The Most Popular Nail Polish Shades of the Decade

The following year Essie scored another win with the sheer, blush-tinted Allure. The shade, which already had a tradition of being a bridal favorite, got a royal seal of approval after Kate Middleton’s wedding. The brand notes that Allure received a great deal of press after speculations that the Duchess of Cambridge chose it for her wedding day. (Her manicurist, Marina Sandoval of the Jo Hansford salon in London, named it as her polish of choice.) The boost in sales made it the brand’s 2011 best.

Lincoln Park After Dark has been one of OPI’s most recognizable shades since it launched, but 2012 was an especially good year for its sales. The glossy midnight eggplant never falls out of favor with editors and celebrities alike; Kerry Washington and Kim Kardashian both reportedly count it among their favorites. In mid 2011, shortly before the Kardashians launched their collaboration of Kolors with the brand, Kim’s alleged love for Lincoln Park After Dark got an accompanying mention online. On the 2012 Oscars red carpet, A-listers showed their love for darker shades by largely gravitating toward vampy manicures. Put those two together, and the timing was perfect for OPI’s perennial favorite to reclaim its top spot.

Now we come to Mint Candy Apple, that memorable color our own editors couldn’t stop wearing the previous year. As far as we can remember, the search for that ideal shade of slightly pale (but not quite pastel) blue or green began with Chanel Jade in 2009, which the brand first debuted on the runway before introducing it to beauty counters. That year it seemed as if every nail brand began producing its own versions of elegant blues and greens, some veering more toward Tiffany blue, others a greener celadon. But no one nailed it quite like Essie, and Mint Candy Apple became an instant hit, rapidly gaining popularity even after its initial 2009 release. In 2013, it seems, the trend finally reached its peak. (If the calendar were a nail polish bell curve, 2013 would be the Mint Candy Apple center.)

Every few years we hear about the French manicure making its comeback. (It’s the nail art that truly never dies.) And 2014 was one of them, as celebs like Anna Kendrick and Madonna walked the Grammys red carpet with their own spins on the style. (Kendrick opted to wear it in taupe, while Madonna stuck to sparkly white.) On the runways, colorful French manis also had their moment. So it’s no surprise that OPI’s best seller that year was the crisp Alpine Snow, which the brand notes is ideal for creating opaque French tips. 

The year of the at-home gel manicure came in 2015, as more drugstore brands began formulating long-wear polishes that mimicked the look and feel of a salon gel finish. Sally Hansen notes that its Miracle Gel line was the number one color cosmetic launch that year. (The brand's gel range won it another top seller in 2016, and Essie reports that its Gel Couture line was also extremely popular when it launched in 2017.) The best-selling shade out of Sally Hansen’s gel polishes that year? Get Mod, a crisp white that’s—you guessed it—perfect for French manicures and nail art in general.

Sanrio’s Hello Kitty is a cultural icon in her own right, so when she teamed up with the nail brand in 2016, it was sure to be a success. But even OPI was surprised by the demand for that particular collaboration, which still hasn’t died down three years later. The most popular shade from the collection was Let’s Be Friends, a cotton candy pink that remains the most searched-for shade in OPI’s entire history. (The company was founded in 1981, which makes that piece of trivia all the more impressive.) To appease the fans and spark our Hello Kitty nostalgia, they just brought it back for their holiday 2019 collection—better grab yours fast. 

After periods of elaborate nail art, we always go back to the basics. Neutral nails are hardly a new concept, but they’ve evolved over the years to become more interesting—and inclusive. The pared-back shades began trending again on runways in 2016, expanding the “nude” color palette well beyond a single shade of beige. Sally Hansen got in the game too, and the following year their most popular color was Powder Room, a fun spin on neutrals. The medium pink-beige is shot through with a rich, silver pearl undertone that keeps it from being boring.

What’s a list of iconic nail colors without Big Apple Red? The signature shade remains a fixture on OPI’s all-time list of best-sellers 19 years after it launched, according to the brand. It’s won plenty of beauty awards and had its fair share of red-carpet sightings. It’s also a celebrity manicurist favorite: Anne Hathaway’s nail artist, Fleury Rose, raved about it earlier this year. Truth be told, OPI could probably have listed this one every year. For those that were feeling a little less classic last year, bright yellow polish also made the rounds on Instagram after brands finally figured out how to make a formula that didn’t streak. Essie’s most popular shade was Gel Couture Avant-Garment, a delicate yellow that nail artists continued to love when we asked them about spring trends this year.

As the decade ends, we’ve been taking a closer look at the most popular nail polishes across the country, from Las Vegas to Boston. The verdict this year is that there’s plenty of color inspiration to choose from, as evidence by the year’s three wildly different best sellers. Essie’s is Chillato, a fun mix of muted yellow and pale lime green that took off after Jonathan Van Ness (brand ambassador) wore it for National Nail Polish Day. OPI’s success of the year is a popular bridal shade: the candy-pink Bubble Bath. And Sally Hansen is bringing things full circle back to the beginning of the decade with their biggest fall/winter hit, the berry-hued Color Therapy Pomegratitude.