Just Ask The History Books: These Are The Most Iconic Nail Polish Shades of All Time

I’ll readily admit that I’m a nail art girl wherever possible, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love a flawless full-cover manicure. It doesn’t matter if you paint them yourself or get them done in-salon, the power of cleaned-up cuticles and that freshly-applied shiny finish of one of the most iconic nail polish shades is strong. So strong, it’ll have you intermittently holding up your hand and admiring your nails for the rest of the day.

A lot of factors are at play when it comes to trending colours and the shades we gravitate towards in both beauty and fashion, lest we forget Miranda Priestley’s iconic speech in The Devil Wears Prada. Which brings me back to famous nail polish shades. Forms of nail varnish have been around for thousands of years, meaning dozens of shades have been pop culture moments in their own right—from the black-red nails of Pulp Fiction’s leading lady to Hailey Bieber’s viral understated manicures.

All this is to say, I’ve penned a guide to some of those colours that are the fabric of nail polish lore. As a beauty editor, it’s the kind of thing I live for; I also put a (very informal) poll to beauty industry contacts to get their backing, which included some of 2025's biggest shades, as well as beauty editors' signature nail polishes. Though a sprinkling of others featured, the majority of the shades came from big-name brands OPI, Essie, Chanel and CND. Discontinued icons, including Chanel’s Peridot and Hard Candy’s Sky, worn by Cher Horowitz on the press tour for Clueless, also got a mention. But the following are, for now, still available. Get them while the getting’s good. Or, you know, ask your nail tech.

1. Chanel Rouge Noir (AKA Vamp)

At this point, bottles of Chanel’s Rouge Noir—or Vamp, as the shade is known in the US—may as well be telling this story themselves. This black-red polish’s most famous appearance has long been thought of as adorning the nails of Pulp Fiction’s Mia Wallace, played by Uma Thurman, in 1994, as well as Madonna’s in the music video for Take A Bow, also released that year. It was a viral sensation; the brand briefly discontinued it, much to shoppers' dismay, later reinstating it due to demand. It’s arguably still the most famous Chanel nail polish, and one of the most famous nail polish shades generally, more than 30 years later.

Controversially, there are reports that Thurman didn't wear it in the Tarantino flick. As this brilliantly detailed deep dive into the backstory of Rouge Noir/Vamp by Katherine Luck highlights, the film was shot in the second half of 1993, the year before the Chanel polish first hit the runway and, later, a consumer hit. Sadly, I don’t have Thurman’s number to WhatsApp her and ask if her manicurist for the film got their hands on it early, but what I can definitively say is it’s pretty damn close at the very least. Its legacy can’t be denied, and, either way, the stories and the shade itself are iconic.

2. Essie Ballet Slippers

This reference is such a knee-jerk for me that it feels as though my fingers are typing it with zero input from my brain. Sheer pink shade Ballet Slippers was famously worn by the late Queen Elizabeth II for decades, confirmed as far back as 1989 when her hairdresser wrote a letter to the brand noting that it was the only shade of nail polish Her Majesty would wear. This isn’t Essie’s only ties to royalty, with (the admittedly varied) reports on Kate Middleton’s wedding manicure noting the now-Princess of Wales wore the shade Allure mixed with Bourjois’ discontinued Rose Lounge. Again, no direct line to verify this, I’m afraid.

3. OPI Funny Bunny

Hailey Bieber’s influence on beauty trends is fascinating to me. I would read a thesis on it. If you are writing or have published one, please reach out to me directly. I digress. In 2020, Bieber propelled chrome nails to the top of the trend agenda when her manicurist, Zola Ganzorigt, shared her then-go-to manicure: a coat of Funny Bunny, top coat, and OPI’s Tin Man Can chrome powder buffed into the top. People are still requesting versions of the “glazed doughnut manicure” today, but this milky white shade is the one that launched the proverbial thousand ships.

4. Essie Mint Candy Apple

Among a sea of pinks, reds and browns, green can be overlooked, but some of the most iconic shades are cool pastel greens. Easily one of the biggies is Essie’s Mint Candy Apple, which has been around since ‘09. (Clearly, there was something about cool-toned greens we couldn’t get enough of that year, as Chanel’s Jade also launched, selling out at Selfridges in just 40 minutes.)

Fast forward to 2025, and Mint Candy Apple’s creme de menthe hue remains a best seller. “I’d chalk its popularity up to the fact that it’s not your average pastel,” says freelance beauty editor Sophia Panych. “It’s soft and sweet, but packs a loud, pigmented punch. It’s ultra-pretty, but then also reminiscent of 1950s Formica tables and Smeg refrigerators, imbuing it with a slightly subversive quality. And, because it’s so creamy and opaque, it also somehow makes a shade typically associated with Easter eggs look expensive and chic.”

5. CND Negligée

Another of the professionals’ go-to brands and a mainstay of salons, there are so many iconic shades in the CND portfolio. “As the creators of Shellac, I think CND in general are 100% deserving of the title ‘game-changing’", says fellow beauty journalist Tori Crowther, who is also a qualified nail tech. She nominated Negligée, a soft pink shade that has a kind of petal hue.

In another royal wedding manicure moment, Meghan Markle’s bridal nails were a combination of one layer of the CND shade Unmasked, then two layers of Negligée for something a little more bespoke. (Fun fact: she also visited Dryby’s now-closed Mortimer Street salon in London for her pre-wedding appointment; the salon now operates out of Hershesons Fitzrovia.)

6. OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

This was by far and away the most popular nail polish shade in response to my informal straw poll. Manicurists and fellow beauty journalists alike messaged to say that Lincoln Park After Dark, a very-close-to-black-but-not-black aubergine colour, was their pick (or one of). A highlight came from fellow freelance beauty editor Mica Ricketts, who gave the simple explanation “for my inner emo”.

First released in 2005, it’s named after the Chicago park and, per a TikTok on OPI’s channel, its “air of mystery”. It also has a long-documented history of celebrity fans. Lauren Conrad of The Hills reportedly wore it a lot on the show. Kerry Washington, who has served as an OPI ambassador, also counts it among her favourite shades. Kylie Jenner posted last year that she has been wearing it since she was a teen and deems it “still the best OG dark color”. Who am I to argue?

7. Essie Sugar Daddy

Another of Essie’s hero neutrals, I know that Sugar Daddy is a big beauty editor favourite, too. London-based nail expert Metta Francis, founder of Nails by Mets, describes it as "A classic shade that suits all skin tones and goes with every outfit. This semi-sheer shade is perfect for anyone who wants a minimalistic and low-maintenance look; it leaves nails looking beautifully clean and manicured. One layer is enough to give nails a flawless 'your nails but better' finish—think a BB cream for nails)—and two coats give slightly more coverage for an everyday milky, peachy pink. It looks stunning on toes also—think French pedicure vibes without the white tips—and it's one of my go-to shades when working on beauty shoots."

8. OPI Cajun Shrimp

Big and bold, Cajun Shrimp is one of the original shades from 1990. The origin story dates back to when OPI co-founder Suzi Weiss-Fischmann visited New Orleans for a trade show. One night, at dinner, she tried cajun spiced jumbo shrimp for the first time and loved it so much that she named a polish after it.

And its popularity has stood the test of time. “I used to get through bottles of them,” Stockport-based nail and brow specialist Rose Tucker said of both this and CND’s similarly seafood-themed name, Lobster Roll. It’s slightly brighter and skews a little more towards coral than the true hue of the brand's equally famous Big Apple Red.

9. OPI Bubble Bath

Yet another neutral pink and another from OPI (I could easily have written a guide to the most iconic OPI nail polishes, too, to be honest), Bubble Bath was one of the first that sprung to mind when I compiled this list. It was soap nails before the soap nails trend became part of current beauty chatter. In the earlier years of my career, there wasn’t a week that went by that I didn’t go to a launch event and cross paths with a beauty journalist sporting a Bubble Bath mani. If I wanted my nails to look understated but “done”, without the fun of my beloved nail art, it’s probably what I’d go for if I didn’t have much time to decide. I know some people who ask for it at pretty much every nail appointment. If it ain’t broke, et cetera.