8 Nail Polishes Shades That Are Flattering On Pale Skin

Despite recent photographs of myself where it would seem I have clung onto my summer tan extremely well. In the harsh daylight, I'm very fair skinned. And besides finding a foundation that suits my snow white complexion perfectly I find that finding a nail polish shade that's really flattering on my pale hands can be difficult. So often nudes can make me look like I'm not too well and anything too bright and brash is horribly unflattering. So if you find yourself having the same issues, here are a few of my favourite shades to slick on my nails in the really cold months that make my hands look healthy.

NAILS INC - REGENTS MEWS

A beautiful purple shade that's dusky rather than your traditional dark harsh hue on the nails which can so often be too vampy for me. I find this the perfect way to make a statement without going for a traditional red or burgundy shade, even though I love them it's nice to go for something different. As you might have read in some of my other beauty posts I've completely changed my mind about Nails Inc as a brand. I used to find their polishes pretty much unusable but the Nail Kale range is completely different. They stay on the nails for the days as well as having hydrating benefits which is perfect as nail polish isn't all that kind to the nails.

NAIL INC - PALACE GARDENS

This is such a good way to wear a pastel without it being too pale on the nails. It's a lovely mix of mint and blue whilst still being creamy and soft in tone. Even though it's a light colour it's not something that can wash you out or make your skin tone generally look a little odd which can so often be the case. Usually, pastel hues can be an absolutely nightmare to apply but again, this is easy and within two coats you have a completely opaque long lasting finish on the nails that you can get a few days of wear from.

ESSIE - ETERNAL OPTIMIST

Last year I completely fell in love with this polish. It's the perfect rose cream shade and is my version of a nude nail, as typically nudes aren't flattering on my skin at all. It's not too pink or brown in colour and sits happily in the middle of the spectrum and I can imagine this is a shade that would flatter a lot of skin types. Of course, being an Essie shade it works undeniably well on my nails and I can get a good week or so out of an Essie polish. The thick creamy formulation in combination with the wide brush is a complete dream and that's why Essie will always reign supreme in my nail polish stash.

ESSIE - COCKTAIL BLING

Lilac is a shade that is typically horribly unflattering on my nails, even though I have a soft spot for the hue it's just not something that normally works when it comes to nail polish. However, this shade from Essie is different as it's got a heavenly grey base which gives the pastel shade a more grown-up edge to it. Again, I think this could be a great nail shade for a wide range of skin tones and it's another way to wear something a little more understated. This was one of the first shades I ever tried from Essie, I remember having to buy it on eBay as it wasn't available in the UK yet and it's something I always return to when I'm not sure what else to use.

ESSIE - MAXIMILLIAN STRASSE HER

I've gone through numerous bottles of this shade and I'm not even quite sure what it is about this that makes it so dreamy on the nails. It's a creamy grey toned green which doesn't sound all that appealing but on the nails, it never fails to look beautiful. Whether I'm super pale or have caught some of the summer sun it just works no matter what. It's a really easy way to make more of a statement with your nails in the warmer months too without going for a really bright brash neon shade. It's something that you just have to try for yourself to understand why it's such a lovely shade for sure.

W7 - CEDAR

W7 are not a brand that I gravitate towards at all as I just deem it to be cheap therefore probably a little crappy. But actually their polishes are surprisingly good and I recently picked up the shade Cedar. It's a raspberry based red which is probably my favourite variant of the classic colour to go for right now. The brush is wide like Essie and the formulation is thick and so easy to work with. It's not the most amazing in terms of staying power but you can get a few days out of it which is perfect as I tend to change my nail colour often anyway. At £2 for a good and somewhat long lasting polish you really can't complain.

RIMMEL SALON PRO - STORMY SKIES

Of course, there had to be a Rimmel polish in this edit because they are without a doubt some of the best polishes on the market at the budget end of the price spectrum. Stormy Skies is not a shade that I'd seen in the aisles of Boots or Superdrug and I found this in a little beauty outlet. It's such a beautiful shade, it's a combination of blue, green with a hint of grey and it works so incredibly well on the nails. Whilst shades like this typically look beautiful in the bottle they can sometimes look a little odd when applied but this looks even better. If you can find this shade then I'd recommend picking it up as it's such a lovely shade for Winter and would probably work well going into Spring too.

FORMULA X - MASSIVE

Formula X is not a brand that us UK girls can easily get hold off and they're typically only found in Sephora, I believe? So you can imagine my excitement when I spotted a selection of them in T K Maxx and I picked the shade Massive. This a dark grey-based green which might not quite be a shade you'd typically go for but I think it's stunning against pale skin. Whilst the shade is beautiful I had problems with the formulation which is why I wanted to include it in this edit to see if anyone had any of pearls of wisdom about the Formula X range as it's so hyped up in the blogging world and I so desperately want to wear this shade more. It could be down to my nails or the combination of the base and top coat that I'm using. So any advice would be much appreciated as there must be a reason why these polishes are so well loved by many.