in a bottle.
Green glitter nail polish
If you’re looking for green nail polish with a touch of glitter and sparkle, we’ve got options too:
We love the Catrice ICONails Gel Lacquer 70 Easy Peasy Green Squeezy, a bright blue-green with a subtly sparkly finish. Use it on its own, or as a base for some elaborate nail art–it’ll look stunning! We also love the INOCOS Like Gel 2 Long Color Nail Polish 151 Funk Glitter Green, a stunning emerald green nail polish with larger glitter flakes. Somewhere between “gemstone green” and “art nouveau green”, this is a gorgeous nail polish, both bold and sophisticated.
Mint green nail polish
Mint might just be one of the most popular shades of green nail polish, though it can be a little ambiguous to describe! The good news, however, is that it’s not that important to figure out what you’re calling the color–whether you call it mint, jade, sage, or even matcha, we know you’re referring to a light, muted or pastel shade of green, probably cool-toned, probably fit an Easter egg hunt. We’ll show you some of our favorites below:
Take the essie Enamel Nail Polish 99 Mint Candy Apple, for instance, a pastel green nail polish with a very subtle blue undertone. Minty fresh, and good for any skin tone! For a slightly different take of very light green nail polish, try the Catrice ICONails Gel Lacquer 124 Believe In Jade, a muted green nail polish that’s a little closer to khaki green than your average “mint”.
Blue-green nail polish
Have you ever noticed how many people say their favorite shade of green is actually blue? Blue-green shades are popular across design, fashion, and now makeup, and there’s no shortage of blue-green nail polish colors to choose from. If you’d like to bring this color to your nails, take a look at the following options:
We like the essie Enamel Nail Polish 266 Naughty Nautical for its bright and cheery blue-green color–honestly, it’s hard to imagine a happier-looking shade of green! For something a little more subdued, we also love the Flormar Nail Enamel 497 Celadon Glaze, a pale blue-green nail polish that’s named after celadon, an historic type of pottery.
Army green nail polish
Army green may not be a very common color for nail polish, but it’s been gaining admirers over the years. It’s the perfect compromise: it’s dark, yet colorful; bold, yet sophisticated. If you’re looking for a moody nail color that works year-round, army green could be a great option for you!
For a traditional army green, we like the Flormar Nail Enamel 454 Army Glam, a dark green nail polish that looks discreet and sophisticated while still feeling bright and colorful. For a more muted approach, we like the Mavala Nail Color Cream 123 Edinburgh, an almost-black nail polish with incredible depth.
With so many green nail polish options available, you’d be forgiven if you decided to never use another nail polish color again–why would you, when these versatile shades can be as classic as they are bold, as sophisticated as they are edgy? Whatever shade of green nail polish you choose will be a great choice. Just remember to complement it with regular nail care–the better you take care of your nails, the better they’ll look with your manicures!
