These Metallic Nail Polishes Make an At-Home Manicure Look So Freaking Elite

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(Image credit: @themaniclub)

Chic press-ons, whimsical stickers or wraps, glossy, fast-setting topcoats, patience (loads and loads of patience), high-quality formulas… All of the above can be key ingredients when you're concocting a recipe for a professional-grade manicure at home. That said, I have another sneaky little trick up my sleeve when my fingers need to look put-together AF and I don't have the extra time—or funds—to slide into the salon: metallic nail polish. 

Nothing feels quite so expensive and elevated as an extra hint of shimmer, so painting your tips with a light-reflecting lacquer is the easiest way to hack your way to a salon-level paint job without the extra fuss and budget allowance. Of course, there are literally hundreds of metallic nail polishes on the market, so we're listing the 20 best (in our ultra-discerning opinion) just below. Keep scrolling to discover and shop 20 of the best metallic nail polishes money can buy. 

#1: Olive and June Nail Polish in Lilac Shimmer

#2: Àuda.B Vegan Nail Polish in High Fashion

#3: Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin Nail Colour

#4: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Rhapsody Red

#5: ILNP Holographic Metallic Nail Polish in Private Reserve

#6: Zoya Nail Polish in Selene

#7: JinSoon Nail Polish in Epidote

#8: Smith & Cult Nail Polish in A Little Underground

#9: LaPierre Cosmetics Nail Polish in Z.0

#10: Base Coat Nail Polish in Robot

#11: Orly Nail Polish in Over the Topaz

#12: Holo Taco Nail Polish in Frozen Benanas

#13: OPI Nail Polish in La Paz-itively Hot

#14: Chanel Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in Perle Burgundy

#15: Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish in Front Page Worthy

#16: Nails Inc. Nail Polish in Moon Boots

#17: Static Nails Liquid Glass Lacquer Lithomancy

#18: Pear Nova Nail Polish in Cleo F*Ckin Patra

#19: Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Nail Polish in La Vie En Rose

#20: China Glaze Nail Polish in Purpletonium

Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.