Gold Gel Polish Shades

Gold is the colour of an occasion: a wedding, a festival, a party. It is also one of the easiest colours to wear as an accent, a single nail over a quiet set, or a line over a deep colour. Searches for gold nails run alongside red, black and white, because gold is the partner that finishes them.

This page puts every gold we sell in one place, across gel polish, glitter and effect gels. Each opens on its own product page with the shade selected. For the colours gold goes with, see red, black, green and nude, and for the whole range gel polish.

Champagne, soft gold or rich gold

Champagne and pale gold are soft and warm, close to a nude with a glow, and suit everyday wear. Soft gold is the middle ground, noticeable without shouting. Rich, deep gold is the party gold, saturated and metallic. Decide how much shine you want, then choose within it.

Gold and the skin

Gold is warm, so it looks natural on golden and deeper skin tones and gives them a glow. On cool, fair skin a paler champagne, with less yellow in it, tends to look more flattering than a rich yellow gold. Hold the photo beside your hand in daylight before you choose.

Gold as polish, glitter and effect

Gold comes in more than one form. A gel polish gives a solid, even gold. A glitter gel, such as the Platinum Glitter Gel Polish or the Glitter Polish, gives sparkle on top of colour; see glitter gel polish. A cat eye gel gives a moving gold line when you hold a magnet over it; the cat eye gels include a gold shade. Each is a different look, so choose by the finish you want.

Ways to wear it

• Gold on red. A gold accent or line over a deep red is a classic festive set. See red.
• Gold on black. Black with gold is graphic and formal; see black, which is also the best base under a cat eye.
• Gold on nude. A nude with a single gold accent is the quietest way to dress a set; see nude.
• Gold lines. A thin gold line is a brush job, not a colour job. The nail art brush guide and the nail art brushes cover it.

Applying metallic and shimmer shades

Gold and other metallic or shimmer shades can look streaky if the coat is thick or the brush is overloaded. Use thin coats, shake the bottle well so the particles are evenly spread, and cure each coat fully. Seal with a clear top coat; a no-wipe top coat keeps the surface smooth over sparkle. The base coat vs top coat guide explains the layers.

For a salon

Gold sells hardest around weddings and festivals. For bulk prices on whole ranges, see wholesale, and for top and base coats, top and base coat.