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Raise your hand if you tend to select the same shades every time you hit the salon or gear up for an at-home mani. Don’t worry—we’re right there with you. We all need to be pushed out of our color comfort zone every now and then. And if you happen to be looking for a new hue, allow us to introduce you to the perfect summer-to-fall transitional shade: Olive green. The yellowish hue is more unexpected than a brown or black, but still occupies neutral territory. It’ll go with almost everything, but you won’t see it everywhere.
Have we convinced you yet? Scroll on for 15 olive green manicure ideas that’ll take you through late summer, early fall, and beyond.
Classic Olive Green
If you're looking for a fuss-free mani, you can't go wrong with a classic solid olive green. Apply three coats to get that rich color, and lock them in with a top coat.
Shades of Green
French manicures are always a good idea, but if you want to switch things up, take inspiration from @nailsbysuman and go for a gradient. Pick five shades of green and pop one onto the tip of each nail to get the look.
Magnetic Mani
Already in the mood for a full-on autumnal manicure? Consider an olive set in a lush velvet finish. As a bonus, you can (somewhat) easily get the look at home.
Swirly Green
We can’t help but love a swirly manicure, especially one featuring olive green. The slight pink tone to the milky base really helps the swirls pop.
Earthy Moment
Spice up a solid olive look with a couple of accent designs. Take inspiration from nature and draw on a few leaves in white (or brown if you're feeling particularly fall-friendly).
Olive Glaze
Chrome instantly adds interest to any mani, and olive is no exception. And it might be the easiest DIY nail art ever: All you need is an olive green polish and white chrome powder.
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Ombré Details
Why commit to one design when you can wear two? Draw olive French tips on a few nails, then, using a sponge, dab on olive and white polishes to create an ombré effect on the others.
Moody Olive
Channel your moody side with a deep olive mani. While @melanated.mani used a polish made with real algae (!!) for this look, you could create something similar by topping a rich olive polish with a black glitter top coat.
Abstract Olive Mani
How cool is this abstract, artsy mani from @aliciatnails? The niftiest thing about this design is that you don’t have to be exact with your polish placement. After setting down a clear base coat, grab your olive green and paint on blobs, half circles, and any other shapes that speak to you.
Earth-Tone Tips
Olive green looks beautiful paired with other earthy colors. Grab five shades—greens, oranges, browns, etc.—and paint French tips on each nail. Voilà.
Gold and Greens
The best thing about this gold and green look? As stunning as it is on these trendy stilettos, it could work on just about any length and shape. That said, it’d likely be a tricky DIY, so you might want to leave this one to your nail tech.
Pop of Olive
For a bright and fun mani featuring a pop of olive, consider groovy swirls. Choose an olive green, orange, pink, and butter yellow, then paint each hue next to each other in a swirly pattern.
Shiny Olive
Sometimes extravagant nail art just isn't the call. In those situations, there's no better option than a super shiny solid olive look. The key to nailing this one is a mega-glossy top coat.
Olive Oasis
This deep olive color, as seen on @thehotblend, looks absolutely gorg. Paint three nails solid, and for the remaining two, go for French on one and asymmetrical French on the other for a chic, minimalist look.
Green Tips
You can never go wrong with a unique French mani—like this one that features green tips with a twist. Go half-sies on your tips with white and different shades of olive green, then use a fine-lining brush to top off the nails with thin swirls.
