Your Go-To Nail Polish Might Look Dated—6 Cool Shades to Try

For the most part, getting your nails done is a relaxing ritual. Whether you have a favorite nail tech or prefer the meditative act of painting them yourself, there’s a calming energy that settles in as you sink into the chair. That is, however, until it comes time to decide which color you want.

While there are timeless shades that will look chic whether you wear them tomorrow or 20 years from now (ahem, Selena Gomez’s classic cherry red and Essie’s iconic Ballet Slippers), it’s normal to dabble in something a bit trendier. If 3D charms and vintage polka-dot designs aren’t your cup of tea, you’re in luck. The cool-girl polish landscape is a rainbow of non-boring hues this year, and professional manicurists told us exactly which to choose and which to leave in 2025 the next time you approach that wall of glossy bottles.

The manicure-minded saw everything from creamy butter yellow to Popsicle-drip jelly finishes take over salons and screens last year, but now that it’s February, the pros want you to forget everything you know about them. Take it from Donna Charloff, the service and in-studio product director at MiniLuxe, who has already noticed the separation between the style set and punchy, saturated polishes. “Clients are gravitating away from loud, statement shades in favor of something more refined and wearable,” she explains. Celebrity manicurist and Kiss Nails ambassador Gina Edwards would have to agree, divulging that bold metallic and jelly finishes are slowly but surely on their way out. “While both had strong moments in 2025, the shift is now toward softer, more wearable shades,” she explains.

While there is no right or wrong shade for you to shellac your nails in this year—the one you like most is the best for you!—we have the inside scoop on which hues are trending upward this year. For the rest of our expert-backed in-and-out list, keep scrolling.

Instead of Milky White

Try Milky Colors

Sheer pink milky nails.

We know, blasphemous. But our experts are calling it now: Milky white nails will be less popular than they were in past years in comparison to milky colors. “Trends move at such a rapid pace in the internet zeitgeist,” says celebrity nail artist and OPI ambassador Natalie Minerva. “I keep seeing people saying milky nails are out, but I think they specifically mean milky white.” Charloff agrees that this trend is too polished to ever fully go out of style, but she, too, expects a shift.

“The clean girl, minimal aesthetic isn’t going anywhere, with milky and sheer tones leading the way,” Charloff says, meaning vanilla-tinted pink, foggy neutrals, and so on. Minerva says that the driving force behind this evolution is the endless undertone alternatives worth exploring outside of icy Pantone Cloud Dancer. For instance, OPI’s I’m a Bubble Bunny, the official blend of Funny Bunny and Bubble Bath, is the brand’s famous layering act. Try milky pink, nudes, and pastels this year instead of your regular dairy white.

Shop the Shade

OPI, The New Opicons Spring Nail Lacquer Collection - Opi’m a bubble Bunny

OPI

Nail Lacquer in I’m a Bubble Bunny

essie, Essie Expressie Nail Polish, Quick-Dry Muted Beige Nail Polish, Vegan, Millennium Momentum, 0.33 Fl Oz

Essie

Expressie Nail Polish in Millennium Momentum

Instead of Jelly Polish

Try Smoky Shades

Smoky nails.

Jelly polish was the sticky-sweet trend that dominated last summer, but the pros expect an increase in foggy hues and cool-girl gray this year. “Smokier interpretations of blues, greens, and purples are especially popular—shades that feel dimensional and modern rather than bold or flashy,” Charloff muses. Sage green, moody amethyst, and what Edwards calls “concrete-inspired gray” are the elevated choices to go for as we get deeper into the year. Edwards explains that the stark shade selection chosen by Pantone this year has “set the tone for soft, modern neutrals” in 2026.