If you buy one color this spring make it a nude. Before you brush it off as the boring tint your Aunt still wears, hear this: Barely-there lacquers dominated Fashion Week and award season like never before, and no one is calling these new shades dull. These are about as bold as neutrals go -- eye-catching, opaque, and some even have shimmer.
I've never met a lavender polish I didn't like. So you can imagine my glee when I found at least one type of light purple in all of the spring nail polish collections. My desk looked like 50 shades of violet. There are pink-ish lilacs, rich lavenders, and even gauzy amethyst -- plenty to try until you find your fave.
This isn't your wimpy bridal white. I'm not talking creamy off-white, egg shell, or even blush antique. This is like White-Out white, which sounds unappealing (and yes, like something you pick up at Staples instead of Sephora) but trust me, this shade is stunning on most skin tones, especially medium to dark. If your complexion is currently somewhere between Snow White and Tilda Swinton, nab this shade now and paint it on after your next spray tan or vacation.
Girlie girls and prepsters rejoice: Barbie Doll pink is back in a big way. So big, in fact, that Dior released an entire spring nail polish collection that is a rainbow of rosy lacquers. These extreme bubble gum pinks have so much girl power, you might find yourself humming (like I did) Beyonce's "Run The World (GIRLS!)" while painting.
The one bold standout in spring's sea of Easter-esque hues? Cobalt. It seems everyone (myself included) didn't get enough of the cooler-than-cool blue last fall, so the genius minds behind the spring nail polish collections decided to keep it going strong for another season.
I'm all about bold statements, and here's my latest: Nail art is over.
It's finished. Gone. (But if you must indulge in nail art, these classy nail designs
will keep your nails sophisticated, not silly).
If you've been paying attention to red carpets and catwalks, you've also noticed that nail art has made a dramatic decline. Even Katy Perry -- queen of nail art -- wore a nude (yes, nude!) lacquer to last month's Grammy Awards.
This sudden shift isn't really all that surprising. I mean, where was there left to go after caviar manis and 3D decals? The answer: back to the basics, of course.
Maybe it's just me, but I was practically standing on my swivel chair singing, "So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen" to velvet manicures and eye-crossingly busy appliqués. And I couldn't be happier that spring nail polish trends are all about bright bolds and pretty pastels.
To get you back into the classic polish pool once more, I tested out all of the new spring 2013 nail polish collections and plucked out the 6 must-have shades. Are you with me in my rejoicing over the death of nail art? And which lacquers are you most excited to get your hands on this month?
