Not sure what nail polish will go with your green dress? Let’s talk polish matching! In this post, we’re going to find out what color nail polish goes with a green dress.
We’ll look at the best nail polish colors for different shades of green.
We’re gonna go deeper into this, but if you’re in a rush, here’s the nutshell answer and some easy nail polish options that will go with any green dress.
For a green dress, choose a nail polish color with a similar undertone to the shade of green that’s in your dress (either blue or yellow). A green dress that has yellow undertones is warm and will pair well with a warm toned nail polish. A green dress with blue undertones is cool and will look best with a cool toned nail polish.
Neutral nail polish colors like black, white, cream, gray, nude, beige or sage green will work with any shade of green dress.
Ready to find the perfect polish to match your green dress?
Let’s get started!
Table of contents:
How do you match nail polish to a dress?
What color nail polish goes with an emerald green dress?
What color nail polish goes with an olive green dress?
What color nail polish goes with an army green dress?
What color nail polish goes with a forest green dress?
What color nail polish goes with a bottle green dress?
Should your toenail and fingernail polish match?
Should lipstick and polish match?
Does silver or gold go better with green?
Final thoughts and tips for choosing the best match for your green dress.
How do you match nail polish to a dress?
There are a few different ways you can go about matching polish to your dress.
The easiest way is to go for a neutral color.
Matching with neutral nail polishes.
Because they aren’t super strong colors, neutrals blend easily with a wide range of stronger colors.
That makes them a safe bet when you’re trying to match polish to your dress.
Here’s a list of neutral nail polish colors that will go with anything – green dress included!
- Pure Black
- Pure White
- Off whites
- Slate Gray
- Taupe
- Navy
- Cream
- Sage green
- Ivory
- Tan
- Blush
- Beige
Neutrals are great for creating a sophisticated, pulled-together look.
With neutral polishes like black, white, navy, silver, beige, and nude, you won’t have to worry about your nails stealing the spotlight from your dress.
These shades won’t draw too much attention to your nails, so you can let your dress do the talking. Perfect for when you want to keep things simple yet stylish.
I love neutral nails because they go with so many clothes that I don’t feel the need to change my nails as often.
Matching with complimentary colors.
If you want to create a bold, eye-catching look that works well with any dress you could go for the complementary color.
Complimentary colors are those that appear directly across from each other on the color wheel.
These colors are the perfect complement to each other, creating a striking contrast and making each other pop!
It’s a simple yet effective way to make your outfit stand out.
For green, the complementary color is red.
Done right, green and red can be unique and unexpected.
But green and red together can look a little christmas-y, so be careful with the shades you choose unless that’s the look you’re going for!
Here are some examples of complementary color matches using green:
- Bluey green and orangey red
Polish examples:
Zoya – Harbor and Solstice
- True green and true red
Polish examples:
Zoya – Wyatt and Carmen
- Yellowish green and reddish purple
Polish examples:
Zoya – Scout and Donnie
Inspiration for pairing green and red.
Here are some awesome green and red color combos to inspire you:
- Mint green and tomato red
Example:
Essie – Feeling poppy and Mint candy apple
- Lime green and watermelon red
Example:
OPI’s To the finish line and Zoya’s Dixie
- Crimson red and emerald green
Example:
OPI’s Suzi san climbed fuji san and Zoya’s Amal
- Emerald and burgundy
OPI’s Stay off the lawn and Zoya’s Claire
The stronger the color the greater the impact, so go for fully saturated hues for maximum effect.
Matching based on tone.
Another strategy you can try for matching nail polish to your dress is to look for polish colors with the same undertone as your dress.
Most green shades will have either yellow or blue undertones.
Greens with yellow undertones – like lime and chartreuse – are considered warm greens.
Greens with blue undertones – like teal, jade and hunter green – are considered cool greens.
Warm greens:
If your dress is a warm green, it should pair well with a warm-toned nail polish like ivory, peach, or coral for example.
Warm greens also look great with reddish purples like Fuschia, burgundy, and wine, as well as with gold, amber, apricot, and copper.
Cool greens:
If your dress is a cool shade of green, look for a polish that has cool undertones like turquoise, bluey gray or magenta.
Cool greens look amazing with bluish purples like lavender, amethyst, violet and indigo.
They also work well with baby and rose pinks, silver, sapphire or royal blue, and ruby red.
What color nail polish goes with an emerald green dress?
Emerald green is a brilliant and vivid green shade.
It’s a medium green, so not overly dark or light – somewhere in the middle.
That means you can easily go lighter or darker depending on what you think looks best.
The best nail polish colors to wear with your emerald green dress are:
- Navy
Example shades:
OPI – Get ryd-of-thym blues
Essie – Booties on broadway
Zoya – Sailor
- Burnt orange
Example shades:
OPI – Have your panettone and eat it
Essie – Yes I canyon
Zoya – Heidi
- Rose pink
Example shades:
OPI – Rice rice baby
Essie – Young wild and me
Zoya – Madeline
- Copper
Example shades:
OPI – Worth a pretty penne
Essie – Of quartz
Zoya – Autumn
- Light blue
Example shades:
OPI – Can’t find my czechbook
Essie – Sway in crochet
Zoya – Eleni
- Peach
Example shades:
OPI – Machu peach-u
Essie – Peach side babe
Zoya – Meadow
- Dark Aubergine
Example shades:
OPI – Lincoln park after dark
Essie – Model clicks
Zoya – Sloane
- Lime green
Example shades:
OPI – To the finish lime
Essie – Mojito madness
Zoya – Jace
- Beige
Example shades:
OPI – The beige of reason
Essie – Less is aura
Zoya – Avery
- Chartreuse
Example shades:
OPI – This isn’t greenland
Essie – Take a walk
Zoya – Tracie
What color nail polish goes with an olive green dress?
Olive is a warm and fairly dark green shade with a strong dose of yellow in it.
Typically, olive is made up of 3 parts yellow to 1 part blue which is why olive skin is classed as a warm skin tone.
If you have an olive green dress, think about pairing it with one of these colors:
- Light orange
Example shades:
OPI – Exhibit a line
Essie – Resort fling
Zoya – Sawyer
- Violet
Example shades:
OPI – Meet me on the star ferry
Essie – V.I. please
Zoya – Lois
- Gold / bronze
Example shades:
OPI – This gold sleighs me
Essie – Mosaic on down
Zoya – Aggie
- Maroon
Example shades:
OPI – Can’t be beet
Essie – Not so low key
Zoya – Courtney
- Light gray
Example shades:
OPI – Suzie talks with her hands
Essie – Without a stitch
Zoya – Dove
- Coral
Example shades:
OPI – Corral-ling your spirit animal
Essie – Coastal couture
Zoya – Wendy
- Royal blue
Example shades:
OPI – Mi casa es blue casa
Essie – Aruba blue
Zoya – Jen
- Blush pink
Example shades:
OPI – Sweet heart
Essie – Ballet slippers remixed
Zoya – Steph
- Turquoise
Example shades:
OPI – Eternally turquoise
Essie – Turquoise and caicos
Zoya – Talia
- Yellow
Example shades:
OPI – Don’t tell a sol
Essie – Avant garment
Zoya – Pippa
What color nail polish goes with an army green dress?
Army green is a dark yellow-based green.
An army green dress will pair well with these nail polish colors:
- Pure white
Example shades:
OPI – Alpine snow
Essie – Blanc
Zoya – Purity
- Sage green
Example shades:
OPI – S-ageless beauty
Essie – Sage you love me
Zoya – Bevin
- Cream
Example shades:
OPI – Tenacious spirit
Essie – Rainwear don’t care
Zoya – Lulu
- Dusty sky blue
Example shades:
OPI – Reach for the sky
Essie – Make a splash
Zoya – Kristen
- True Black
Example shades:
OPI – Black Onyx
Essie – Now or never
Zoya – Willa
- Mustard
Example shades:
OPI – Sun, sea and sand in my pants
Essie – Fall for NYC
Zoya – Darcy
- Magenta
Example shades:
OPI – No turning back from pink street
Essie – New year new hue
Zoya – Fallon
- Camel
Example shades:
OPI – Barefoot in Barcelona
Essie – Low tide high slit
Zoya – Spencer
- Beige
Example shades:
OPI – Put in neutral
Essie – Mindful meditation
Zoya – Taylor
- Tan
Example shades:
OPI – Substantially tan
Essie – Kaf-tan
Zoya – Spencer
What color nail polish goes with a forest green dress?
Forest green is a dark green shade that makes you think of trees and bushes.
It pairs well with most of the earthy and natural colors found in nature.
Here are some polishes that will work well with a forest green dress:
- Earthy hazelnut brown
Example shades:
OPI – That’s what friends are thor.
Essie – Cliff hanger
Zoya – Channel
- Chocolate brown
Example shades:
OPI – Chocolate moose
Essie – Chocolate cakes
Zoya – Dea
- Fuchsia
Example shades:
OPI – Flashbulb fuchsia
Essie – The fuchsia is bright
Zoya – Nana
- Gray
Example shades:
OPI – Steel waters run deep
Essie – Master plan
Zoya – Tommy
- Terracotta
Example shades:
OPI – My Italian is a little rusty
Essie – Rocky rose
Zoya – Heidi
- Burnt orange
Example shades:
OPI – Have your panettone and eat it
Essie – Yes I canyon
Zoya – Annie
- Bright pink
Example shades:
OPI – La paz-itvely hot
Essie – Secret story
Zoya – Esty
- Gold
Example shades:
OPI – Many celebrations to go
Essie – Down to the herringbone
Zoya – Goldie
- Beige
Example shades:
OPI – Samoan sand
Essie – Buns up
Zoya – Cala
- Metallics
Example shades:
OPI – Worth a pretty penne
Essie – Beat of the moment
Zoya – Tanzy
What color nail polish goes with a bottle green dress?
Bottle green is a deep, dark, bluey green with cool undertones.
It pairs well with light neutrals like white, cream and tan.
You can also match a bottle green dress with these polish colors:
- Canary yellow
Example shades:
OPI – Exotic birds do not tweet
Essie – Check your baggage
Zoya – Daisy
- Greeny grays
Example shades:
OPI – I can never hut up
Essie – Maximilian strasse her
Zoya – Yuna
- Pinky nudes
Example shades:
OPI – Dulce de leche
Essie – Come out to clay
Zoya – Joss
- Sandy nuetrals
Example shades:
OPI – Maintaining my sandity
Essie – Sand tropez
Zoya – Enza
- Peach
Example shades:
OPI – Matchu peach-u
Essie – Peach side babe
Zoya – Tessa
- Lilac
Example shades:
OPI – Do you lilac it?
Essie – Lilacism
Zoya – Vee
- Soft yellow
Example shades:
OPI – Suzi’s slinging mezcal
Essie – Sunny buisness
Zoya – Bee
- Dark vampy reds
Example shades:
OPI – Complimentary wine
Essie – Wicked
Zoya – Sam
- Light gray
Example shades:
OPI – Suzi talks with her hands
Essie – Without a stitch
Zoya – Carey
- Tangerine orange
Example shades:
OPI – I’ll have a gin and tectonic
Essie – Any fin goes
Zoya – Thandie
Prom nails for a green dress
If you’re wearing green to prom, this section is for you!
Prom is a formal event, but it can also be an opportunity to show off your creativity and personality.
I’m guessing you already have your dress picked out, right?
Then let the dress guide you in your choice of nail color.
What do I mean by that?
Well, let’s break it down.
Here are some things to think about.
Tips for choosing prom nails to go with a green dress
First, take a few seconds to think about how you would describe your prom dress.
Is it classicly elegant? Fun, and flirty? Minimal and modern? Or quirky and different?
When you’re choosing a nail color for prom, try to match the overall look of the dress.
For example, if you’re wearing a dress that’s elegant, classy, and very formal, then you’ll want a nail color that matches that vibe.
Some great options for a more traditionally formal green dress would be navy, sage green, chocolate brown, ivory, blush, burgundy, gold, and copper.
If your dress is on the fun and flirty side, then you might get a little more playful with your nails.
Some great ideas for a fun flirty green prom dress would be mint green, lemon yellow, royal blue, or coral.
For a modern and minimal look, plain nails in a neutral color like gray, navy, tan, or beige will do the trick.
What are the undertones in your dress?
My second tip is to look at the undertones in your dress. Is it a warm or a cool green?
If your dress is more of a yellowish-green, it’s warm.
If it has more of a bluish-green tone then it’s most likely cool.
Once you know if the green shade of your dress is warm or cool, a great trick is to find a nail polish (in any color you like) that has the same undertone as your dress.
So if your dress is cool, look for nail polishes with cool undertones, and vice versa.
If you’re not sure whether a nail polish color is warm or cool, check the polish descriptions.
Zoya is great at explaining the overall tone of the polish and you can search on their website by warm or cool.
Do you want your nails to stand out?
My third tip for matching your nails to your prom dress is to think about how much you want your nails to stand out.
I mean, it’s prom so you’re probably going to want all eyes on your dress, right?
In that case, you might want to keep your nails simple and avoid too much bling or eye-catching colors.
A good way to gauge this is to think about how “busy” your dress is.
Does it have a lot of detail on it? Or is it more understated?
You can compliment a detailed prom dress by adding a modest nail color and design.
If you have a lot of detail on your dress then you don’t want a ton of gems, glitter, etc on your nails, as this will draw attention away from the dress.
If your green prom dress is minimal, vintage, or understated, then you might want to go bolder with your nail choice.
You could go for a highly contrasting color like hot pink or a bold metallic to finish the look.
Prom nails for emerald green dress
Emerald green is one of the most popular prom dress colors.
So let’s take a look at some nail polish colors that will work for your prom nails if you are wearing emerald green specifically.
Emerald green goes best with the following nail polish colors:
- Peach
- Eggplant purple
- Rose pink
- Ivory
- Lime
- Beige
- Cobalt blue
- Charcoal gray
- Silver
- Gold
Should your toenail and fingernail polish match?
This is a tough one, and even the experts can’t seem to agree!
Some high-up fashionistas in the beauty industry think matching your nails and toes is tacky.
Oprah’s magazine beauty director Valerie Monroe said that herself.
But then there are others like Ji baek (owner of Rescue beauty Lounge in NYC) who say that matching your fingernails and toes makes you look more pulled together.
So, is matching your fingers and toes tacky or chic?
I guess it’s up to you to decide!
As for me, I agree with the artistic director at OPI.
She says it’s better to co-ordinate your toenail polish with your fingernail polish.
What does that mean exactly?
Well, instead of painting your fingernails and toes the same color, paint them in different colors that work well together.
You know how you can have more than one accent color in an outfit?
Well, think of your nails as the place to display your accent colors!
Then choose 2 colors that match your wardrobe and that work together.
Not sure what colors to match?
Don’t worry.
Here are some examples of polish pairings that rock for inspo:
- Coral and teal
- Peach and lime
- Lavender and deep purple
- Tan and burgundy
- Lilac and mint
- Navy and mustard
- Royal blue and hot pink
- Cobolt blue and wine
- Emerald green and cobalt blue
- Blush and sage green
- Turquoise and light orange
- Mocha and tangerine
Should lipstick and polish match?
The current trend for matching lipstick and nail polish isn’t a new thing.
It was all the rage back in the early 50’s, then it fell out of vogue for a while – and now it’s back with a vengeance!
You don’t have to match your lips and tips, but if you do want to indulge in the trend, then you can buy a lipstick and nail polish set from most of the major players.
Matching your lipstick and nails isn’t the sort of thing you do when your chillin’ in jeans and a sweater.
But it does create a deliberate, sophisticated, classy put together and elevated look that’s perfect for a special event or a night out.
If you prefer not to match – that’s totally ok too.
You can create a stunning modern look with a great pop of color by wearing complimentary lips and tips.
Match, don’t match.
Alternate between matching and not.
There’s no golden rule when it comes to matching lipstick and nail polish – so just do you!
Does silver or gold go better with green?
Great question! I’ve struggled with this myself.
I’m cool toned, so silver jewelry looks best on me.
I also love to wear forest green.
I’ve been wearing my forest green top with a silver and pearl necklace, but I was never sure if I should have been pairing it with gold instead.
So I did some digging and here’s what I found out.
Silver is basically a metallic with a gray base.
That makes silver a neutral color, so it can be worn with green.
Gold is yellow based and yellow and green are next door neighbors on the color wheel – so gold also works well with green.
But which is better?
Well, after looking at how graphic, fashion and interior designers use green, gold and silver –
- I can conclude that anything goes!
Green and silver are used widely and so are green and gold.
I wanted to give you some kind of helpful advice to follow (like to say light green pairs best with silver and dark green with gold).
But the truth is that there doesn’t seem to be any rules.
I thought that silver might work better with cool greens and warm greens would be paired more with gold – but gold and silver can both be used equally with very similar shades of green.
So that settles it – neither is better or worse so wear what you want!
Personally, I’d stick with the color that best flatters your skin tone.
Final thoughts and tips for choosing the best match for your green dress.
There are 3 main ways to go about matching a polish to your green dress.
You can either:
- Paint your nails in a neutral color.
- Choose a complimentary color.
or
- Find a matching polish by looking at the undertones in your dress.
For the most harmonious look, choose a polish that matches your skin tone (warm skin plus warm color polish and cool skin plus cool colored polish).
Some polish descriptions will tell you outright (Zoya in particular is really good for this) or at least give you a hint as to whether the polish is cool or warm toned.
I hope that you have found this post helpful and good luck choosing your color!
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