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Being an It girl isn’t just photo shoots, brunch at that place where no one else can get a reservation, fashion week pap walks, and bottle service at the club. This status also means knowing when to put on your fuzziest socks and keep it low-key (cool girls enjoy a Grey’s Anatomy marathon too). So, when winter rolls around and a minidress isn't insulated enough for your taste, you can skip the red carpet and opt for a dazzling pedicure instead.
A shape-shifting multichrome black gives darkened club vibes, like sweating on a dance floor lit by a disco ball and vibrant blue laser lights. Deep, rich oxblood gives classic winter reds a gothic femme-fatale upgrade. Shimmery champagne-hued toes evoke the glass of bubbly you’d have at that Metropolitan Opera gala where you simply must make an appearance at. And deep sapphire gives the kind of counterculture cool girl who skips the gala hobnobbing for popping bottles with friends and stirring up good trouble around the town.
Espresso brown is a deeper, sexier take on nudes for winter, while plum makes for an elegant pedicure that feels unexpected. And, to really throw everyone for a loop, ditch the heavy winter hues for ballerina pink, even adding a holographic finish if that ballerina has a rebellious streak.
With these trending, edgier pedicure colors, the party will come to you (and your fuzzy socks, as the case may be). Below, our experts break down the colors to keep handy this season.
Black multichrome
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China Glaze
Shadow Banned
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Ulta Beauty
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ILNP
Orbit
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Cirque Colors
Alter Ego
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Londontown
Skyline Reflect
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Beyond Polish
If you could bottle a nightclub—the kind where you might find Charli XCX and Troye Sivan swapping spots at the DJ booth—it would be this shape-shifting multichrome black. It’s dark and unbothered, ideal for the dance floor and kissing a stranger.
Much like the clubgoer, it’s hard to pin down this iridescent pedicure. “I love a color that you can’t immediately figure out,” says New York City-based nail artist Elle Gerstein. “That blackened, moody base with a shift that changes depending on the light—that’s exactly where I think winter pedicures are going.”
For an allover prismatic shimmer, try China Glaze Shadow Banned or Cirque Colors Alter Ego. A striking “triochrome” effect would also catch the light and shape-shift on any dance floor—a gunmetal black meets orange and then red in ILNP Orbit for something with a warm cast, or the cool black-blue-purple of Londontown Lakur Skyline Reflect.
Oxblood
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Holo Taco
Devil’s Advocate
Ulta Beauty
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Chanel
Rouge Noir
Nordstrom
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Nails Inc.
It’s Topless
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Ulta Beauty
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Lippmann
Single Ladies
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Beyond Polish
Classic red is all fine and good, but this winter, we want something with a little more bite. This sexy oxblood red is less Hallmark rom-com, more vampire novel—gothic, edgy, and a little intoxicating. “It gives drama without being costume-y,” says Tucson-based nail artist Max Estrada.
Finding the right shade of oxblood for your pedicure is key. Blue-based burgundy, like Holo Taco Devils Advocate or Nails Inc It’s Topless, “tends to work well with cool undertones,” says New York City-based nail artist Sandra Wei. Warmer oxblood shades, like Chanel Rouge Noir or Lippmann Single Ladies, “are especially flattering on warm and olive undertones.”
Champagne shimmer
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Dazzle Dry
Wink Wink
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Le Mini Macaron
Satin Pearl
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OPI
Candied Cutie
Ulta Beauty
Beyond Polish
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Orly
Let’s Get Fizzicle
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It is frowned upon to dip your toes in an actual glass of Veuve Clicquot, so what’s the next best thing? An effervescent, pearly pedicure that’s perfect for party season. The secret to capturing tiny bubbles in polish is a touch of sparkle. “Metallics and shimmer continue to accompany eveningwear and accessories, so this is a very wearable way to bring that fashion texture into the pedicure,” Estrada says.
Adds Los Angeles-based nail artist Vikki Swan, “An icy pearl works especially well on fair or cool skin, while champagne and warmer beige pearl tones are beautiful on warm, olive, and deeper skin tones.”
For the former, try OPI Candied Cutie. A warmer champagne, like Le Mini Macaron Satin Pearl, gives the beige-gold color of champagne with an allover metallic, as opposed to flecks of bubbly glitter. And if you prefer pink champagne, ORLY Let’s Get Fizzicle and Dazzle Dry Wink Wink have just a tinge of rosiness.
Deep Sapphire
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Cracked Polish
Crowfriend
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Cracked Polish
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Aprés
Milky Way Galaxy
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Habit
Deep Sea
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CND
Midnight Swim
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Beyond Polish
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but sapphires—they’re like your way cooler friend who stays out late and can shoot pool with the best of them. For winter, the darker, moodier sapphires are preferred. “A deep navy or blue-black with a glossy lacquered finish,” Estrada says. “Think sapphire at midnight, not bright cobalt.”
He adds that “deep blue works naturally with denim, navy tailoring, silver hardware, and the cool-toned evening palette often seen in New York and Paris. It reads graphic in daylight and is almost black at night.”
For true inky blue options, Cracked Crowfriend and Habit Deep Sea are creamy, deep shades. For true gemstone sparkle, Apres Milky Way Galaxy and CND Midnight Swim offer a shimmery finish.
Espresso
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Townhouse
Hot Chocolate
Townhouse
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Sally Hansen
Been There, Dune That
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Ulta Beauty
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Butter London
Boozy Chocolate
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Beyond Polish
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Kiara Sky
Barely Made It
Kiara Sky
A hot espresso doesn’t sound as appealing in the sweaty days of summer, of course. But in the winter, when we’re struggling to wake up in the dark and stay warm during the day? An itty-bitty cup of heaven.
A deep brown pedicure is an ode to that toasty pick-me-up and suits the deeper palette of winter. “For skin tones, warm chocolate browns look especially beautiful on warm- and olive-[toned] skin, while cooler cocoa or espresso shades work well with cool undertones,” says Beverly Hills-based nail artist Viktoriia Voloshyna.
Butter London Boozy Chocolate is a warm chestnut hue, while Sally Hansen Been There, Dune That is a true milk chocolate. Kiara Sky Barely Made It is a cooler cocoa shade, and Townhouse Hot Chocolate is perfect if you like to take the edge off your espresso with a dash of cream.
Plum
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Clinique
Black Honey
Clinique
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Olive & June
Plum
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Zoya
Tara
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Hermés
Violet Byzantin
Nordstrom
Swan expects her clients to request deep plum pedicures this winter. “[It’s] very seasonal, but fits the current shift toward more polished, sophisticated nail looks,” she says. This elegant purple is the equivalent of buying a classic Max Mara trench in mulberry instead of tan—streamlined and simple, but with a wink.
Plum has an entire spectrum of iterations—and your chosen pedicure hue depends on the vibe you’re going for. Olive and June Plum for a muted look. Zoya Tara for something a little brighter and spicier. Or Clinique Black Honey and Hermes Violet by Zantin, for a rich, velvety deep plum.
Ballet Pink
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MiniLuxe
Prima Donna
MiniLuxe
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Essie
Frost Yourself
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Ulta Beauty
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Nailberry
Candy Floss
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Ulta Beauty
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Gucci
Ellen Blush
Nordstrom
The ballet just hits different in winter. A swan princess is all the more stunning with snow lacing her baby pink tutu. “This is actually one of my favorite directions for winter 2026 because a sheer ballet pink can feel more unexpected right now than another (red) pedicure,” says Gerstein.
It also doesn’t have to be as buttoned-up as an evening at Lincoln Center. While MiniLuxe Prima Donna and Nailberry Candy Floss scratch that tried-and-true itch, Gucci Ellen Blush is a lively apricot take on ballet pink. Or try Essie Frost Yourself for a modern, iridescent look.
Meet the experts
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- Max Estrada is a Tucson, Arizona-based nail artist and founder of eNailCouture.
- Elle Gerstein is a New York City-based nail artist.
- Vikki Swan is a nail artist and founder of Vikki Swan Nail Academy in Los Angeles.
- Viktoriia Voloshyna is a nail artist and founder of Tory Pro Nails Studio in Beverly Hills.
- Sandra Wei is a nail artist and founder of Peach Bling in New York City.
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