I am a lover of doing my own nails, I have dabbled in both gel and polish nails but have decided to stick with regular polish when I do them my own – I have given myself a crippling fear and paranoia about giving myself a gel allergy – so as the seasons change I love to look at what polishes will stylishly help me get through the season.
I like to take inspo from the autumn leaves falling like pictures into place and go with a burnt orange as a starting colour and build my palette. I love to go with deep greens and hearty purples, like a mature version of typical summer colours if that makes sense.
Starting with a brilliant orange, I suggest Essie’s Say It Ain’t SoHo, 582.
I’m a sparkly or metallic nail polish fan, so this is the perfect autumnal shade for me. It’s a deep orange with a burnt feel, but the metallic nature adds some life to the colour. It makes me think of pumpkins, which is perfect for PSL season. But if you like a more muted look, Essie Playing Koi, 462, is a non-metallic burnt orange shade you can check out.
Image: Boots; courtesy of Essie
Essie Wicked, 49, and Hema Cherry Parfait, 42
I’ve double-billed this gorgeous dark cherry (burgundy) duet as they are similar in tone. Essie Wicked is a jelly-based moody red with a touch of tainted purple, giving it a hyper-shiny look when you’ve done two coats. Cherry Parfait is much the same but with a creme base, giving it a more solid, satin look. Before I found Essie’s Say It Ain’t SoHo, Cherry Parfait was my go to autumn nail colour because it’s so vampy and solid. Dark Pansy by The Manucurist is another gorgeous burgundy to try this autumn.
I purchased the Hema polish in 2020 when there was a store located inside Euston station, that store is now WHSmith. Essie Wicked is available in Boots.
Essence DON’T leaf ME, 19
I love a jewel tone, and like Wicked and Cherry Parfait, Don’t Leaf Me is much the same. With a creme base, this green is deep but solid. It’s like a frosty hunter green when applied which I think is perfect for autumn as it reminds me of furr trees which retain their leaves across all of the seasons. Barry M. has a jelly based deep green – Thyme – if you prefer the look of a jelly base polish.
I purchased this green shade in my local Wilkos in 2023, it is not available on the Essence site anymore but there is a similar green, Kale YEAH!
Image: courtesy of Barry M.
This shade by Barry M. is one I’m yet to own but I love a brown nail look during autumn. The muted tone alongside the deep orange leaves has a special place in my heart. I have a lovely brown gel polish, which I won’t be using, so finding a polish version this autumn was a must as I just did it. This shade makes me think of the dark academia aesthetic which thrives in the moodier weather. Nailberry also has a coffee brown polish but it’s a bit pricier than Barry M’s.
The NewRxmantic 