Nails by Month: The Nail Colours and Designs to Wear from January to December

Choosing your nails by month keeps a manicure in step with the year, because the light, your clothes and the calendar all change which colours suit your hands. Low winter daylight flatters milky whites, silvers and deep shades, while the stronger light of spring and summer carries pastels and saturated colours that would feel loud in January.

This guide takes the year one month at a time: two or three gel shades, a design that takes a few minutes and the occasion that falls in each month. The months follow the northern hemisphere seasons, so if you live in the southern hemisphere, shift the palette by six months and wear the July shades in January. After December you will find advice on choosing a colour for a three-week gel manicure, then answers to common questions.

January nails

January nails are a clean reset for the first weeks back at work: milky white, pale neutrals and a cool hint of silver. 021 Cloud is a sheer milky white that gives bare nails a fresh, polished finish. Because it is sheer, build it in two thin coats and cure each one, since a thick coat of any gel can wrinkle and stay soft underneath.

For one accent nail, use B028 Éclat Céleste, a subtle silver builder gel that adds strength as well as colour. Apply a thin, even layer over the base, cure it and finish with top coat. Like every builder gel, it is removed by filing. Short nails, rounded or soft almond, are the easiest shape this month, because hands spend weeks in gloves and wool and a short free edge chips less. Our guide to winter nail colours and designs has more ideas for the cold months.

February nails

In February, pinks and reds lead the way towards Valentine's Day on the 14th. 020 Raspberry is a bold raspberry pink you can keep wearing once the day has passed. For a true red, 030 Ruby is a bold, radiant red gel polish that you can wear on every nail or on a single accent nail.

The quickest design is a single heart on the ring finger. Paint that nail in two thin coats of Cloud and cure, then place two small dots of Raspberry side by side with a dotting tool. Pull the lower edge of each dot down into a point with a fine liner brush, cure, and seal with top coat, capping the free edge. Carnival also falls in February in many countries, another reason to wear a brighter pink. Our Valentine's Day nail ideas include more hearts and red designs.

March nails

March nails bring the first pastels of the year, as the days lengthen and spring begins around the 20th. 100 Mint is a fresh mint green and 107 Lavender a soft lavender purple, and the two sit well together on the same hand. Pale shades like these can streak on the first coat, so keep each coat thin, cure it and let the second coat even out the colour.

The design is mint on every nail except the ring finger, which takes lavender, so it needs no tools and suits short nails. Paint and cure the mint nails first, then the lavender one, so you open each bottle only once. Pastels show every mark at the cuticle, so leave a hairline gap there and clean any gel off the skin before curing. When Easter falls at the end of March, these two colours carry straight through it.

April nails

April nails stay light, with pale pinks and blues for spring coats and the first sunny days. 079 Quartz is a soft crystal pink, discreet enough for the office. 109 Sky is a soft, airy blue that looks fresh with cream, denim and grey.

Combine the two in a micro French. Apply Quartz in two thin coats and cure. With a fine liner brush, draw a line of Sky about one millimetre wide along the free edge, following the natural smile line. Cure, then apply top coat over the whole nail and along the tip edge. A micro French suits short nails, because the thin line makes the nail bed appear longer. Easter usually falls in April, and this pink and blue pairing works for family lunches and spring weddings.

May nails

As sandals and bare arms return in May, nails warm up with fuller pinks and coral. 084 Peony is a soft peony pink for every day and for the first weddings of the season. 004 Coral Pink is a juicy, vibrant coral that looks brightest against lightly tanned skin. Coral tends to flatter warm and olive undertones; if your skin has pink or cool undertones, Peony is the easier choice.

A fast idea for May is an accent nail on each hand: Peony on eight nails and Coral Pink on both ring fingers. It is also the month to start pedicures again. Wear Coral Pink on the toes, and file the toenails straight across, softening only the corners. Mother's Day falls in May in many countries, and Peony is a soft, easy choice if you are doing your mother's or grandmother's nails as a gift.

June nails

June nails can be brighter, because long evenings and strong daylight carry colours that would feel heavy in winter. 092 Lagoon is a vibrant turquoise that suits tanned skin and both silver and gold jewellery. 033 Honey is a golden, creamy shade, warmer and quieter, for working days or for wedding guests who prefer something calmer.

For a quick design, paint every nail in Lagoon and add a fine line of Honey across the base of the ring nail, drawn with a thin liner brush just above the cuticle. Cure the line before the top coat so its edges stay sharp. Turquoise is strong on long nails and fresher on short ones, so keep the length modest if you are new to bright shades. Both colours suit the weddings and end-of-school-year parties of the month.

July nails

July nails are holiday nails, made for sun, salt water and days by the pool. 110 Ocean is a vivid deep blue. B022 Rose Pop is a bold neon pink builder gel that adds colour and strength in one step, which helps during two weeks of swimming and suitcases. It is removed by filing once you are home.

Wear Ocean on the other nails and Rose Pop on one accent nail, the strongest contrast in this guide. Sun, sand and chlorine are hard on a manicure, so cap the free edge with every layer and pack a small bottle of cuticle oil. On the toes, Ocean on short toenails filed straight across stays neat for the whole trip. You will find more beach and holiday designs in our summer nail ideas.

August nails

August nails make the most of a holiday tan, when strong pinks look their brightest against warm skin. 090 Fuchsia is a bold fuchsia that goes well with white clothes, linen and gold jewellery. With Peony and Raspberry from earlier in the year, it gives you three pinks for a gradient across the hand.

Paint the thumb in Peony, the index and middle fingers in Raspberry, and the ring and little fingers in Fuchsia. Each nail is a single colour, so the design takes no extra time as the hand moves from light to deep pink. Cure the first coat, check the side walls for gaps, and add a second thin coat over the whole nail if the colour is uneven. Mid-August brings public holidays in many European countries, often the last week away before work starts again.

September nails

September nails mark the return to work and school, when the wardrobe moves to camel, khaki and knitwear. 078 Clay is a warm terracotta brown that links late summer to early autumn and suits skin that is still tanned. 188 Sage is a deep sage green, calm enough for the office and easy to wear with gold or silver.

Wear Clay on all nails with a Sage micro French on the two ring fingers, drawn with a fine liner brush no wider than one millimetre. If your nails grew long over the summer, file them back to a short, even length first, since earthy shades read neater on short nails. Remove the old gel fully, then prep as usual: push back the cuticle, lightly buff the shine, cleanse and dehydrate, then apply the base. Our autumn nail colours and ideas cover the season in more detail.

October nails

October nails go deeper as the leaves turn and the evenings grow dark early. 009 Cocoa is a deep brown that works with almost every autumn coat, from camel to black. Dark shades make any slip at the cuticle obvious, so take time over a clean line.

Paint the ring finger in a deep bordeaux gel colour of your choice and Cocoa on the other nails. Wipe the brush well on the neck of the bottle, place a small bead of colour in the centre of the nail and ease it towards the cuticle without touching the skin. Cure each coat, then seal with a glossy top coat, capping the free edge. Halloween closes the month on the 31st; for a darker evening version, use a black gel polish on the accent nail instead.

November nails

November nails call for rich, dark colours as the days turn grey and heavy coats come out. 046 Fir Tree is a deep forest green that sits well with gold rings and burgundy or camel knitwear. If green feels too strong for work, Cocoa from October is the second choice.

This is a good month to try a cat eye on a single nail. Apply one thin coat of a shade from our cat eye gel polish collection over the base, hold a nail magnet over the uncured layer until the line of light forms, then cure straight away. Elegelli does not sell magnets, but any standard nail magnet works. Finish with top coat. On a hand of Fir Tree nails, a cat eye accent with a gold or bronze beam catches the light at the first evening events of the season.

December nails

December nails are for parties, family dinners and New Year's Eve, so gold and red take over. B030 Or Solaire is a builder gel with a golden reflection, and Ruby comes back from February as the red of the month. Or Solaire adds strength as well as colour, so the gold nails stay sturdy through weeks of wrapping presents, cooking and washing up.

Wear Ruby on eight nails and Or Solaire on both ring fingers, all over a base coat. Cure each coat of Ruby, cure each thin, even layer of Or Solaire for 60 seconds under LED or 120 seconds under UV, then finish all ten nails with top coat. For gold on every nail, keep the nails short, so the golden reflection looks festive without feeling heavy. Ruby can be soaked off, while Or Solaire is filed off, so plan your removal before the January reset. Our Christmas nail ideas include more designs for the festive season.

How to choose nails by month for a three-week manicure

A gel manicure applied with a base coat and top coat can last up to three weeks, so choose for the month it will end in. A set done on 25 November takes you into the middle of December, which makes December shades the better choice. Gold and red may feel early on the first day, but they will suit the first December parties.

Regrowth matters too. A fingernail grows about 3 millimetres a month, so after three weeks a gap of around 2 millimetres shows at the cuticle. With pale shades such as Cloud and Quartz the gap is barely visible, while with Fir Tree or Cocoa it shows much more. For a set that must last the full three weeks, a lighter shade is the safer choice. With a builder gel such as Or Solaire, book an infill at around three weeks to keep the cuticle area tidy.

Some shades also bridge two months, which helps with a set that runs across both. Honey works from June into September, Clay from late August into October, and Peony through most of spring and summer.

Frequently asked questions

Nails by month: what colour should I wear each month?

Follow the light and the occasions: milky white and silver in January, raspberry and red in February, pastels in spring, then turquoise, blue and fuchsia in summer. Earthy browns and greens suit the autumn, and gold and red suit December. Adjust each month to your skin tone and wardrobe.

What are the best nail colours for January?

Milky white, pale neutrals and a subtle silver are the easiest colours to wear in January. A sheer milky white such as Cloud looks clean after December, and a silver accent nail adds light on grey days. Keep the nails short for weeks of gloves and wool.

What nail colours are for spring?

Spring nail colours are pastels and light pinks: mint, lavender, crystal pink and pale sky blue in March and April, then fuller peony and coral pinks in May. Build pale shades in two thin coats, curing each one, to avoid streaks.

What colour nails for November?

Deep forest green and deep brown suit November best, with a cat eye accent for the first evening events. Fir Tree with one cat eye nail is an easy November set, and it carries well into early December.

Should your nails match the season?

There is no rule, although colours that follow the season tend to sit better with your clothes and the light around you. Many people keep one favourite neutral all year and change only an accent nail each month.

What nail colour goes with everything?

A nude close to your natural nail, a milky white or a pale crystal pink goes with almost any outfit and season. The right nude depends on your undertone, and our guide to choosing a nail colour for your skin tone explains how to find yours.

Each month's shades are in our gel polish and builder gel collections, so you can plan the next set before the current one grows out.