While I admit to being fascinated by nail art — especially intricate florals or other patterns — I’ve never actually worn any myself. Even with the decals that are supposed to be easy to use, somehow I always end up throwing the tab sheet down in disgust (after accidentally ripping or crunching a few) before turning back to my trusty old polish for a single color mani. I’ll sometimes make an exception by adding a second complementary color to the tips or moons of my nails (like metallics or glitter) but most of time, I’m just too pressed for time (or lazy). Anyway I got inspired by a recent Lucky blog post showcasing some new manicure shades (single colors) as worn by the magazine’s editor Eva Chen. So without further ado, here are a few nail polish shade recommendations of my own, colors that I think are fresh and fun for summer, but aren’t necessarily trending at the moment. (And I don’t care how “hot” grass green is; it just doesn’t make an attractive nail color.) Blue grey—I recently bought polish in this shade (Revlon Colorstay Blue Slate). I bought it because it matches my baby’s eye color but I also like that it’s neither here nor there. Not so blue that it clashes with everything, just a hint of color like the ocean on a cloudy day.
Blood orange—I love red nail polish. Like. A lot. In every shade really, from fire engine to brick to burgundy to oxblood. But there’s something about adding a dash of orange (like this Butter London shade, Ladybird) to the hue that makes the color feel more festive and tropical.
Violet—I know dark colors aren’t typically summery but frankly, who decided all warm-weather colors should be pastels or neons? Plus a dark color like this — not black but still striking enough to fool most people at the first glance — offers great contrast to most summer clothes. This means there’s no need to even think about trying to match your mani to your outfits. (Essie’s Devil’s Advocate is an almost black plum.) Other colors I also like for nail polish right now are the pinkish sort of red typically called rose (even though roses come in a variety of colors!) and heather. * Rings by Bora Jewelry (blue-gray mani) and Karen Karch (violet mani)