Time To Don A Colourful Nail? I Think So…

I’m afraid I’m a bit stuffy when it comes to nails. Matte finishes, sequins, beads, negative areas, tiny figures of Lady Gaga painstakingly painted on with a feather tip: I despise them all with a passion and always think they look tacky and unpolished, if you’ll forgive the pun. In my estimation – and I’d like to heavily stress the my bit – polish has tight parameters within which it can look good*. Shine is important, as is the pleasing uniformity of a single colour on all ten nails. Speaking of which, I find short nails agreeable, preferably filed to a rounded off square shape.

In short: I’m a fan of a conservative nail. This is not to say a pop of colour – azure, cerulean, fuchsia, tangerine – is impermissible in my view. The fingers with which I’m typing are adorned with the brightest of bright red nails, making the frenzied dance of my fingers across the keypad look slightly gory, like swishes of blood being drawn during an especially gruesome episode of Midsomer Murders. My toenails are the kind of bright blue that summer skies as a child seemed exclusively composed of. As I look at my nails a great deal more than I do my face, these colours are more than simply an accessory – they’re sources of entertainment, indicators of mood.

OPI’s newest New Orleans collection is my favourite of all the new stuff coming out – the riot of blues, purples and oranges are fit to adorn cheery springtime hands and almost all of them made me coo a little. As two other things caught my eye, I’ve shoved them in this edit too, organised creature that I am…

*I reserve the right to like festive sparkle and an accent nail. This is the exception that proves my rule.

OPI New Orleans Collection Rich Girls and Po-Boys 

OPI New Orleans Collection Show Us Your Tips! – Shimmer. I know – this doesn’t quite subscribe to my rules, but I think it’s a beauty… 

 OPI New Orleans Collection I Manicure for Beads

OPI New Orleans Collection Spare Me A French Quarter? 

OPI New Orleans Collection She’s a Bad Muffuletta

Rimmel Super Gel Kate 024 Red Ginger

.. And don’t forget to condition nails! Try dabbing Scholl’s new Velvet Smooth Oil onto cuticles nightly. (Mini review: so much cheaper than counterparts but the quality has taken a slight hit – it’s a perfectly serviceable oil but is slightly dryer than, say, OPI Avoplex… You may like this if you don’t like greasiness, though I like to really feel the moisture).