Have you ever thought about painting your nails to accentuate your summer glow or bring out a bit of color in your complexion? It might sound a little random, but totally works! When you create a contrast between your skin color and the nail polish, you can instantly go from pale to sun-kissed in a matter of minutes. Just about any shade lighter than your skin tone will give a bronzed boost, but specifically there are 3 kinds of nail polishes that I can’t be without when I want to enhance my tan! I have rounded up my favorite glow-getting polishes so you can finish off summer in style 😉
NEON
I am sure that you’ve heard (if not experienced for yourself) that bright, neon colored clothing often makes people appear tanner. The same goes for nail polish! Neon anything will not only give a fun touch of color for summer, but also bring out a radiant glow. I personally love neon pink, coral, yellow, and sometimes a bold electric blue. China Glaze & ORLY have a wonderful selection of neon polishes. These colors may be a bit too “out there” for those who usually stick with neutrals – but rest assured, there are other options if neons aren’t your jam.
PASTEL
Opting for pastel nails is a nice way to branch out of your everyday neutral shades, while getting a bit of color. This summer, I’ve been obsessed with lavender and baby pink shades! The ones I’ve been wearing on repeat are “Gummi,” “Cake Pop,” and “Pink Pursuit” by CND Vinylux. I discovered this salon-quality brand a few months ago and instantly got hooked! Their nail lacquers are surprisingly very long lasting and dry extremely quickly, considering they aren’t gel polishes. I use it with their weekly top coat and don’t have to worry about my nails for a full week!
WHITE
White nail polish reminds me of my middle school days when everyone would use white-out to paint their nails in class. Did anyone else outside of my school do this? LOL! So, it took me a while to get back on board with the white nail polish trend as an adult. But, I love how extra dark it makes me look, and the good news is white goes with everything! It’s practically a neutral that’s just a bit “louder.” 😉
Are you a fan of bright nail polish colors? Let me know which are your favorites!
I love white nail polish, especially when heading on vacation.
Yes! White and off-white are so gorgeous, especially for summer vacays 🙂
I am a big fan of pastels too! neons aren’t too much up my alley though haha like you said it can be a bit toooo loud! but I like a little bit of color 🙂 great selection babe!
I totally get it haha! I like neons occasionally but I totally agree with you that it can be harder to match with everything. Pastels are a good middle ground for sure 🙂 Glad you like the selection, Tammy!
LOL I totally remember those white out days! I remember that’s what I’d use because my mom wouldn’t let me paint my nails when I was younger 😂😂😂
LOL GIRL me too! Those were the days hahaha
This is such a great post!! Thanks for sharing girl!
Much love,
Gabi
The Blonde Effect
Thanks Gabi! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xo
Haha, I definitely had no idea that neon colors can actually make you look tanner! Since I’ve colored my hair darker to give my hair a break from bleaching, I instantly look paler. I’ll have to experiment with lighter nail polish colors to see if it will help me look tanner. 🙂
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Omg!!! You’re so brave going back to dark after all these years of light! :O I don’t think I could go back to the dark side after spending so much time on the lighter side haha. And I do feel like the balayage blonde makes me look darker too! Hopefully you’ll like how the lighter polish colors look on you – they’ll definitely bring out a nice glow 🙂
Lovin’ the lavendar polish…It’ll really go with my hair which is lilac ombre at the moment! I like having my nails done, but always seem to botch it up. Plus, I can’t seem to keep it looking nice. After a day or so, I always end up ruining them on something. :/ The pastel shade does look really gorgeous on you though! 🙂
Oooohhh! I miss when I had lilac ombre hair! The lavender polish would go beautifully with your locks darling 🙂 xx
I always get the neutral colors. Maybe I would try white nails next time.
xo, Joling
http://lovejoling.com/
You totally should! I know you’ll rock a white mani 🙂 xx
I love neon, pastel and white nail-polishes. I totally agree with you. They’re perfect for improving our tan.
modaodaradosti
Hehe so glad you think so too darling! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend xoxo
Aww yes, I love wearing pastel colors nail polish to enhance my tan. This lilac color looks so good on you.
xoxo, Rachel
http://rachelvogttrends.com
Thanks Rachel! 🙂 xx
I actually love all these polish brands! I typically go with white in summer and you’re right they definitely make a tan pop! I haven’t tried neon (too much color for me lol). My typical colors are nude, white, and red. xoxo, Christine
https://dailykongfidence.com/
White always looks so good on you babe! Yeah, I totally understand that neon can be a bit out there for some people haha. I personally prefer pastels this season!
I love pastels in the summer! I am not a big fan of neons, but still I should give them a try.
Pastels are the perfect middle ground! Haha 😉
I will share this with my wife. She typically gets her nails done locally but once in a while she does her own nails.
Thank you for sharing, Scott! xx
I’ve definitely used neon before to make me look tanner, and I recently bought a new white and haven’t used it yet but thanks for the reminder!
Oooohhh how exciting! I love new nail polish haha 🙂 have fun darling!
I love pastels and also neon on occasion. I never knew that some colours made you look more tanned, thanks for the tip!
We learn something new everyday! Haha 🙂 Thanks for reading darling!
I love white polish. It looks so chic!
It really does!
Oh wow, I actually have that exact nail polish you’re wearing! Pastel shades are my absolute favorite to play up a tan!
Omg it’s sooooo good lol I love how long lasting it is, and it’s literally the perfect shade of lilac lol
Polish is a huge help if you want to look tan! Great color choice!
Briana
https://beyoutifulbrunette.com/
I’m glad you think so too, Briana! Have a wonderful weekend xoxo
You are spot on! White on my toes has been my go-to polish this summer.
Yes! Great choice, Tonya! xoxo
I love the zoya color you recommended! It totally enhance the tan!! Love it!
Thanks Julia! xx
The Zoya polish looks great. I especially love the color!
Thank you Frank! Have a great weekend!
I love the white polishes. They are so fresh and sophisticated.
They really are! Love that it goes with anything too 🙂
I am not a fan of any nail polish but this one looks really beautiful I will share this with my sister and I am sure she will like it.
Thank you for sharing, Catherine!
Good observation! I like pastel shades but love neon shades for vacations.
Yes! I loved wearing neon polish on my last trip to Cabo haha so fitting!
This is a really interesting post. I like that you provided tips on what works with a tan. I really like pastel colours personally!
Thank you Elizabeth! So glad you enjoyed the post. I am a big fan of pastels myself too!
I don’t often wear nail polish but I really love those pastel shades, especially now that I actually have a little bit of a tan!
Haha I haven’t been without polish in a while! Gotta love those pastels for summer 🙂
I love wearing pastels on my dark skin, it always pops
Yes! So glad you find this trick helpful too!
I’m a sucker for white and nude colored polish colors. They just look so classy.
http://www.signedbyroxci.com
They will never go out of style – that’s for sure!
I love wearing bright colors depends on my mood! I got yellow recently! Love the lavender
So glad to hear that, babe! I can always count on bright colors to brighten up my mood hehe
I love all these pretty nail polish colors1 You can never go wrong with white no matter what color your skin is 🙂
xo Samantha
http://www.samanthamariko.com
Thanks Samantha! Yes, white is a gorgeous nail color on anybody!
Loving the pastels, those are really sweet shades. Thanks for sharing dear!
Jessica notjessfashion.com
Thanks Jessica! Glad you like them!
I’m always a little hesitant to wear neon nail polish but I love pastels and I definitely notice that I look a bit tanner!
Pastels are my jam right now too! Haha 🙂
Ahhh I completely agree with you! Neon, white, and pastel are definitely the top colors to bring out that tan 😉 I’d have to say that I’m not a huge fan of neon because it gets distracting to myself LOL. I do like white! But I looooove pastel a lot more and this lavender color you’re wearing is RIGHT up my alley! Lavender, shades of blue, olive, and grays are my favorite nail color tones! I actually recently got a mani (after FOREVER) and it’s in dark charcoal gray for fall 🙂
With love, Jenn
https://jubilantdose.com
Haha I know what you mean! I haven’t really worn neons this summer but last summer I did! The neon pink can be quite distracting sometimes but I love how it brings out my tan. This year, I’ve been wearing lots of pastels! So pretty hehe <3 Charcoal grey sounds amazing and perfect for fall... but we are far from fall in Palm Springs still, so I'm still rocking my summer colors lol
hahaha this is so funny because I totally do this too lol!! However I always choose like white or like a peachy color because I think makes me look more tan lol I specially love the White from Nars is totally my favorite.
I need to pick up the white NARS polish next time I come across it! Hehe glad you enjoy white nail polish – it does really make a tan pop!