The Best Summer 2025 Nail Colors, According to Experts

Jun 28, 2025

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From metallic hues to classic neutral shades, experts say these are the season’s top picks

No time of year celebrates and showcases nail looks better than the warmer months. The season of sandals is finally here, which likely means it’s time to refresh your manicures and pedicures a bit more regularly. But nailing down the best nail shades for summer is no easy task. To help narrow the scope of options, we’ve sought the advice of a few experts in the know, including celebrity and editorial nail artists Jin Soon Choi, Betina Goldstein, and Julie Kandalec.

From bolder, more unexpected shades—hello, butter yellow and chartreuse—to classic colors that are timeless and work for any season, like brick reds and barely there neutrals, we’ve narrowed down the top shades nail enthusiasts love right now. Keep scrolling for some of the best summer 2025 nail colors that experts agree are worth adding to your rotation right now.

Chrome and metallic polish is back, but this summer they are taking on a more chic, glam, and sophisticated touch, celebrity nail artist Jin Soon Choi explains. Think rose gold, translucent silver, and pearly white shades. “Picture wearing these metallic colors on a sunny day, with your nails and toenails catching the light to create a stunning, luminous effect,” she adds. “I call it ‘light-catching nails.’ ”

Your spirit fingers will be even more effective this summer once they’re painted with this dazzling silver polish from OPI.

Metallics are endlessly on trend, but rose gold, like Choi’s version, Spiffy, is rarely seen. Swipe on and show it off.

We’re betting this long-lasting platinum polish from Olive & June, which gives nails a plumping gel-like effect, will be a go-to in your manicure rotation.

Fashion trends often bleed into beauty (and vice versa), but the sharp, rapid rise of jelly sandals and the corresponding jelly-finish nail polishes are especially impressively paired. And perfect for summer, says Choi, celebrity manicurist Julie Kandalec, and nail expert Naïma Coleman. Jelly nails are available in a wide range of shades this summer, featuring pastel colors in a jelly finish. The softness of the hues and finish takes on more of a modern sheer look, Choi says, making them super wearable and fantastic for daily use.

But jelly-inspired nails can also go big. This summer, expect a greater multitude of bold colors, Kandalec says, like sheer washes of more saturated colors (i.e., “a sheer violet in lieu of opaque lilac,” explains Kandalec). This modern take on jelly even has a new name. “They are called ‘jam’ colors or ‘jam nails,’ like how fruit jam is more opaque than jelly,” Kandalec adds.

Sometimes, two trends combine for one super trend, as is the case with metallic and reflective jelly hues, as seen at NailCon in Seoul by Kandalec.

Match your favorite drink to your nails with this matcha-green jelly nail polish. The sheer yet buildable finish allows for customization too.

Perfectly on trend, this jelly polish (which veers into jam territory) in a vivid orange-red hue is a trendsetter. Choi says the bright translucent hue is reminiscent of balsam flower petals.

Sheer lilac with a milky, buildable look dances between nude and jelly territory, perfectly representing both trends this summer.

Red is always a good idea. This summer’s red is bold and energetic. Choi is betting on red-orange shades, like the hue that was recently featured on the runway at Brandon Maxwell. “Red manicures never go out of style because they’re striking yet classic shades that are associated with passion and love,” Choi previously told Bazaar.

Cherry red will also be popular, says celebrity nail artist Angel My Linh. “It’s usually a more fall/winter color, but with the mob-wife trend that recently took over from the clean-girl aesthetic, I think more people are opting for the bright classic colors,” adds the pro.

If you’re looking for more of a classic red shade that still has some brightness for warmer months, consider CND’s Mambo Beat, which leans more coral than tomato.

The wildly popular German brand Gitti has finally come stateside, and it has quickly become a favorite among Bazaar editors. The plant-based nail polishes have some of the cleanest formulas on the market, yet they are still high-performance and wonderfully long-lasting. Like this fiery red-orange hue, the shades are bold and adventurous.

Tenoverten’s Ludlow is a cool-toned shade inspired by New York City that will help you stand out from the pack in a sea of red manicures.

Butter yellow is already a viral hit this summer, but expect a whole slew of yellows to take off too, says Chanel nail artist Betina Goldstein. “I think we are going to see a lot of hues of yellow this summer, including ivory, eggshell, and canary-jelly yellow, as well as shades of chartreuse,” Goldstein adds.

This buttery-yellow hue is so idyllic, pair it with a matching yellow summer dress for a charming look.

Try this ochre shade if you’re afraid to dip your toe in the yellow-polish pond. After all, only Hermès could make yellow look this timeless and chic.

This milky-yellow polish from Côte is equal parts bright and soft and won’t overpower the rest of your beauty look.

From chartreuse to seafoam, green is still showing staying power. “I’m loving bright greens, which work on all skin tones,” Coleman adds. Celebrity artist Queenie Nguyen agrees, predicting that green will continue to be a popular color well past the summer season—and we’re here for it.

This gel-like polish is referred to as “parakeet green” and makes it simple to showcase a bolder mani-pedi without doing the most.

A bright-green shade like this one from Gucci is the perfect way to add a playful pop of color to your next look.

This plant-based avocado-green hue is impossibly modern and fresh for the summer.

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