Posh Polishes

While beauty isn't a subject that gets touched upon too often on my blog, one of the main points of starting this blog was to discuss my beauty habit, and one of my favorite parts of my beauty routine is nail polish!  If you name the color, chances are good that I either have it, have a dupe for it, or am lusting over it.  My nail polish fixation occurred my second year in college.  I had just gained a bunch of weight back (which seemed to be the story of my life), and I didn't feel pretty in anything I put on (for clarification, you can be drop-dead gorgeous at any size.  I personally wasn't feeling so hot).  My thought process went along the lines of "well, you can't outgrow nail polish.  That stuff lasts forever and it's hard to not look good in it!"  I had several bottles, but that was when I really began scanning the internet looking for reviews, and passionately gathering every color imaginable.

There are 5 main colors I personally feel that every woman needs (if you're into nails.  If not, then I apologize that this post won't be particularly relevant.  Stick around though, because I promise, nails aren't the only thing I can babble on about).  All of these colors come in a variety of shades, price ranges, and finishes, so you are bound to find something that suits your taste.

Disclaimer: I am the last thing from a professional photographer.  These photographs are certainly amateur at best.  I was outside in the wind this afternoon with a white bedsheet trying to capture these colors.  Swatches of all of these colors are available online, and I made a new board on Pinterest to show you some gorgeous shots of each of these colors that I don't have the expertise to create.  Also, that will give everyone their due credit, because I'm not about to go plagiarizing other peoples' pictures.

First off, every woman needs a red polish.  Red polish is the epitome of colors for nails (and lips!).  Red polish can make a woman look classy, empowered, sexy, you name it.  Two of my favorite red polishes are Delaunay by Julep, and Smokin' Hot by E.L.F. cosmetics.  They are both different spectrums of red, but they both look fantastic on my fair-with-cool-undertones skin.

Secondly, a woman needs a no-nonsense pink shade.  This is another shade that can make a woman look classy and elegant, while also showing off her feminine side.  My current favorite pink nail polish is OPI Elephantastic Pink.  It is the perfect girly shade with zero shimmer or glitter, and just beams when I wear it on my fingernails.

Next, when you need a little something on your nails, but don't want to go too over-the-top with your color selection, a nice nude polish will accomplish that.  A few of my go-to nudes of the moment are Edith by Julep (don't let the description fool you.  There are pink tones to this polish, along with shimmer, but it most definitely leans towards the nude side of the spectrum), Easy Going by Sinful Colors (hands-down my favorite brand), and Private Viewing by Wet N Wild.

My fourth must-have color is something Vampy.  This color scheme can go from a lovely burgundy, to a deep navy (one of my personal favorites), or even dark, chocolatey brown or black.  Currently on my lusting list is OPI Lincoln Park After Dark.  This is a cult classic in the beauty community, and this picture does no justice.  You absolutely have to get some swatches of this in different lights.  It goes from "Are your nails black?" indoors to the most sultry deep plum shade outside.  It's gorgeous.

I captured this picture in direct sunlight on a white sheet, and it definitely looks black.  This color is far from black.  It's perfect for the fall and winter months.

Finally, all women want a nail polish that makes her feel like herself.  This can literally be any color you want it to be, or one of the colors I've already discussed.  Some of my current favorites are Wet N Wild I Need A Refresh-Mint (a BEAUTIFUL Tiffany blue), Wet N Wild Punch It Up (a flirty pink with purpley-pink shimmer), Sinful Colors Sinful Shine in Pragmatic (a lovely lavender), and finally, Julep Evie (hot-hot-HOT pink with gold shimmer).  These are all colors that make me feel girly and feminine, and when my nails look good, I definitely feel good.

Bonus colors: Don't be afraid of the more trendy colors! Nail polish is probably your safest bet when trying to branch out into trends.  For example, Pantone's Color of the Year this year is Radiant Orchid.  Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Punch Drunk honestly just perfectly captures that color.  Plus, that nail polish is readily available and I found it on sale at Walgreens this week for 2/$10 (I try not to pay full price for it, just because that line is a bit pricey, but oh-so-worth-it at the same time).  Another fun, trendy color is Turquoise.  Who doesn't love an unexpected pop of color?  Especially in the summertime, turquoise is the perfect way to go if you've gotten a bit of a tan (or fake-bake.  I simply burn, so I don't even bother with any of it).  Two of my favorite turquoise (one is a bit more teal, but for the sake of blue-green polishes, we'll just go with it) are China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise and Sinful Colors Sinful Shine in My Kryptonite.  Finally, who doesn't love to play with glitter?  If you're anything like me, OPI Nothin Mousie 'bout It just captures my heart (no pun intended) with it's sheer pink glitter base and chunky pink hearts (when I first got this polish I was NOT pleased with it.  When I figured out to dig the hearts out with an orange stick, we got along much better).

Whew! Well, I think that's enough nail-talk for one night.  I do want to make a follow up post of my favorite seasonal colors, and tips for a professional-looking manicure.  So let me know in the comments if you'd like to read posts about those topics! 

PS: Don't forget to check out the Pinterest board to see some much-better shots and swatches of these colors!

Until next time, my lovely readers.

xoxo,

Rachel