Matte Nail Polish and Nail Color Ideas. Nail polish is a woman’s way of pampering herself. It’s unbelievable how a little bit of color on the nails has a way of making us ladies feel our lives are put together. For some of us, it lets us express ourselves better; for others, it’s how we decide to have fun, and for the rest, it allows us to hide our grubbiness. No matter why you choose to paint your nails, the act always has a positive impact.
We’ve come a long way from simply coloring our nails. Now, there are different textures to the colors you can apply, dozens of variations of each color you can choose from, and hundreds of ways to decorate your colored nails.
Matte nail colors deserve as much appreciation as they can get. There are certain quirks of matte textured nail paints that the glossy ones do not possess, and even besides that, they just look too damn classy!
Matte Nail Polish: What You Need to Know
What is a ‘matte’ nail color?
Quite simply, it’s a nail color that is not shiny. Matte nail polishes give a smooth and velvety result.
Which matte colors do look good on the nails?
Matte nails look chic and modern in every color, but generally, darker colors are preferred in a matte finish.
Are matte nail polishes trendy?
This texture of nail polishes is very much trending in 2021. Matte nails tend to look edgy and sophisticated and make for a nice change.
Matte Vs. Glossy Nail Polish: The differences
- Glossy nails last longer than ones with a matte finish.
- Matte nail colors chip faster than glossy ones.
- Matte nails look edgier and more refreshing.
- A matte finish provides an excellent base for glitter/gold nail art.
- Glossy nail polish looks good on long nails, while matte nail polish looks better on short nails.
- Matte nail polish dries quicker than glossy nail polish.
How to get a matte finish to your nails?
There are two ways to go about it:
- You buy a nail color that is specifically matte.
- You use your regular nail polish but use a matte topcoat.
Comparison: The second option is more cost-effective. Matte top coats saturate the colors and make them pop nicely. However, they don’t provide protection against chipping. They take a long time to dry, and compared with shiny coats; they magnify mistakes instead of glossing them over.
MATTE NAIL COLOR TRENDS
Matte nail texture has been popular since 2018, but it made a comeback last year. There are millions of nail art designs when it comes to matte colors, but it isn’t hard to notice the colors and styles that are prevalent.
Dark Shades: Black, Red, Burgundy…
There are so many dark shades, and they all look absolutely gorgeous when the texture is matte! Milk chocolate, dark purple, and smoky grey look especially stunning. The dry, shineless texture has a way of making dark colors look more seductive and alluring than normal.
Consider this bright red shade. See how incredibly smooth and refined it looks in matte form.
Coffin Nails
When it comes to matte nails, there are shape and size trends as well as color trends. One of the shape trends is the coffin nail trend. As the name suggests, the nails are in the shape of a coffin, rounded at the sides and straight at the edge. Your nails need to be longer than average for the shape to be truly coffin-like. When you decide to get a matte manicure, consider filing your nails in this shape, they will surely look amazing.
White Matte Nails
White nails in matte are as impressive in appearance as black-painted ones. They look great in plain form, but if you can whip up some cool nail art, that can’t possibly go wrong. In this instance, the manicure has contrast nail art, with white art on a black nail and vice versa.
Matte black nail colour is perfect for all occasions. Complete your look with these Top 13 Best Makeup Styles From The Most Beautiful Celebrities.
Ombre/Gradient Nails
These techniques are surely something only an expert can apply, so we highly suggest going to a professional nail artist with a reference for this type of manicure. In the first picture, we can see beautiful green ombre matte nails with two nails on each hand having gold designing. The green fades to a lighter hue from the nail bed to the edge, and the fact that the texture is matte makes it prettier.
With gradient nails, different colors blend into each other seamlessly. These super long pastel nails are the stuff of dreams. The pearls and hearts look super adorable.
Matte Nails with Shine/Glitter for Contrast
This is a trend you’ll frequently spot when you research matte nail art ideas. Matte nails are often painted with glossy nails or glitter nails and sometimes both! The contrast is lovely and artistic.
In this first example, you can see how the dark chocolate brown and creamy nude and matte in texture while the gold nail is glossy. The manicure is altogether delicious.
This is a more traditional route you can take. Black matte nails are a staple, and they’re often painted with gold or sparkly silver nails.
If you’re in the mood for some serious nail art, you can choose a matte color and paint a design on top of it while painting one or two nails in a sparkling polish.
Light Shades: Pastels/Neons/Candy Colors
It’s true that most women prefer to get matte manicures in dark colors. However, light colors look no less amazing in this dry texture. Dreamy pastels, bright neons, and delightful candy shades all look good enough to eat in a matte manicure as well!
Stiletto Nails
So, what other shape do women prefer besides coffin nails? The answer is deadly, pointed stiletto nails! This shape, combined with hues, will give you the ideal goth manicure you’re looking for!
Color-blocked Nails
If you want your manicure to have multiple colors, you can either go for gradients where they blend into each other or fruity and unique color-blocked designs where each color stands out on its own. This is the perfect summer manicure for you!
Short Nails
We’ve seen some color and shape ideas. Now, we come to nail length. Matte nails look adorable if the nails are short and the colors are light.
Long Nails
On the other hand, long nails look more beautiful if the colors are darker and attention-grabbing.
Striped Matte Nails
This nail art technique has a lot of female fans. You will observe dozens of striped nail art ideas if you scroll through matte manicure ideas. Consider our two picks:
Multi-colored Nails
Who says all the nails of your hand have to be the same shade? You’ve seen multiple examples already, but here’s another one. Each nail has a different shade of blue and we love how beautifully the manicure embodies the spirit of winter.
Nude Matt Nails
Nude is synonymous with ‘natural,’ and as we all know, natural beauty trends have been gaining traction lately.
Best Matte Nail Polishes to Buy This Year
Our ranking: We’ve selected some of the most popular nail polish brands of today and ranked them by the prices of their amazing matte products!
↓ 8 – Côte
Brand’s Portfolio: Cote is a toxin-free nail-care brand founded by Mary Lennon and Leah Yari.
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook
Matte Nail Polish: Matte Top
Price: $21 (on the website)
Product Description: Côte’s matte topcoat converts any nail color into a matte texture. It’s designed to preserve the nail polish underneath and be applied as evenly as possible.
Why it’s great:
- It hides mistakes and gives a clean and polished look.
- It stays on for more than seven days.
- The topcoat dries quickly and makes the colors underneath last longer.
↓ 7 – Sundays
Brand’s Portfolio: Sundays is a vegan nail-care brand that ‘focuses on wellness.’ Their colors are richly pigmented and the nail polish bottles are made to have a comfortable grip.
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook
Matte Nail Polish: T.03 – Matte Top Coat
Price: $18 (on the website)
Product Description: The formula is non-toxic, vegan, and cruelty-free. It’s made in New York.
Why it’s great:
- This long-lasting topcoat gives a matte-velvet finish.
- The shape of the bottle and the brush allow ease of application.
- It creates a natural look and provides good protection to the nails.
- It dries really quickly.
- It takes two coats to give the manicure a matte result.
↓ 6 – Jinsoon
Brand’s Portfolio: JINsoon is the brain-child of Korean-American professional nail artist Jin-soon Choi. The brand’s products are toxic-free, long-lasting, vegan, and cruelty-free, and have a ton of other features; all made specifically with a woman’s needs in mind.
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook
Matte Nail Polish: JINsoon Matte Top Coat Maker
Price: $18 (on amazon)
Product Description: It’s made in the US. The topcoat comes in a 7cm bottle and weighs 9 grams.
Why it’s great:
- It has a non-toxic, vegan, and cruelty-free formula.
- It does not change the color of the nail polish underneath and gives a smooth finish.
- It’s long-lasting, and the UV filter inside protects the polish from fading.
↓ 5 – Sally Hansen
Brand’s Portfolio: It’s a beauty brand founded in 1946 by Sally Hansen. The brand primarily manufactures and sells nail products among hair removal and beauty tools
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook
Matte Nail Polish:
- Big Matte Top Coat (Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri collection also gives a slightly matte finish and comes in many shades)
Price: $14.55 (on amazon)
Product Description: The topcoat is made using a nail-treatment formula and contains ‘matting agents’ that transform the glossiest of colors to matte textures quickly.
Why it’s great:
- Requires one coat only.
- Lasts up to 10 days.
- The application is even, finishing is smooth, and doesn’t cause streaking.
↓ 4 – ZOYA
Brand’s Portfolio: ZOYA was originally founded as Art of Beauty by the husband and wife duo Zoya and Michael Reyzis in 1986. The brand aspires to provide professional nail care and remove toxic ingredients from its products.
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook
Our Favorite Matte Nail Color by this brand: The MatteVelvet Collection
Price: $10 (on the website)
Product Description: The MatteVelvet collection consists of one matte topcoat and six shades titled Aspen, Sue, Amal, Iris, Yves, and Honor. The colors include both warm and cool tones. The matte nail polishes do not require a base coat before application and are intense in color.
Why it’s great:
- The top coat comes in a 5-free formula.
- The wear of the polishes can be extended by using the matte topcoat over the colors.
- The nail polishes dry within a few minutes.
- The colors are highly pigmented.
↓ 3 – Essie
Brand’s Portfolio: Essie Weingarten founded her namesake brand in 1981. It has enjoyed success over the years, introducing new shades, bottle designs, and techniques.
Social Media: Instagram, Twitter
Our Favorite Matte Nail Color by this brand: Matte About You Top Coat
Price: $9 (on the website)
Product Description: The Matte About You Top Coat works excellently with other Essie nail polishes. It converts any glossy color to a matte finish with ease. The recommended way to use it is to reapply the topcoat after every two days to freshen up the manicure.
Why it’s great:
- It dries quickly.
- It doesn’t cause chipping.
- Works equally effectively on pastels and dark shades.
↓ 2 – OPI
Brand’s Portfolio: OPI, founded in 1981, is one of the leading nail-polish brands in the world. The manufacturer currently operates in about 100 countries and provides professional and salon-quality products.
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook
Our Favorite Matte Nail Color by this brand: OPI Matte Top Coat
Price: $8.69 (Amazon’s choice and the best-selling matte topcoat)
Product Description: The topcoat should be used with an OPI base coat and nail lacquer. The contents of the bottle should be shaken before being applied to each nail.
Why it’s great:
- It makes the manicure last for a week.
- It prevents the polish from smudging or chipping.
- The matte topcoat dries quickly.
- The OPI matte topcoat brilliantly smoothes out the wet finish of gel nail polishes.
↓ 1 – Claire’s
Brand’s Portfolio: Claire’s is a global retailer that sells accessories, jewelry, and makeup products for people of all age groups. Their fun products are innovative and affordable.
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook
Our Favorite Matte Nail Color by this brand: The Matte Nail Polish Collection. It comes in multiple matte shades, packs of polishes, and faux matte nails.
Price: The nail polishes are $6 (available on the website)
Product Description: Available in neon yellow, neon blue, white, black, neon pink, grey, coral, purple sorbet, sorbet pink, dark red, sorbet blue, sorbet mint, and pastel pink shades.
Why it’s great:
- The colors in the collection are a perfect mix of winter and summer shades.
- The colors are easy to apply and last moderately well.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this fun blog about matte nail polish trends and colors! Leave us some positive feedback in the comments below!
