First off, for those of you who celebrate it, wishing you a very happy and blessed Easter, one of my favorite holidays, with its message of forgiveness, rebirth and hope. And I know we are all delighted to have (mostly) put this whopper of a winter behind us (and a hot summer for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere). Now on to the not-so-fragrant portion of our program.
I hope no one minds too much, but I’m a little fragrance-challenged right now, so I’ll visit nail polish territory, if that’s OK, especially now that it’s starting to get warm enough for many of us to bare our tootsies.
First, a confession: I’ve haven’t worn much nail polish over the past few years. Actually, hardly any at all since we adopted our son, as it just wasn’t on my radar, fashion-wise or time-wise. I would, however, do a soft pedicure hue for spring and then a more vibrant one for summer each year (last summer’s was the pinkish coral-red of OPI’s Are We There Yet?, shown just below), but that was about it.
But lately, I’ve been paying more attention to my hands and nails, and polish has piqued my interest once again. Now I will never have long, glamorous talons awash in a gorgeous ruby-red hue, much as I would love them; my short, stubby little fingers and oddly shaped fingernails just aren’t cut out for that. My fingernail shades have got to be somewhat neutral and easy wear (read: not so obvious when they wear or chip a little).
So far this year, OPI’s Lucky Lucky Lavender (above right) turned out to be a fun pedicure hue for me over spring break, more pink than lavender, but still lovely. It might make its way onto my fingers, too, later on. And I’m also finding some flattering nail polish shades from Essie and Nicole by OPI. I stumbled upon one Nicole I really liked at Walgreen’s but haven’t seen it anywhere else, and couldn’t find a phot of it online. It’s called The New Neutral and it’s a pinky, mauve-y, slightly lavender kind of shade that’s nice on me. And looks to be a good transitional look for spring. It seems similar to Essie’s Ladylike, but was just a touch lighter and brighter and looked better with my skintone.
And I’ve also pulled out Nicole by OPI’s Enchantress from a year or two ago (but I still see it on a few shelves this year). A blue/pink sort of duochrome, its pretty and sheer on its own (I like two coats), but 
is such a fun overcoat to jazz up other colors. I had a old Estee Lauder, flat-ish putty pink nail polish that I rarely wore and the Enchantress brought it to life beautifully.
Now come summer, if the polish bug still is still biting me, I might go for some brighter shades. And depending on how the fingernails are holding up, maybe even daring to tiptoe into warm-weather red territory. (Which reminds me, one day I will share my pedicure horror story from a few years back.)
Do you remember when Musette posted a while back about the scented nail polish line from Revlon? I saw them in-store and looked them over. They’re oh-so-cool, but none of the va-va-voom colors was really my style and I was in too much of a hurry to sniff any of them. But I bet they would look great on some of you.
Anyhoo, what are your hands and feet wearing as spring rolls in? Do you tend to wear the same favorites every year or are you all about trying the newest crop of colors, experimenting and changing it up frequently?
Ann, I love the lavender! I’m a little behind in updating my look for spring. But your piece inspired me, and now I must run right out and find the perfect hue for my pinkies 🙂
Hey, Kandice! Thanks — so glad you like the lavender. It’s got a bit too much pink to be a true lavender, but it sure is pretty. I’m keeping it on my toes for the rest of the spring, I think. Have fun trying colors and do come back and let us know what you decided on.
I’d second the Solar Oil – it’s great for keeping cuticles nice and provides a nice sheen for unpolished nails as well. I virtually always have a pedicure going (I prefer dark reds but veer brighter in spring and summer) but don’t always have the time to keep a mani going. However, I was laid up with a bad back this past weekend and have a nice color called “Impeccable” from Sephora on. It’s a dusky mauve, really pretty, and the silver lining a back flare is that not only do I have time to do my nails, but I’m unlikely to mess them up with heavy cleaning!
Hi, Maggiecat! Another fan of the solar oil — it must be good! So sorry to hear about your back; please baby it, support it, and I hope it feels better soon. As most of us know, back pain is no fun. To keep mine at bay, I have lumbar supports everywhere: in the car, in all my chairs, and three or four pillows in bed to prop under my knees. I’ll have to visit Sephora and see that shade — I do love me a good neutral!
Yay Nails !!
I’ll second Rina’s comment on the Zoya Pixiedust – they have a great range of colours and last for ever. (The matte ones are amazing too but chip easily.) If you want to go chip free, invest in a little UV lamp and clear UV gel topcoat. I only ever do a topcoat these days (avoiding sides and cuticles.) This way you get the colour off when YOU feel like it without harming your nails 🙂
I’d also recommend CND solar oil for cuticles, it’s great stuff.
Good info there, Kizzers — thanks so much!! I need to look into Zoya ASAP. Also, so glad you mentioned that oil — my poor cuticles could sure use some of that.
Can’t be bothered, for myself (I’m lucky if they’re simply clean), but my girlfriend Christine is always sporting nicely mani- and pedicured nails in pretty colors, and I appreciate hers quite a bit!
Ha, Lisa! I’m right there with you — on some crazy days, clean fingernails is as good as it gets. 😉
I have the same issues as mals, with the thin, bendy nails. Plus mine get peely. So I never, ever use obvious color on mine. I go with YNBB – usually OPI’s Hopelessly in Love or some variation thereof. I have about 20 versions of it, from cheapo to Spend Spendersons. HiL is my go-to, even though it’s streaky and stinks to high heaven. In the summer I use it on my toes as well, which gives them a polished (heh, see what I did there? heh) look without committing to a specific color. xoxoxo
That sounds just perfect, you clever girl! Polished but not really “all polished up,” right? Need to check that one out. That’s what I like about the Enchantress — a sheer wash of iridescence but not really a color, per se. Hugs (and tummy rubs) to you and Bruno!
I love pale blue and green opalescents and holos. My new favorite is actually one of the scented polishes. I was dubious, but it’s very subtly minty and pleasant. I’m embarrassed to say I really like it! It’s Revlon Parfumerie Wintermint. It’s a light, sparkly green with silver and blue flecks. I tried the coppery one in the same line, Beachy. Love the color, but the perfume on that one smells too chemical for me. I think the scented polishes work best with very simple, natural notes. Maybe even just one note. Has anyone out there tried scented polishes??
Oooh, yes, Masha! I love those shades, at least in the bottle. So glad you found a scented polish to enjoy. I wish I had seen that Wintermint — it sounds nice. The few I spotted were straight-on yellow, orange and another color that no way could I wear. I think you’re right about the scented polishes doing best with simple notes.
Ann, I’m another one who rarely does there fingernails but loves a pedicure. I favor bright colors on my toenails like reds, fuchsias, and purples. Right now I have a dark magenta that veers toward purple. It’s an Essie but I can’t remember the name of it. I mostly do them myself, but a few times a year I’ll go to a nail salon as a treat.
Howdy, Dina! You and all the others are inspiring me to go bolder with my feet. That dark magenta sounds beautiful. Lucky you to be able to do your own — I sure wish I could. I have a bad back and wonky leg, so although I might be able to paint my right toenails, the other would be out of the question. I wonder if the pedicurist would charge half price for only painting one foot? 🙂
Hey Ann,
Currently I have 9 toes sporting the softest of baby blue and my right big toe is hot pink sparkly.
We have a crew of about 8 people who try to get our feet done every fortnight and then go for food together. It’s a fun, relaxed catch up. Usually we are 4 or 5 because of busy lives and we have 5 different nail places we frequent, meaning it might be yum-cha, sushi train, sandwiches or pastries.
I love it and my toes always look killer.
Portia xx
What a wonderful way to spend time with friends, Portia! It actually sounds a little decadent and Roman to me….;-) I must try it.
Ha Ha! It isn’t any of that really but it is a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. One of the best things about it is we usually get out of pedicure and lunch for about $50. Even some of our crew who are Mums and on a budget can get that together fortnightly, and we all chip in for others on their Birthdays or other significant celebration.
We always take a pic at the end with our toenails sparkling in their flip flops and post and tag on Facebook.
Portia xx
Seconding Masha — sounds like a very fun time with pals and then you’ve got great feet to show for it, too. I need to try organizing a pedicure party.
Do it Ann,
It’s fun to walk in and have them all ready for you (I always book 2 days in advance) and basically take over the salon for our 40 minutes or so.
Excellent way to catch up on everyone’s news.
Portia xx
Oh, yeah, nail polish. I can’t do without them! Those three you posted, they look gorgeous! I tend to go for pinky – mouvey colours but I’m so drawn to the 2nd OPI you posted above; kinda early-spring-slightly-faded-poppy colour… My sister in law is a beautician and once she put metallic foil over my toe nails, that was great! It was soooo different to just putting silver or gold nail polish. Absolutely fabulous. 🙂
I really liked the OPI Are We There Yet? because it’s just deep enough to be sort of red, without being all-out red. I guess you could say I’m a little red-phobic. But only with my nails — I’m all about the red for lips. That foil on your toes sounds very cool — would love to see how that looks.
Yeah nail polish. It IS another rabbithole alright . The polish fanatics have niche and frankenpolish special limited edition blends too. Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgghh!!!! I’ve been mostly getting inexpensive ones like Ice brand ( at Walmart $2) or the Cacique brand ( which has been Seriously hit or miss on brush quality but improving for the most part $3 with employee discount) the Cacique I got were Turquoise Treasure which is Little Mermaid Ariel’s tail color with shimmer and Newsprint which is a clear gel based glitter with white and black matte hex glitter and black bar glitter – should be great over creme solids.
Amen, Jennifer! I’m already feeling pulled over to the very edge but not quite in yet. Thank goodness polish is not quite as spendy as perfume, but I guess it could add up pretty quickly. Those you mention sound great, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do glitter. I’m over 40 and young at heart, but still would feel a bit funny with it on, like I’m trying too hard to be young and cool. 🙂 That Turquoise Treasure sounds right up my street, though, so I’ll definitely check it out for my feet. Thanks!
I like those Ice ones, too. They had a Shocking Pink one I loved.
I have terrible fingernails – thin and bendy, and an odd sort of square shape, not pretty at all. (I don’t have pretty hands, either. Never did.) So I’m loath to highlight them in any way. My toenails are also oddly shaped but I mind that less – and I DO do flashy bright strange colors on them, such as Essie Go Overboard and any bright fuschia I can find.
I hear you, Mals, on the fingernails. Mine want to go all squarish and then if they get too long, they start to turn up at the end in an odd way, so short is the way to go for me. But glad to hear that you go bright on your toes. I need to do that, too!
Zoya has the prettiest Fushia color called Lola. Its really pretty on toes.
Katherine, that sounds great! Must check it out ASAP. Thanks!
I never wear anything fuschia near my face, it makes me look pale, but I LOVE it on my toes. I’ll have to check that one out.
I have that ghostly white skin that makes any pretty bronze and most nudes look terrible along with a gardening habit and my father’s strong square hands (great for opening jars but terrible for pretty nails). The only color I ever use on my fingers is OPI Rosy Future. I usually just paint my toes and call it a day. My favorites are usually strong colors like Butter London Royal Navy, Zoya Sasha or Hayley, or a nice black. I also have tons of purples due to my husband’s fondness for it on me and a plethora of minis in colors that I will never bother with.
Hiya, Liz! Ooh, I do like that Rosy Future — it’s a great veil of color. And it looks a little like my Nicole by OPI Enchantress. Love your color picks for your feet. Maybe I should dip my toe (pardon the pun) into stronger colors via my pedicures. I would love to rock a gorgeous, metallic blue-green, mermaid-like color somehow, and it sure isn’t going to be on my fingers, ha!
I really haven’t worn a whole lot of nail polish these past 3 or 4 years because I’m lazy and I work in food service and I’m not allowed to wear nail polish on my hands. But I’ve always loved OPI’s Russian Collection and just can’t live without An Affair in Red Square because I do my toes at least every couple months and ordered a couple bottles of it and just discovered Sephora’s nail polish and got Berlin Underground and Psychedelic that’s some sort of lilac color.
Eldarwen, that was a gorgeous collection and Affair in Red Square is quite the stunner. Yay on the lilac color for a little spring fling.
My favorite color of all time came from that collection, Russian Navy.
That was a gorgeous blue (although I was never brave enough to wear it)! But every time I see the name, that old Village People song “In the Navy” pops into my head. Weird, huh? 🙂
I can’t recommend Zoya Pixiedust in Godiva enough! It’s a textured light beige/taupe that wears like iron and is a perfect neutral. It’s also subtlety sparkly! Looks great on long or short nails! Careful, though. Nail polish can be as deep of a rabbit hole as perfume!
Hi, Rina! I’m falling out of my chair laughing, because I was just thinking the same thing about the nail polish rabbit hole. Great minds, eh? That Zoya sounds cool; must go investigate. Thanks!
Oooh pretty colors…I love the lavender! I leave my nails in a French manicure for the most part. I have that really fair skin that looks pinkish in alot of colors and to add to the challenge, I’m one of those women who refuses to part with her long acrylic nails, and therefore a lot of the really dark polishes are out, too, unless I want to look like something out of a horror film! Love them on others tho! Fair skin is tricky to work with. If I want to do color I have two favorites: Chanel Rose Cache, which is a muted mauve-beige, but appears nude on my skin, and Guerlain Champs Elysee, which is a clear fuschia pink in the bottle but appears red against my skin.
Hey, sweet Sherri! Thanks for stopping by and hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter! Sure wish I could pull off a French manicure but i can see it getting beat up within a day or two, alas. I hear you on the issues of fair skin — it can be difficult to find the right shade that doesn’t look ghastly. But both of those you mention are lovely. I think I’ve looked longingly at that Chanel before but never did pull the trigger.