🍂Top 10 Fall Nail Polishes🍂

Hello everyone! Now that we are into October, we are truly immersed in the fall season. The leaves are starting to change here, and more and more are on the ground these days. With all of the seasonal colours in flux, this is a great time to switch up your go-to nail shades! This season is especially fun, since so many different shades can be trendy and ultimately, drool-worthy.

If you don’t know me, I have over ~180 nail polishes… Because I have so many, it’s really nice to periodically pick out the shades that really fit the current season, so that is what I am doing for you today!

Just a quick note on my favourite brands of nail polish:

1. China Glaze is my favourite lacquer polish formula. They dry quickly, they usually take longer to chip and are often very pigmented with only one coat. I would say about 80% of my collection is China Glaze. I am not in love with the brushes though, they are quite thin and I wish they were a bit wider so that you would get better coverage on the nail. China Glaze lacquers are 3-free and cruelty free (PETA Certified).
2. Orly is quickly becoming my next favourite formula. Of the few I own, these polishes are so pigmented with one coat! Also, I’m in love with the brush, it is on the wider side but isn’t too wide. However, you do have to be careful when removing the excess polish before applying, as polish tends to collect on and drip down the shaft of the brush. Orly lacquers are 12-free (I think this has got to be the highest standard in non-toxicity currently because I haven’t even heard of 12-free before), vegan and cruelty free.
3. OPI is obviously a classic, however it is more expensive and doesn’t have a really stand out lacquer formula for me. Some of their polishes also seem to take quite a while to dry down. I do like their brush though, it is a bit on the wider side. I have also just bought my first Infinite Shine version of their formula, so I am excited to see what that is like (not in this post, it is from the Iceland collection and would be great for a Winter post!). OPI is 3-free and there are mixed messages whether it is cruelty free or not. Most people say it is not, but their parent brand Coty is certainly not.

What I have done in this post is swatch all of the colours on both of my hands with a gel top coat on top (OneDor). I will first show you the colours on my left hand, and then those on my right. For each shade I will also describe the colour, and show you what it looks like in the bottle. At the end of the post are swatches of the nail polishes on a wheel with a regular glossy top coat on top (Seche Vite), so that you can see what the true colours look like on a white base. Obviously, if you have a white base, the shades appear brighter and truer to colour.

Without further ado, here are my Top 10 Fall Nail Polishes:

Polishes on my left hand: Deep and moody, or chrome metallic

China Glaze Unplugged (Thumb)

This is a stunning rich brown with a slight amber shimmer. I like to use two coats with this polish. Browns aren’t something that I usually gravitate towards, but I love love pairing this polish with oranges in the autumn!

China Glaze Lubu Heels (Pointer Finger)

This is a black jelly with red glitter. I absolutely love this colour because it has the vampyness of being black, with a little bit of red glitz and shine. It takes about three coats to be built up to full black opacity, so I would recommend using this as a topper over another black polish if you aren’t patient. However, this polish dries very quickly so it can be built up easily. That is what I have done on my nail here and on the swatch wheel at the end. The red glitter is definitely a little more obvious in person, and doesn’t pick up quite as well on the camera. Make sure that you use a nice glossy top coat with this polish, as it naturally dries down sort of matte with a textured feel because of the glitter. The glossy top coat really makes the red glitter look amazing. If you want a matte look that is fine, but I would suggest using a glossy top coat, letting that dry, and then adding a matte top coat.

Orly Bus Stop Crimson (Middle Finger)

This polish is a deep crimson crème. It’s a great oxblood colour in my opinion. I love wearing this colour on it’s own; It is the perfect vampy fall shade. It is also very opaque, however, I still prefer to apply two coats (I’m a nail polish snob).

Orly Shimmering Mauve (Ring Finger)

This shade is described as a brown-orange shimmer. I don’t think that is accurate. This shade is a very chrome-like metallic rose pink with maybe some bronze thrown in. I think that because it is so metallic it is a great shade for the fall. In some pictures it looks quite warm, but in real life it reflects a bit on the cooler side. Because this is a metallic, it is VERY opaque. Before application, make sure that there are no bumps or imperfections on your nails because they may show through this colour, just because of its highly reflective finish.

China Glaze Don’t Make Me Wine (Pinky)

This shade is a purple-red velvet metallic. It is such a smooth rich purple metallic, I absolutely love it. The descriptor of velvet for a nail polish shade doesn’t really make much sense, but when you look at it on the nail, velvet is actually the perfect word, because it is such a smooth metallic. This is another very opaque shade.

Polishes on my right hand: Cool neutral crèmes and oranges

OPI A Women’s Prague-ative (Thumb)

This shade is a coppery orange foil-like metallic with gold and orange shimmer. This has got to be the most beautiful orange shade I have ever seen. I seriously get entranced looking at it on my nails. This is absolutely my favourite metallic to use in the fall. This shade requires at least two coats, maybe even three. But as you can see, the result is gorgeous!

OPI It’s a Piazza Cake (Pointer Finger)

This shade is described as a persimmon crème. This orange is a very wearable shade, which is usually something that is difficult to accomplish because oranges are often too bright or neon. This shade is like a burnt dusty orange. Some of the pictures here that are taken in the sun make it look brighter than it is, but the pictures in the shade are more true to colour. This is the perfect orange shade for fall.

Orly Country Club Khaki (Middle Finger)

This is the perfect taupe-y cool nude crème. Really, it is a khaki shade. This shade is very pigmented. You can definitely get away with only one coat. I love pairing this shade with others to give my manicure some interest. This also provided a great back-drop for my September @Ninanailedit MMK nail wraps mani!

Essie Merino Cool (Ring Finger)

This shade is described as an autumn mulberry. As I see it, it is a cool, muted mid-tone purple-y grey crème. This is another great semi-neutral staple for manicures that include different polishes. This polish takes about 2 coats to get full opacity. Essie polishes are so extremely popular, however I’ve never really gotten on board with the hype. They are on the more expensive side and have the world’s thinnest brushes, which I hate. However, I do own a few and I do like them, they just aren’t my first choice when purchasing new polishes. They may take a bit longer to chip, but I’m not totally sure.

Nina Ultra Pro Ink-ling (Pinky)

This shade is a deep blue-toned grey. I think grey’s are a great fall and winter staple, and this is one of mine. This colour is pretty opaque, so you could probably get away with only doing one coat.

Well, those are my top 10 Fall Nail Polishes! What are your favourite colours to wear during the fall? Which manicures should I do this month?