What your nail color says about you, according to Oprah Winfrey's personal pedicurist (2024)

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Gloria Williams has painted some very famous nails, from Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama to Julia Roberts and Lady Gaga.

Williams told Insider that she first met Winfrey while working in the spa at Harpo Studios — Winfrey's production company — nearly two decades ago.

In 2009, Winfrey made Williams her personal pedicurist.

"She said, 'That's it, only Gloria is doing my feet,'" Williams recalled. "And the journey began."

Williams still sees Winfrey once a month for her pedicure — "she loves earth tones" — and now runs Footnanny, a line of premium foot-care products that have appeared on Winfrey's "Favorite Things" list for the last seven years in a row.

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Williams has been in the nail business for 30 years. And she believes that the polish color people pick says a lot about their personality.

What does it mean if you prefer a bold red over a French? What kind of people match their manicure to their pedicure?

Williams has already given us the scoop on how to spot a bad manicure or pedicure, along with the most common mistakes that nail salons make.

Now she's ready to reveal exactly what your nail color says about you.

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People who opt for a bold red manicure are "daring and pretty independent."

"They're not afraid to take chances," Williams said.

If you're picking pink at the nail salon, Williams said it's likely that you're a people-pleaser.

"They're pleasant and feel-good," she told Insider. "They try whatever they can to make people happy."

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Williams said people who opt for nude nails tend to play it safe.

"They're very protective and guarded," she added.

Black or navy nails mean you're a risk-taker, according to Williams.

"They're not afraid of what people think about them," Williams told Insider. "There are NBA players that wear black polish. They're daring, they're shockers."

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People who opt for white nails probably have a pristine home, Williams said.

"Cleanliness is important to this person," she added. "Usually their home environment reflects clean, white lines."

Willliams said those who prefer a French manicure "want to feel feminine."

French manicures and pedicures are making a comeback, and Williams described the classic nail look as "very girly and very feminine."

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A manicure with glitter, multiple colors, or wild nail art means you're "a little more free-spirited."

"It tells me a lot when somebody really doesn't care and they're like, 'I want it all!" Williams said. "They pretty much run their own company or business."

Williams said that choosing the same polish color for your fingers and toes can also say a lot about your personality.

"When I see somebody that has to have the same matchy-matchy, they're comfortable," Williams added. "They need to be in control of things."

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A soft manicure with a bolder pedicure means you have a fun side, according to Williams.

Williams said this is one of the most common requests she sees when people come in for both a mani and pedi.

"When I see a person mix and match like, 'Oh, I want bright toes and soft nails,' they want to have fun, but they want to be safe," she explained.

"So if they're at work and doing their job and they have a nude on, the attention is not on their nail polish," she said. "But they also have a fun side to them and they want to live a little bit more on the weekend — they want to have a little fun!"