When winter arrives, it can wreak havoc on your nails. The cold weather is never ideal, but if you don’t take proper care of your hands, your nails can really suffer.
By moisturising your hands regularly, protecting your nails with gel nail polish and using cuticle oil frequently, you can offset any damage the cold weather might cause.
Just like the rest of your skin, your hands and cuticles can dry out in the cold weather. Add dehydrated air from having the heating on into the mix and you could be stuck with dry, flaking hands and nails.
Not a good look.
Wear gloves in the cold and moisturise your hands and cuticles regularly. Gel nail polish can keep your nails looking fresh and bright, as well as protecting them from the elements.
Keep reading to get inspiration for stylish autumn and winter nail ideas.
7 Warm shades of Autumn to Ease Your Manicure into Winter
Below are some warm autumnal manicure shades to ease you into the chilly winter.
Light nail colours are more popular in the spring and summer, so we’ve focused on deep, rich nail polish colours.
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Toffee Apple
A glossy reddish orange colour, Toffee Apple is perfect for brightening up those cosy months. It’s reminiscent of falling leaves, pumpkins, bonfires and of course – toffee apples!
Orange tones represent the transition between seasons. The period of time when leaves turn from green to orange to brown before falling to the ground.
It represents the cosiness of a warm fire, lit in the cold weather.
Wear this shade in the autumn and winter months to bring warmth to your look. Pair with cosy knitted jumpers, hats and gloves and anything that involves wrapping up.
It’s the perfect manicure colour for any wintry outdoor social events such as bonfires, Christmas markets or carol singing.
Use this vivid tone to cover full nails in your manicure or add some warmth and brightness with nail art. Lines or bright tips would create a fun flash of colour over natural nail polish colours.
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Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie is a high-shine rich orange colour. It’s an opaque orange with light brown, golden tone to it.
This bright orange shade is often associated with happiness, celebration and a joyful future.
By wearing Pumpkin Pie nail colour, you’re showing how much you love the season and letting your manicure do the talking.
A cute nail design is a backdrop of Pumpkin Pie over the whole nail with white polka dots on top, or even glitter nail polish tips.
This colour is a little flirty, so wear it to coffee dates, weddings and parties. Pair it with a little black dress to dress it up for the evening, or a baggy cardigan an mom jeans for daytime wear.
It might be worth playing with different clothing textures. Tweed is an autumn and winter staple that complements orange nails.
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Honeycomb
A light brown shade with a hint of orange, Honeycomb is another great autumnal find. The richness of the brown is similar to a toffee latte, and conjures up and image of warm, sweet drinks.
Various latte shades will never not be popular, so take inspiration from a café theme and stock up on those caffeinated browns.
Honeycomb looks almost bronze in certain lights. These brown colours represent strength and reliability. Very fitting for strong gel manicure!
This shade was made for a swirl style nail art and should be paired with mustard or orange tones with a nude nail polish backdrop. The colour itself isn’t just coffee shop inspired and it also gives off some cool 70s vibes.
Wear this shade with your best Farrah Fawcett blow-dry and throw on some flares. Statement flower earrings and striped sweater vest will also help complete the look.
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Chestnut
With a name like Chestnut, would you expect anything other than a deep, rich brown? This shade is sophisticated and bold without being flamboyant.
Deep brown tones like this are often associated with honesty and reliability. This makes it the ideal shade for anyone craving that grown up glam finish.
It will fit in in the boardroom as well as at winter wedding or dancing the night away in a bar. Chestnut exudes confidence and style, offering a glossy finish for a slick looking manicure.
Thought to be a shade for elegant and cultured people, it should be paired with block colours and sleek silhouettes for an on-brand look.
This is tone is from a Winter colour palette. Pair with warmer tones in nail art to create the perfect seasonal transition.
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Cinnamon Swirl
The gel colour Cinnamon Swirl looks exactly how you’d imagine based on its name. It’s a rich, reddish brown, just like the cinnamon spice itself.
It has a beautiful shiny finish and creates a warm look on your fingertips.
As it’s a brown colour with red tones, it symbolises resilience and reliability from the brown spectrum, and passion and courage from the red.
It’s a warm colour so it should be paired with neutrals or other warm shades. Cool tones might clash if they’re a little on the icy side like light blues and silvers.
This is another gel colour that can finish your look for almost any occasion. It looks professional enough to turn up to work wearing, but it’s on-trend enough to wear socially.
Providing it’s paired with neutral or complementary tones, it could be worn with any style of outfit!
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Caramel
Caramel gel nail polish is a warm brown colour that look good enough to eat (but don’t try!) It’s a warm golden brown that could pass for melted chocolate and caramel mixed together.
It’s a sweet looking shade that once cured may even look like real caramel since it has a high gloss finish.
As another nail polish with brown tones, it’s also associated with reliability and security. It’s perhaps this connotations that make it more of a neutral colour.
Neutral shades can be paired with almost anything and they won’t clash. You could create nail are with a bright pink or blue and these colours would go together.
Since it’s a fun confectionary shade, it can be paired with almost anything. It’s just as well suited to be worn with a brightly coloured knit as it is a navy evening gown.
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Khaki Camo
Khaki Camo is a brownish green that sits on the cooler end of the spectrum. It’s almost a dark neutral tone, but there’s an element of cool about it.
This means it should be paired with cool or neutral colours for both outfit ideas and nail art.
Shades of green tend to represent money, luck, and health. Pairing this with the brown tones and the fact brown symbolises reliability, you’re got a very powerful shade on your hands.
Green made in these tones are a lovely colour for December and January time. They go well with the abundance of Christmas trees throughout December. They also look stylish and on-trend for January.
People tend to wear darker, less form fitting clothes once Christmas is over, and Khaki Camo is the perfect shade for laid back style.
Stay dressed down and on-trend with some baggy cargo trousers and a cropped hoody.
FAQs
1. What nail colours are in for winter 2023?
The best nail polish UK for winter 2023 are warm and cool neutral tones. Browns, greens and oranges are in and if they’re not bold and warm, they should lean towards the cool side of neutral. The seven colours listed above are our nail colour trend predictions for winter 2023.
You can buy these shades in a nail polish set or individually.
2. What nail polish colour should you wear in January?
January is all about new beginnings and getting your affairs in order for the year ahead, so pick shades that fit in with your objectives. If you want to be seen as a corporate leader, choose something like the shade Chestnut. This will give a look that is stylish but professional overall.
3. Why are my nails so weak in the winter?
Nails weaken in the winter for a number of reasons. The outdoor cold can make you hands less hardy, while central heating indoors can dry out your nails and cause them to flake. It can also make the skin around your nails dry too, leaving the whole area weaker and desperate for moisture.
To help overcome this you can moisturise frequently and introduce cuticle oil into your hand care routine.
4. Does cold weather affect nails?
Weather can affect nails, especially if you’re frequently exposing them to extreme weather conditions.
Cold weather can dehydrate the nail plate, which in turn makes the nails weak, flaky and overly dry. This can lead to breakages and chips, making it harder to grow healthy nails.
Nails can also grow slower in cold weather and faster in warm weather, making it even more difficult to encourage length and strength in your nails.
5. Are nails stronger in winter or summer?
Nails tend to be much stronger in the summer. This is thought to be because circulation is better in warmer weather and slows down in the cold. When your circulation is good, it promotes better nail growth which can encourage your nails to grow faster and stronger.
In the winter your nails are more likely to be dehydrated and less likely to grow. As a result, you can be stuck with brittle nails that aren’t replenished very fast.
For strong nails all year round it’s a good idea to use a gel nail polish manicure as this can protect the nail plate. As gel polish is cured and hardened it makes your nails less likely to flake and chip. For extra strength, the best gel nail polish is builder gel.