Nail polish essentials.
11:57I love me some nail polish. A lot. Basically I have far too many, yet I also can't seem to stop buying them. They're all hidden away neatly in a drawer to stop mum witnessing my ever growing collection and telling me off. Cause I still live at home and still get told off. Though I don't know why I hide them in a drawer because mum seems to think it's okay to go through them. But that's another story for another day.
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But back to the point of this post. I have a lot of nail polishes. In a whole range of shades. But I don't wear them all. At all. I actually think there may be a few in my collection I've never worn before. Oops.
But if I could whittle it down to only a few shades, I would stick to these:
BLACK
If I could only ever where one colour on my nail (obviously redoing it every other week because of chipping) it would be black. I find it one of those colours that will compliment any outfit. Even if you're wearing the sweetest white summer dress and pastel pink accessories, black nail polish will just give you that slightly badass goth aesthetic everyone should be aspiring for.
However, some people find black to harsh a shade for them. And me being ghostly white, I should probably avoid it too. But I don't. And won't. But for those day where I just don't want to wear black, I have a couple of alternatives. The first being a very very dark navy purple. It looks practically black, but with a gorgeous subtle shimmer. The other being a very recent purchase. It's a satin finish polish - ooooh- which is almost a mix between a normal shiny finish and a matte finish. The colour itself is a dark 'gunmetal' grey, with a hint of a silver shimmer.
If you're slightly more tanned, or a paler person tanning up in summer, you can't go wrong with a flawless white shade. There's just something about the contrast of darker skin and white nails.
I personally have tried this look, failing miserably. Something about the whole fingers fading into nails look doesn't work for me. However, I've found a shade that's not quite white, but I feel I can pull it off without looking sick. It's a beautiful pale baby pink, with just the slightest gold shimmer. The shimmer helps add a bit more dimension back into the nail. And the best bit- it's candy floss scented. Couldn't ask for more.
I've never tried a nude shade before, only because I've never seen a shade in the bottle I can imagine will work. However, I'm constantly keeping my eyes peeled - there are so many other nude shades out there everyone should own one.
PASTELS
This is definitely more of a category than a shade. But in summertime, there is nothing that I personally think suits nails more than a pastel. Seeing as purple is my most favourite colour, it fits that the shade I'd 1000% recommend to everyone and anyone is 'You're Such a Budapest' by OPI. It's got to have been mentioned on the blog somewhere. The reason I recommend it is because it's a perfect lavender shade, which compliments a lot of different outfits - trust me. It does have a slight silver shimmer in the bottle, but when it's on your nails its very very subtle.
Another recent purchase is a yellow pastel polish (I hauled it here). For three dollars I couldn't say no. And it's currently sat unworn in my drawer, waiting for the warmer months. I never use to be that particular with my nail polish and keep them waiting seasonally, but now my collection has grown, there are definitely some shades that shout 'summer' more than others. (Equally, some shades yell 'winter' too. Clever polishes.)
GLITTER
Everybody needs to own a glitter. Or two. (Or 5. Oops.) Whenever I wear a glitter polish, I usually just stick to one accent nail. Both because I love the look of an accent nail, and glitter polish is just too hard to get off ten nails.
Even if you just own one glitter polish, it will give more variety and options to the ways you can paint your nails. I would definitely recommend 'Snowflakes in the air' by OPI, or any identical cheaper dupes. Its a plain silver glitter polish, with the glitter in two sizes. However rather than being plain silver, they are 'ranbowy' in the light. Super hard to describe. But super pretty.
BASE AND TOP COATS
Definitely buy a base and top coat. Not only do they prolong the life of your chip free nail polish, but they also help protect your nails. And we all want healthy nails.
Get both a clear top coat and a matte top coat. Don't question it. Just do it. Having the option of matte vs shiny basically doubles your nail polish collection. Not to mention you can mix and match shiny and matte at the same time to add accent nails. I've only ever used one brand of top/base coats and that's OPI, they work fine for me, and I can often go chip free for two weeks. However, I know other people who swear by other brands so definitely shop around if you find one that doesn't work so well on your nails.
Even if you just own one glitter polish, it will give more variety and options to the ways you can paint your nails. I would definitely recommend 'Snowflakes in the air' by OPI, or any identical cheaper dupes. Its a plain silver glitter polish, with the glitter in two sizes. However rather than being plain silver, they are 'ranbowy' in the light. Super hard to describe. But super pretty.
BASE AND TOP COATS
Definitely buy a base and top coat. Not only do they prolong the life of your chip free nail polish, but they also help protect your nails. And we all want healthy nails.
Get both a clear top coat and a matte top coat. Don't question it. Just do it. Having the option of matte vs shiny basically doubles your nail polish collection. Not to mention you can mix and match shiny and matte at the same time to add accent nails. I've only ever used one brand of top/base coats and that's OPI, they work fine for me, and I can often go chip free for two weeks. However, I know other people who swear by other brands so definitely shop around if you find one that doesn't work so well on your nails.
THE GOLD
If there's one colour everybody should own, that's 'Glitzerland' by OPI. It is THE MOST PERFECT gold. EVER. It's not too yellowy, goes perfectly paired with black and is so so so glittery. I love painting all my nails in a lavender colour and just having one nail on each hand in this shade. Perfect for Christmas time as well!
What are your favorite nail polish shades?
xx
7 comments
My nails have only been covered with various pastels this past summer. I'll be sure to check out that gold nail polish. I have one but I'm not completely happy with it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletethecollectionofknowledge.blogspot.com
im forever heart eyed over a thousand pastel shades. I have a gorgeous mint shade im waiting impatiently to wear! Thanks for reading! :)
DeleteI love nail polishes too! My Dad says I have too many but really I don't. Most of them are shatter ones so I really want to get some more colours such as pastel ones, I love how subtle and pretty they are.
ReplyDeleteAshley | http://artedellamoda.blogspot.co.nz/
I only have one shatter left - the other i left the lid open slightly and it solidified! oops. I tend to not show dad the extent of my collection, what he doesn't know won't hurt him! :) Pastels are definitely my next on my list to collect!
DeleteI don't have just one favourite polish because I have over 100, but I love pinks most of all - typical girl haha.
ReplyDeleteover 100 :O WOW! I think i must be about 35 right now! My pastel pink is a definite fav (no thanks to the candy floss scent), though I did once buy a pastel pink OPI from a big bucket deals and it was a Terrible quality - super sheer even after 4 coats :( Think it must be fake or something!
DeleteI love the pastel nail polish because it is noticeable but still subtle :) I also really like the nude coloured ones. Nice post!
ReplyDeletehttp://novellette.com
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