Any beauty girl worth her salt knows that brown nails have been a runaway success – not just for this season, but the season before that (and the one before that, too).
A classic in its own right, brown has always offered a softer alternative to black, whether it’s mascara, eyeliner or nail polish. And it also provides a gentle neutral that feels less harsh and a lot more warm across deep to fair skin tones. Add to that the fact it’s timeless (and seasonless), and you have yourself a beauty triple-threat. It brings warmth with tan and bronze shades in spring-summer but also cosiness with mochas and deep chocolates in autumn-winter.
At the end of last summer, latte makeup (then latte nails) took off, with monochromatic brown makeup looks and glossy brown manis taking centre stage. Since then, 2024 has been the year of Espresso – not just on our Spotify playlist, but across our OOTDs, too. We’ve seen plenty of top-to-toe coffee-coloured outfits and caramel-tonal beauty looks.
Of course, the shade headlined again for autumn, but through winter and heading out into spring, it’s set to remain a top contender. And, the celebrities and It girls continue to tap up the shade when it comes to their nail looks.
So, from milk chocolate to a more mahogany-toned dark chocolate, brown nails are going nowhere. You can use it as a blanket colour over almond-shaped nails or to play up French tips, marble swirls and negative space. Even the emerging trend for patent nails is embracing chocolate hues, albeit an ultra-shiny, lacquered iteration characterised by a hard-shell finish that’s as pretty as it is chip-resistant.
Here’s how to wear it…
Sofia Richie
Sofia Richie has been a long-term fan of brown polish, but she recently tapped up the shade once again (alongside a head-to-toe brown tonal look) to celebrate the “scorpios” – including her husband Elliot Grainge. In her Instagram post, you can get a closer look at the shade as you swipe across.
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