Plum Nail Polish on Dark Skin

If anyone’s told you to stick to neutrals, ignore them. Dark skin gives you the most range of any tone: brights land hard, pales show up properly, and deep shades gain richness instead of going flat.

Start with Espresso plum crème (BP30), a near-black plum. None of these will shout against your hand — they sit with your skin rather than against it, which is exactly the point if you want something quiet. If you’d rather go lighter, Rich plum crème (RC2915) is more of a damson.

Change the nail shape and length as you go — the same plum is a different manicure short and round than it is long and stiletto.

The same plums on another skin tone: Pale skin · Fair skin · Olive skin · Tan skin · Brown skin

Or start wider: all plum shades · every color on dark skin