“Hot Chocolate” Nails Are the Perfect Neutral Mani Trending for Winter

If you’re stuck in a mani rut and need something that feels fresh but still cozy, look no further: Mercury retrograde is (finally!) over, and “hot chocolate” nails are here to usher you into an inspiring new era.

The perfect way to comfortably branch out if you’ve been gravitating towards neutrals, festive reds, or polishes as dark as your cold winter heart, brown manicures are having a major moment.

Perhaps it’s due to a seasonal tendency towards hygge vibes, the continued dominance of ’90s and Y2K color palettes, or a desire to pair our nails with sweet treat-inspired products, but one thing’s for sure: Shades of mocha, caramel, and mahogany have us all feeling warm and fuzzy these days.

If you’ve previously disregarded brown manicures as boring or hard to fit into your personal aesthetic, know that couldn’t be further from the case.

Whether you subtly dip into the trend via brown French tips, try the hue as part of an intricate design, or go for a gradient with a few different shades, hot chocolate nails are more versatile than you think and sure to make a statement.

Keep reading for 17 of our favorite brown nail ideas to carry you through the rest of winter and all year round.

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About this Item

This is a gel nail kit with super multi-color gel nail polish.It includes 32 bottles of classic gel nail polish (7ml each), 1 bottle of base coat, 1 bottle of no wipe top coat, matte top coat, a high-power professional nail lamp, and some nail manicure tools.the nail set has all the colors you need.
It has 45 dual-light source lamp beads, which not only cures quickly but also cures nails without dead spots; it has a LCD display and 4 timer buttons, which make it more convenient for you to use; smart sensors, just put your hand in and the light will turn on.

Two-Tone Chocolate French

Remember those monochromatic French manicures that burst onto the scene several years back, featuring a glossy base and a matte tip? My Pinterest history sure does, and brown is the perfect shade to take this trend into 2023.

From a distance, it looks like your typical sophisticated dark polish, but the real magic happens when everyone notices the subtle detail up close.

Cartoon Gradient

Alternatively, if you want to rock many shades of brown, a gradient manicure is the ultimate solution. This one adds intrigue with outlines as well as white marks where the light would hit, making your nails feel straight out of a comic book.

Winter Witch

Striking the perfect balance between solid espresso polish and celestial accent nails, this mani has us ready to join the hot chocolate coven. The design here is pretty intricate, so unless your hand is especially steady, you may want to find stencils or decals you love or head to a pro.

Half-Brown, Half-Black

If you’re looking to experiment without straying too far from your all-black aesthetic, committing just halfway to a rich chocolate shade is a chic place to start. This balanced mani features a couple solid nails in each color, with central accent nails divided between both.