After a week of wearing this mellow yellow, I’ve realized it is actually, well, mellow. And, dare I say, neutral. Experts agree: “Butter yellow nails are a great alternative to nude shades,” nail artist Jin Soon Choi tells me, adding that it’s the perfect color “for someone who wants to experiment with yellow but prefers something more understated.” Nail artist Julia Diogo echoes the sentiment saying the color is “easy to wear.”
Getting a glossy finish is the only real challenge. “Some soft pastel shades come out uneven and streaky, so adding an extra coat of polish can help achieve a more even and opaque finish,” says Choi, who applies thin coats—with a few minutes of drying time between each layer—to gradually build the color.
Brands like Chanel and Londontown have gorgeous plush yellows (shop them below) that wear beautifully but if you already have a brighter yellow polish in your possession, you can still make it work. Diogo suggests just adding “a little bit of white into it to soften the color slightly” and give it that freshly churned summer 2024 appeal.
Because while you can certainly play with brighter, bolder yellows or very faint, almost-cream hues, I’ve found my new summer neutral to be a true butter yellow. Just last week, as a strapless Jacquemus butter (!) yellow (!) gown floated down the “runway” (more precisely, it was the terrace of Casa Malaparte in Capri, Italy), I took it as another sign that this is the color of the moment—and I should have my nails buttered up again in two weeks.
Filippo Fior / GoRunway
Shop the look:
Discover more summer manicure inspiration.