Caramel Shimmer Nails Bring A Glam Touch To Your Cozy Winter Manicure

Because wintertime tends to darken our color palettes — the dreary cold weather usually pushes most people to dress in their darkest neutrals — we also typically look to match the rest of our style with that moody vibe. This is true of everything from hair highlights to nail color. What will match most earthy winter ensembles and still bring that necessary warmth? Brown nails are typically the answer to this dilemma — neutral but dark, basic yet chic. It's safe to say that this neutral hue is a winter staple, right alongside red, green, and sometimes even black. And though dark brown is great, warmer shades of brown, like caramel, are the best way to get your manicure looking as toasty as your favorite sweater.

Caramel shimmer nails are not only the right style to cozy up your winter manicure but also perfect to glam them up. The combination of a warm shade of brown and the right amount of glitter (make it rain) can do wonders for your mood during the colder seasons, so why not use this to your advantage? If you're looking for caramel shimmer nail ideas to match your winter mood, look no further than the five manicure designs below.

To introduce this craze into your winter nail rotation, start basic. Or at least as basic as this sparkly trend goes. A couple of even coats of any caramel shimmer over your nails will look elegant no matter the occasion.

When it comes to getting the right shade for you, you have two options. If there is a warm tone of brown that you already love to wear, pick that and add some sheer glitter nail polish on top for your perfect, custom-made caramel shimmer. If not, a two-in-one glittery caramel hue will do the trick.

If you, like many others, have issues committing to just one polish for all of your nails, you should definitely opt for the one-shade-per-nail design and let one of those nails shine brighter than the others in a shimmery caramel. Why choose at all?

Pick one or two other warm neutral colors (such as cream or mustard yellow) to complement the burnt orange notes of the warm caramel. Paint each nail a different hue, and if you're craving more, a cute nail design — bow nail art, flowers, or dots — is just the thing you need.

If there's one look you can count on to be trendy throughout any season, it's marbled nails. And the great thing about it is that you don't even need to stick to the natural marble stone shades — all nail polish colors are game, including those with glittery accents.

For a cute but different take on marbled nails, think of adding a wavy watercolor effect to this look. Start swirling different tones of warm brown, from lighter colors to burnt caramel levels. Once you reach the ideal combination of browns, enhance it with light touches of golden glitter.

Who doesn't love a good French manicure? They're so easy to customize that you can walk out of the salon with a different variation of the iconic nail design every time. Honestly, it only makes sense to bring the shimmery caramel to new levels of elegance with a touch of French.

To make this look stand out, go for an abstract French design or a tip gradient — your preferred shade of caramel slowly fading into your neutral base — and finish things off with either a modest shimmer or a subtle coating of sheer chrome.

Velvet nails reach peak popularity during the holiday season, but they're not strictly festive nails. Actually, wearing them for any special occasion will garner you so many compliments you'll want to wear them every day of your life. 

Achieve the look by layering a dark caramel shade over a base of dip powder (no top coat over the powder will create the velvety look and feel), and then adding a generous coating of glitter. Alternatively, magnetic glitter nail polish is faster at achieving the same effect.