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Fall 2020 Nail Color Trends

I’ve been getting so many requests for fall nail color trends, I decided it was time to write a post about it!

fall 2020 nail color trends

First, a couple disclaimers.

#1. I do not do my own nails. That is not my area of expertise. If you want advice on a DIY manicure that will last you a week or more, my friend Kelly Snyder is your girl. She did a whole Facebook Live broadcast on it last week, and it was fantastic.

If you want to know what is trending and my personal favorite nail colors for fall, that’s what we’re talking about today.

#2. Because I don’t do my own nails, I don’t experiment with a lot of different brands of polish. CND and Zoya are the two brands carried by my nail salon and the only ones I have recent experience with. Beyond that, I’m going off of pictures, not personal experience.

I get the CND Shellac for my manicures, but CND also makes a line called Vinylux that you can remove without soaking, and it’s available on Amazon.

I usually go for a Zoya color on my pedicure because I find it looks shinier and holds up better over the weeks. It’s also one of the more natural nail polish brands available, so it’s kind to your nails.

With all of THAT out of the way, here some of the top nail color trends this fall, as well as my personal favorites.

Fall 2020 Nail Color Trends

You can click on each picture to get the direct link to the nail polish color. They are also each linked in the descriptions below.

#1. Deep Mauve

You may not think of mauve when you think of fall, but it’s always a safe bet if you prefer to stick to more traditional colors.

CND Married to the Mauve is one of my all-time favorites, and I recently discovered CND Fuji Love. This is the color I’m wearing in these pictures.

It also has some pink undertones, but it’s a little more brown for fall — I’m looking at it on my hands, and it looks more brown in person than it does on the computer screen. It definitely depends on the lighting, though.

#2. Shades of Green

I am not so much a fan of these colors on my nails, but if you are, evergreen, emerald, and olive green are all very trendy right now!

Essie Sweater Weather is one I’ve seen recommended a few times, and Essie Heart of the Jungle is fun too. It has some yellow undertones. For a deeper shade of green without the shimmer, I love the looks of Zoya Mel.

#3. Toasty Brown

Now, this is more my speed. I would love to try this color called JJ by Olive and June. I wear CND Arrowhead a lot this time of year. It’s a little deeper and has a hint of burgundy.

Orly Canyon Clay is a good one too, and Essie Pearls of Wisdom was recommended by someone in my Facebook Group.

I often wear CND Rubble in the fall, but it’s not as much of a toasty brown. It leans a little more taupe.

#4. Neutral Taupe

I typcially go for darker colors, myself, but if you like to keep your nail colors more subtle, go with a more sophisticated neutral that is close to your skin tone. Just like neutral clothing is always sophisticated and elevated, the same is true for your nails.

A few examples are CND Unearthed or Essie Easily Suede. CND Field Fox is another favorite in these earthy neutral tones.

You could also try Sally Hansen Soft Plum. It’s also a plant-based color, for those who prefer that. Anything in the taupe family is on trend this season and will look more modern for fall than your summery white or pale pink.

#5. Deep Teal

This is close to the green, but I would be more likely to try teal. I feel like it would read as more of a neutral than the greens. I may not get brave enough to try it on my hands, but I may try it on my toes.

A few that I’ve seen recommended are OPI CIA = Color is Awesome and Zoya Danica. I will have to see if  my salon carries the Danica. Essie Go Overboard is another.

#6. Slate Grey

As I said, I typically gravitate to darker colors in the fall/winter. I feel like they complement my coloring and also have that edgy vibe that I love. I usually flit between brown and burgundy and mauve and navy blue, but the one color that has always eluded me is a good grey.

CND doesn’t seem to have a great shade of grey… at least, not one that’s carried by my salon. But when Kelly was doing her Facebook Live on nail colors last week, she was wearing the exact color I’m always looking for — Sally Hansen Soothing Slate. I am definitely going to have to give that a try.

OPI Rub-a-Pub looks good too, but it is verrry dark. It looks similar to the CND Asphalt that I often wear, but I really want something in between that and CND Rubble, which leans more brown, in my opinion. If you know of something, let me know!

In Conclusion

There are certainly more I could have listed, but I feel like this hits the highlights. You can never go wrong with a warm red or navy blue in the fall, but I find myself gravitating more towards the earth tones this time of year. And I think that deep teal is really fun for a change.

If you have any favorite go-to colors for fall, feel free to share them in the comments!

Keep Your Nails Healthy with CND Solar Oil

I can’t have a nail discussion without mentioning the product that saved my nails and allows me to get regular gel/shellac manicures without sacrificing nail health.

CND Solar Oil is a blend of three natural oils and vitamin E that serves double duty as both a nail strengthener and conditioner, as well as a cuticle softener.

When I started going to my current salon for manicures, I was getting the regular Zoya polish because I had ruined my nails with gel manicures in the past and I thought I couldn’t wear it.

The ladies at Eden educated me about proper removal techniques, quality products (they only use CND shellac), and keeping up with my nails and cuticles between salon visit with CND Solar Oil.

They swore that if I use it every night before bed, and even better, once or twice during the day, my nails would remain healthy and strong and be able to tolerate regular shellac manicures. Well, they were right!

Every few months, when my nails start to get brittle, I will give them a break and use Nailtiques for a couple of weeks to help them repair and strengthen again. But that’s all I need to do, and I’m right back to shellac manicures every other week.

As long as I’m consistent with the Solar Oil, I’m good to go! I highly recommend it for anyone wanting stronger, healthier nails.

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26 Responses

  1. For OPI lovers, the new Milan collection is among the best in years. Complimentary Wine is the prettiest burgundy I’ve seen and my salon tells me it’s now their most popular request for fall. Addio bad nails, Ciao  great nails, is a really nice grey. And Drama at La Scala is a beautiful teal. 

  2. Hi all! I love painting my nails myself — it was a weekly ritual until I started working early elections (all that sanitizer melts it right off)!   

    My favorite color is olive green, but I have tried dark greens, teals, navy blue and purples — they can stain! Not a big deal if you paint your nails regularly, but it kinda locks you in until your nails grow out if you aren’t careful.  

    Just thought I’d share that tidbit!

  3. Fun post. I have always loved nail polish. I went years wearing clear on my nails that always look long because I have long nailbeds. Now, I love getting my nails done, which I’ve been treating myself to since our salons opened with limited appointments. I’ve already made mine up until Christmas!

    On the coffee maker, Jo-Lynne, we bought a DeLonghi Magnifica, and we LOVE it. It’s a little spendy but honestly, though I still enjoy a coffee shop “foncy coffee”, with good beans, this coffee maker makes better coffee than I can usually get out. I drink mine black most of the time so the taste is important. One of the pluses of this kind of coffeemaker is that it’s easy to change what strength and size you want, there are no plastic containers AND clean up is easy because the grounds are formed into little pucks. No coffee grounds in my sink anymore– like I always had with my beloved French press!

  4. Hi Jo-lynne, Who makes the “Deep Teal” color? I love that, but didn’t notice the brand.
    Thanks!! Sheila

  5. Even though I am not one to keep my nails polished, I enjoyed reading about what is on trend now.  Polished nails look so nice to me, but obviously it is not important enough for me to do regularly. Fun story: back in 2015 when I had a camo cast on my left ankle/foot, I painted my toenails camo, to coordinate.  Since it’s close to me deer hunting, I could do something similar.  Question:  What is the deal with having different colors put on your nails, sharp pointed fake nails, and different designs on your nails?  I’m glad you allowed yourself to sleep in a little today.  As much coffee as we drink daily, using anything but a regular coffee maker and coffee would break the bank.  I drink a minimum of 32 oz and Larry drinks at least that much daily.  Have a great day!

  6. I can see shopping in my future! Living is Southern CA, it’s still in the 90s every day so I don’t have much use for sweaters and boots just yet. But bring in all the fall feelings with the nail polish – I can get behind that! My favorites are the deep teal, slate greys, and toasty browns.

    I would not normally do greens, but last December I found a beautiful dark green metallic that I wore throughout the holiday season and I loved that color! I may go with that again this year. Until then, can’t wait to stock up on some fall shades.

  7. Thank you for this post! I love earth tones as well and am currently wearing Essie Clothing Optional. A nice warm neutral. Have a great day!

  8. I love the color on your nails with just a hint of brown. I wonder if OPI has a similar color as that is what my salon uses. I tend to use darker (winter) or brighter (summer)  colors on my toes than my fingers. 

  9. I am such a long-term fan of Zoya nail polish. My manicures have great staying power and maybe because it is free of many chemicals the actual bottles of nail polish last forever. If someone is interested in doing their own nails with Zoya polish, then sign up for their emails or like them on FB. They frequently run buy one get one free polish sales. Zoya has a beautiful steel gray called Kelly you might enjoy.

    1. Thanks, yes, Zoya is what my salon uses for non-gel polish, and I love it. It looks so shiny and lasts really well. I’ll look for that Kelly. I can at least put it on my toes. Or on my nails when taking a break from shellac. And thanks for the tip on getting their sales.

  10. On the Coffee note. I gave up pods for a coffee machine. I own the Jura. It’s fabulous. Very professional but cost as much as a large kitchen appliance highly recommend. Customer service is phenomenal and coffee comes out amazing. I buy quality beans. So it makes a huge difference 

  11. Thank you Jo-Lynne!  Fun post!  I forgot that I have Married to the Mauve.  Just my speed for this time of year!

  12. I work in a surgery center doing cataracts, so we’re fine with polish left on the hands of our patients. I fell in love with a recent patient’s nail color, Grease Lightening, by Sally Hansen Insta-Dri. It’s medium gray with ever so slight navy/purple undertones. It’s a wonderful, cool neutral. I like to paint it on my toes, then do a fun lavender or periwinkle on my hands during the summer. In the fall/winter, it is a dramatic fingernail color. Fun post, thank you!!

  13. I use the Solar oil and find my nails are stronger! Thanks for show casing colors for the  Fall season. If you like espresso, Nespresso is the best small machine. If you call them and registered your other machine, you can get a “out of warranty “ discount!

  14. you made me giggle…….that morning cup or four of coffee are so so important…especially now in these crazy times we are experiencing….good luck….my kids love a good french press…..

  15. When we bought our Nespresso machine (Kitchenaid), I’d really debated among several different models. I ended up with the Kitchenaid because I liked how it looked, and I didn’t see the need for the Vertuo. My husband doesn’t drink coffee, and I prefer espresso-based drinks. 🙂 I really debated about the creatista….absolutely LOVE how it looks. There are times I wish I would’ve splurged (got the Kitchenaid on a decent sale from Amazon), but I’m definitely happy with Nespresso.

  16. Love/struggle with Nespresso!! Our second Vertuo just died. Tried a Cuisinart from BBB and it is awful. I guess I just like strong coffee. Making pour-over and trying to decide what to do. We have frequent errors with our capsule orders, and live NOWHERE near a “boutique”. I will check out Colleen’s suggestion for Magnifica. And pick out a new nail color! THX!

    1. That is so weird, we NEVER have errors with our capsule orders. I have an auto-order set up with Nespresso but we also place extra orders from Amazon when we run out. Maybe try Amazon if you go back to Nespresso?

  17. I recently purchased Color Street nails. They are a game changer. Check them out if you’ve never heard of them. They stay on so much longer than just painting your nails yourself. I’m loving mine. I order through a friend on Facebook.

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