It’s hard to beat the level of sophistication you feel after walking out of the salon with a fresh manicure and pedicure. The sun shines brighter, the possibilities feel endless, and you suddenly feel the urge to book up your social calendar. Or maybe that’s just August.

The end-of-summer craze has us not only wishing for more warm months on the calendar but also leaning into the rich colors and bright trends that this season brings—even if we did say several times over the course of a sticky-hot NYC summer that we couldn’t wait for fall. (We were just kidding; we promise!) As beauty editors, we most often prefer to incorporate these colors into our manicures before adding them to our wardrobes, and summer 2026 has proven to be a kaleidoscope of trendy hues. From buzzy aquamarines to trendy chartreuse, there’s been no pop-of-color shortage in the fashion sphere—which only makes sense that it transfers onto our nails. More specifically, our toes.