Here's part two of Dina's nail polish tips.
{Dina} So now you know where to buy and how to buy. How about what to buy? For each trend below, there are examples but make sure whatever you choose, it suits your skin tone and the occasion.
For the Girly Girl In You
Who doesn't love a little pink? Often the easiest color to find, pink adds an instant flirty factor to your personal look. Neon, subtle, or bold - pink is such a versatile color and should be a staple in your budding nail polish collections.
Go-Tos:
1. Knockout Pout by Essie (neon pink)
2. OMG by Orly (bold fuchsia)
Pastel Preppy
Gorgeous pastels can completely change the feel of an outfit. Especially with some of the pastel polishes available, it couldn't be easier. Essie and butter London, in particular, frequently release beautiful sets of pastel polishes so be on the lookout! Go preppy, go pastel, no one cares if you're a sheep! But seriously, is there anything that's just as utterly pretty as pastel nails?
Go-Tos:
1. Nice is Nice by Essie (the name cracks me up and the gorgeous light purple shade makes me happy)
2. Cheeky Chops by butter London (a beautiful pastel yellow)
3. Mint Candy Apple by Essie (if you managed to somehow get your hands on this color, I envy your cool mint nails so hard right now)
4. Lapis of Luxury by Essie (what looks like a deep blue in the bottle is actually a light dusty blue upon application)
Taupe is the Word
Mannequin hands are huge right now and for those unfamiliar with the term - it's basically finding a color that is extremely close to your skin tone, thus producing 'mannequin hands' or even better 'Disney princess' hands. Nudes, taupes, and neutrals are my go-to when trying to find a work-appropriate color. I've included grays in here, although with their current popularity, they really should have their own category. Gotta love the trend that created the word 'greige' (gray+beige)!
Go-Tos:
1. Chinchilly by Essie (the ultimate gray)
2. Barefoot in Barcelona by OPI (earthy red brown)
3. Sand Tropez by Essie (muted gray with brown tones)
Primary Colors
For the bold among us, nudes and pinks just don't cut it. They want color and they want it loud. Capitalize on this trend by choosing muted or 'dusty' version of primary colors. Avoid matching it your outfit, style can take you only so far if you're still in 'matchy-matchy' zone. My personal favorites are OPI's Ski Teal We Drop, a gorgeous deep navy blue, and Parlez Vous OPI, a dusty purple.
Go-Tos:
1. Force by Illamasqua (I call this 'Superman Blue')
2. Brazilliant by Essie
3. Shrek Forever After Collection by OPI (With names like 'Funky Donkey' and 'Who the Shrek are you?', how can you resist?)
All That Glitters
Shiny is back - with a vengeance. The Minx Manicure, particularly, has inadvertently started a trend for sparkly niles. Not the for the faint of heart, but very sparkly nail polish immediately increases your cool factor! If you're wary of this attention-grabbing trend, go for polishes that have 'micro shimmer' for a more subtle look…either way, sequins, sparkles, and shimmers will always have a place in my heart (and on my nails).
Go-Tos:
1. Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous by OPI (silvery gray)
2. Kismet [gold] & Silver Odyssey [silver] by NARSl (how gorgeous are these?)
3. Kaleidoscope by Chanel Steeling The Scene by Essie (the name says it all!)
The 'Alternative' Manicure
In my opinion, the whole nail art movement has a dangerous potential to ease into tacky. If you're doing some nail art, I'd suggest keeping it simple and consistent. The best nail art concepts are those which are accessible, understandable, and more importantly, don't take all day! And while we're on the topic, how cool are matte nails? So effortless and unique,and although I love me a good topcoat, the matte trend is too cute.
Go-Tos:
Matte About You by Essie (Matte Finisher)
A high attention span (I made a funny!)
A quick tip for all those nail polish addicts out there (and I know there must be some!), before buying nail polish, make sure to look for a swatch online first. A swatch is sort of test for the nail polish and answers questions like: does color change on application? Is the brand or specific polish prone to chipping? Swatches are a great way to figure out exactly what a color looks like not only in real life but in different types of light (sunlight, indoor, etc.) My favorite swatch website (yes, there are actual swatch websites), is All Lacquered Up . Swatches are also easily found on Google Images just typing the name of the nail polish + swatch (e.g. Essie Knockout Pout swatch).
Happy Nail Polish applications! May your nails ever be streak free and your hands steady always.
No comments:
Post a Comment