Nails
Oct 13, 2021

This "Ugly" Nail Color Is Suddenly the Only One That Matters for Fall

by Courtney Higgs

I never thought I'd see the day that brown would make the ultimate comeback. You see, I fall about midway on the millennial age spectrum, meaning I grew up in the heyday of teen sensations Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, and Destiny's Child, who all regularly sported brown everything, from then-fashionable culottes and page-boy caps to beauty staples like nail polish and lipstick. But once the 2010s hit, it's like brown got publicly shunned and relegated as the ugly stepsister to all the other colors. (Even pea-soup green has been prioritized above it.)

But as the years have passed and trends have shifted, brown seems to be making a resurgence. On the fashion side, the once "ugly" color has taken over the runways, and now, in the beauty realm, brown nail colors are all over the place.

Photo:

@evemeetswest

Recent polish launches from my favorite brands including Olive and June, Orly, and Essie have driven this point home by featuring rich brown hues in their fall collections. There's really nothing left to say except that brown is back, baby! In celebration, I've scoped out the best brown nail colors—from true chocolate to rust-tinged to light neutrals—to practice your throwback manicure with. Check out the 13 selects ahead.