For a former emo kid, nothing hits quite as hard as a dark manicure. As much as I try to fall in love with neons and nudes, those polishes never spark quite as much joy as an opaque cream in a deep, inky shade. Luckily, it seems, dark nail polish never seems to go out of style—especially once the temperatures start to drop.
While you can’t go wrong with a black manicure, there are a host of almost-ebony colors that, in my opinion, are even more stylish. For fall 2026, deep cherry is particularly popular—just ask Anne Hathaway, who wore Essie’s Model Clicks at the New York premiere of Verity this September. But deep red isn’t your only option for a moody manicure: Nuñez says midnight purple, inky navy, and deep espresso are all perpetual fall favorites.
I’m also a fan of an super dark emerald, if you’re looking for something a little more unexpected. Regardless of the shade you gravitate toward, the key to nailing the classic-but-punk vibe is to look for something that reads as black on your first glance of the bottle. Keep reading for Nuñez’s tips, plus 30 options for nearly-black polish.
Nail prep is crucial for a good, long-lasting manicure regardless of what color polish you’re using, but Nuñez says it’s extra important if you’re going dark. You’ll want to thoroughly clean up the cuticle area and nail plate; I’m a big fan of using Sally Hansen’s Instant Cuticle Remover and a metal cuticle pusher to get as much cuticle off the nail as possible. You should also use clippers to trim any hangnails and can use a buffer to get rid of calluses around the nail.
When you actually get to applying, stick to multiple thin coats rather than globbing it all on. She also recommends keeping a clean up brush and small dish filled with polish remover handy for cleanup throughout the painting process. One downside to super dark shades is that removal can be a pain in the butt, since these tend to stain more than other polish colors.
She likens this to wiping a paper towel around to try to clean up a spill—you’ll just spread the mess. The key here is to have a little patience. And if you’re going to reuse the same wipe, make sure to flip it over so you don’t swipe all that freshly-removed polish all over your skin.
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