Nail color inspiration for wedding guest outfit?
July 18, 2014 4:59 PM   Subscribe

What outside-the-box-color nail polish would best accent a black cocktail dress (with silver accent beading) and silver shoes?

I will be attending a friend's wedding as a guest next month, and was looking for innovative nail-color suggestions outside of the red-pink family.

Since I can’t upload a photo, I'll describe the dress—which I purchased at Zara last fall—as black, fitted and sleeveless. It has a dipped back, hits above the knee and is encrusted with silver sequins at each shoulder.

I am excited about the shoes, which are kinda futuristic-looking. (I also have a nice pair of black sandal heels in case I change my mind and feel the silver shoes are not formal enough).

Here is my thought process around nail color so far:
    - Silver, to match the accent hue;
    - Dark red/burgundy, to be a little feminine;
    - Pale blue, to be modern and go with the “futuristic” thing.
The wedding reception is taking place in a nice, urban, gala-type venue in the late afternoon and has a cocktail dress code.

Woot, woot. Thanks for reading my frivolous question, MeFi!
posted by shelle to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (21 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Some shade of blue!
posted by ocherdraco at 5:01 PM on July 18, 2014


Tiffany Blue
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:02 PM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


What about a cool mint green? That's what I'm wearing right now and I love it.
posted by skycrashesdown at 5:03 PM on July 18, 2014


Best answer: If you're not opposed to trends, Essie's latest trend thing is neons, and there's a sort of turquoise and a light green in there that look kinda cool. Also in their regular (?) summer collection there's what looks like a bright coral/orange, which would be great and late-summery depending on your skin time.

http://www.essie.com/
posted by DestinationUnknown at 5:07 PM on July 18, 2014 [3 favorites]


I might do a black/silver french manicure but only on short, squared-off nails.
posted by elizardbits at 5:07 PM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


Silver or a turquoisey blue. Or a metallic turquoisey blue.
posted by jeather at 5:10 PM on July 18, 2014


Best answer: I don't know how dramatic you wanna go, but the matte/glossy black french tips I've seen have been amazing. Maybe something more mod?
posted by WidgetAlley at 5:11 PM on July 18, 2014 [9 favorites]


HOLOGRAPHIC NAIL DECALS!

or nude with a big-ass glitter layer over top.
posted by thirdletter at 5:11 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Yes, something with holographic glitter on top would be the correct choice.
posted by steinwald at 5:18 PM on July 18, 2014


Holo silver to match the shoes - color club harp on it would be great, it's pretty easy to find online and not expensive. Here is a photo.
posted by insectosaurus at 5:29 PM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


Yep, Tiffany Blue or turquoise blue. China Glaze For Audrey would be a great choice (it's available at Sally's and probably Ulta).
posted by lysimache at 5:31 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I highly reccommend the Essie 2013 Holiday collection. They are textured, sparkly, fun, & may be exactly what you're looking for (except for red). Here's a link for a review: http://www.thepolishaholic.com/2013/11/Essie-Holiday-2013-Encrusted-Treasures-Collection-Swatches-Review.html?m=1. I'm sure you can snag them on eBay. Just be aware that they chip easily and are good for about 2 days.
posted by bulclippr at 5:44 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Best answer: smitten polish out of the blue. nimbus, and cauldron of rainbows would do great too.

super black lacquers torque is also gorgeous.

cirque sky woman, bejeweled or fascination street would be good too.

some of the holos here would work well too.
posted by koroshiya at 6:27 PM on July 18, 2014


Response by poster: Oh, man. So many great suggestions! I think I've hit the nail color jackpot! I love the mint, black French tip, and turquoise. Love the “Tiffany-blue with glitter” idea.

DestinationUnknown, I had also been thinking of the coral/orange! Definitely a nice late-summer choice. I think I am a winter/cool-toned person (I have blue veins, does that count?).

Bulclippr, thanks for the link! Those glitter polishes are amazing! I especially like the blue-tinted one, Essie’s Lots of Lux.

Ok... gotta go think about this, lol. The event is still a few weeks away, but I'll def keep you all posted on what I go with!

Thanks again for the awesome suggestions, everyone! :)
posted by shelle at 6:54 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


friend, you want a nude neutral (OPI Bubble Bath or similar) with some silver stamping on top...if you wear the shoes you want a nude with silver holographic stamping or just a holographic top coat. you could also do black nails (if that is your thing) with holographic stamping. Search on pinterest for color + nail stamping or nails + holographic.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 7:08 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


How about a frosty plum colour? That's the colour I have on my nails at the moment, and I really love it!

Another I'd personally want to try soon is a rose-coloured base with some silver glitter top coat. Here's a link for inspiration.
posted by Carmine Red at 7:53 PM on July 18, 2014


I would probably either do black with a fuckload of holo glitter, or something like these Nebula nail wraps (probably also with an extra coat of glitter).
posted by corvine at 5:35 AM on July 19, 2014


I'm thinking with the black and the shoes, Zoya Storm (scattered holo in a black base, very rich looking) might look sweet.

Another option for something interesting-looking is textured nail polish. A great dense, dark color is OPI Alcatraz...Rocks. Some more girly but also very beautiful textured polishes are Zoya Vespa and Zoya Godiva.

I don't know what your comfort level is with nail art, but there are some very cool effects you could go for if you're up to it. Scotch tape manicures are an easy way to make clean geometric shapes. Here's an example of one I did a while back, using Zoya Neely (pastel green) and Orly Elation Generation (sparkly pink). That chevron/triangle shape is simple to do but almost always looks great.

You could also play up the futuristic angle by doing galaxy nails. They're deceptively easy to do, and you could go for either traditional outer space colors (self link) or pastel style.

If you have any nail art questions for sure hit me up. I'm a huge nail art dork.
posted by bookish at 11:04 AM on July 19, 2014


Red red red red red, sistah, I'm telling you, red! What goes better with black and silver than classic red?
posted by Lynsey at 10:59 PM on July 19, 2014


I've always liked the look of chrome nail wraps, they seem so futuristic and cool (and would go with your shoes)!
posted by zoetrope at 11:30 AM on July 21, 2014


Response by poster: Hey guys! The wedding weekend has come and gone and it was super-fun, woot woot! Since my dress and shoes already had a lot of bling, I stayed on the monochromatic side of things (no killer holographic finishes--next time!) and went with light blue for my fingers, and mint green for my toes. Thanks again for the suggestions! :)
posted by shelle at 12:44 PM on August 23, 2014 [1 favorite]


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