How to select the perfect nude nail colour for your client
By Sophie Nutt | 26 July 2018 | Expert Advice, Feature
Barely-there hues are always in style and the sophisticated nude nail look continues to flourish across the runways, on celebrity fingertips and in the salon. Favoured by many for its ‘clean’ look and ability to complement any ensemble – without overpowering, nude nails will never go out of style – and therein lies their beauty. However, when it comes to giving clients the best nude manicure for their skin tone, how does one find the perfect product match? Fortunately, there’s an endless variety of nudes on the market, meaning there’s a shade for everyone and no longer a ‘one-nude fits all’ policy.
“A nude nail look is a timeless, season-less classic that any woman, regardless of age or style, can pull off,” explains Catherine Trowell, sales executive and brand builder for China Glaze. “Nude nail shades can make fingers look longer and more graceful and can match any outfit or occasion.”
“It’s crucial to choose a colour that enhances a client’s skin tone,” says INK London educator, Tracy McGoogan. However, there’s a fine line that nail techs should be careful not to cross when it comes to nude shades. “Too pale and the hands can look washed out or cold; too dark and it can almost make a client’s skin and nails look like they’ve had a tanning disaster! However, once you ‘nail’ nudes, there’s no going back,” assures Tracy. “I love a classic nude nail, it’s a go-to colour for busy clients that prefer a neat manicured look, it’s the perfect nail for an important meeting or job interview and a neutral nail will never clash with an outfit choice.”
When deciding on the perfect nude shade for your client, the first step is to identify their skin tone and then determine undertones. Kathryn Darwin, brand development manager for Palms Extra, explains, “In order to select the right nude colour for clients, consider whether they have pale and fair, medium to olive or dark skin. One tip, used by many when assessing colour, is to look at the veins on the inside of the wrists to ascertain whether they are blue or green. Blue veins indicate cooler undertones whereas green means warmer.”
However, it’s needless to say, there’s a number of methods to determine a client’s skin tone. Julie-Anne Larivière, Salon System GELLUX techspert, employs the mannequin-hand approach when it comes to matching her client with a nude polish. “I have all my nudes lined up next to each other on a colour wheel and I place each shade on the client’s nail until we find the perfect match,” she reveals.
Laura White, education emissary for The Creative Beauty Group, opts for a similar approach when helping clients pick the right nude. “For my clients, the best way to find the best nude is to ‘try before you buy’,” she explains. “All my gel polish bottles have a colour pop ring around the neck, painted with the colour in the bottle, which they can ‘try on’ over their own nail to check the shade against their skin tone.”
To browse the best product matches for each skin tone and read more expert advice about how to pick the best nude nail colour for your client, pick up the January 2018 issue of Scratch.
Image courtesy of CNDTM (Creative Nail Design, Inc.) showcasing shades from the Nudes collection, available from www.sweetsquared.com