Shopping for nude nail polish can be a crapshoot. But the next time you're standing under the fluorescent lights of your local Boots, rotating 10 different bottles through your hands to see which one is the closest to your skin tone, we have your answer. Ahead, we've compiled a list of the best-selling, your-nails-but-better polishes ever created, organised by brand.
Whether you shop for affordability, stocking OPI, Essie, and a bunch of Sally Hansen's quick-dry bottles, or you're heavy into the more niche labels like non-toxic Nails Inc, scroll on for the best barely-there nail polishes everyone else is buying. Because the world's most popular nude seems like a guarantee that you'll love it, too.
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This Nails Inc best-selling nude polish — a sheer blush in the shade London Court — would likely win the high esteem of Queen Elizabeth herself. And since the brand is carried at every British luxury department store, from Selfridges to Fenwick, it's quite possible that there's a bottle or two in the Buckingham Palace powder room.
Nails Inc. Nailpure Nail Polish 14ml, $10.5, available at FeelUnique
Grab a bottle of Sally Hansen's warm, nude nail polish in the shade Devil Wears Nada, which suits a wide range of skin tones.
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Colour in Devil Wears Nada, $6.99, available at LookFantastic
If you have zero patience for dry time, pick up Sally Hansen's Insta Dri polish in the best-selling shade Buff and Tumble.
Sally Hansen Quick Drying Nail Polish in Buff And Tumble, $5.26, available at Notino
Fun fact: OPI is the best-selling nail polish brand in the world. Out of every shade — and there are thousands — the neutral, light pink Bubble Bath is consistently the top-selling bottle, which kind of makes it the world's most popular nude.
OPI Nail Envy in Bubble Bath, $19.5, available at OPI
We can't tell you why this OPI polish was named You Don’t Know Jacques — though we're intrigued — but we can tell you that it's a foolproof, glossy nude for darker skin tones.
OPI You Don't Know Jacques!, $13.5, available at OPI
If you're a fan of Zoya's polish formula, you'd be smart to snag this creamy, blush-tinged bottle called Chantal, which is the brand's top-selling nude.
Zoya Bridal Bliss Nail Polish in Chantal, $9.94, available at Nail Polish Direct
Spencer — another best-selling Zoya shade — is a deeper polish that reads like a creamy café con leche, making it ideal for medium-to-dark skin tones.
Zoya Nature Deux Nail Polish in Spencer, $9.94, available at Amazon
Most of Essie's best sellers can be categorised as soft, pastel, or neutral. For a natural flush of barely-there pink colour, pick up Lady Like, which has top-five status.
Essie Nail Polish in Lady Like 101, $7.99, available at Superdrug
Imagine a warm, peach base blended with grey undertones, and you have Bare With Me, a shiny nude that looks good on many different skin tones.
Essie Nail Polish in Bare With Me, $7.99, available at Amazon
And our guide to nude polish wouldn't be complete without including the one bottle we all love and know by name — she who never fails us — the trusty Ballet Slippers.
Essie Nail Lacquer in Ballet Slippers, $7.99, available at Boots
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