is it too soon for another nail polish question?

May 8, 2018 5:44 AM

Seeking new quirky, yet work appropriate and subtle, nail polish shades.

I realise this question has been asked before, but not that recently. I am looking for ideas for spring/summer manicures that are quirky but subtle. I did dark nail polishes all winter and I'm over them! What are some of your spring-y favourites?

I recently rediscovered It's Genius by Essie, which is both subtle yet very cool and interesting with the gold shimmer running through the mauve. I am looking for more cool colours of that nature - slightly unexpected but not too in your face. I also really like grey nail polish for work and have too many grey polishes already!

I have warm olive skin so very light colours (taupes etc) make my hands look dead. I do my nails myself so intricate nail art is not really an option.

Thanks in advance. I love a good nail polish thread and look forward to recommendations from the infinitely stylish Hivemind.

posted by Ziggy500 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

I do my own gels, and I'm really loving CND's Field Fox. It's *just* scungy and dirty enough to be interesting, while still work appropriate and very flattering. I also don't know if green would be acceptable at your work, but Sage Scarf is really pretty and fun to wear.

I'm pretty sure both of these colours are available in the Vinylux formula, too! But I've gotta say doing my own gels is pretty life-changing.
posted by nerdfish at 5:50 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

My favorites for this are Essie's "Coat Couture" from the cashmere matte line, and a Butter London polish called "Two Fingered Salute." Both appear to be discontinued, but probably could be dug up on eBay.
posted by dizziest at 7:10 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

I recommend taking a look at Colores de Carol's Romantique collection. (Scroll down to find the shades.) The collection is made up of shimmery, hololgraphic neutral colors. Live swatches of the collection are on YouTube. The Happy Spring Trio would also be appropriate for work too. I think Coco (light grey with confetti glitter) from that trio is subtle enough for work.

Pahlish's Castor is not inappropriate for work depending on your office. I know you already have a lot of grays butThistle is lovely.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 7:11 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]

If you like gray and shimmer, ILNP is right in your wheelhouse. So! Many! Gray! Shimmery Nail Polishes!

(Side note: the Jellies tend to be somewhat sheer, so you either need to do a bunch of coats to build up color, or use in combo with other nail polishes. Other ILNP's are in your face in the most delightful way).
posted by joyceanmachine at 7:41 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

On the off chance you don't already know this: "duochrome" may be a good word to look for, if you want that sort of interesting shimmery "looks a bit different in different lights" polish.

Sephora used to carry some nice Formula X duochromes but I'm not seeing them on their site anymore, alas.
posted by Stacey at 7:52 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

Revlon has a small range of "transforming effects" toppers that I really like. They'll give an extra oomph and dimensionality to nail polishes you already like. Maybe it's because they've been out for a while, but they tend to always be on the very bottom shelf of the Revlon section at the drug stores I frequent.

The best one (imo) is the gold glaze shimmer, and I think it looks especially fantastic over bright pinks and reds. The matte pearl glaze is also nice and adds a touch of iridescence. I like it over blues, grays, and purples.
posted by phunniemee at 8:20 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]

For subtle quirk, I love Zoya's jelly finish polishes. It's hard to capture in photos, but they have an interesting depth because you build these sheer, saturated layers. My favorite is the maybe not work appropriate Frida, but Paloma and Katherine are lovely, too.
posted by kimdog at 8:40 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

I got turned on to Sally Hansen's Color Therapy line of nail polishes due to this glowing review and holy cow, I am never going back. My self-manicures easily last 10 days and my nails have never been in better shape. I've started taking bottles to my nail salon because the formula is that much better than OPI or Essie.

Lately this Bamboost color is my favorite for spring; it reads as a medium-dark, feminine neutral with cool tones (and work appropriate) but up close you can tell it's a neat and rich sage/army green. If you like greys I bet you'd like it. I've also been wearing this Red-iance color which every single person I see compliments me on. You can get the Color Therapy polishes at Walgreens, Target, Ulta, etc. but the colors seem to vary by store.
posted by stellaluna at 10:46 AM on May 8, 2018 [2 favorites]

Sephora used to carry some nice Formula X duochromes but I'm not seeing them on their site anymore, alas.

It was their house brand, and they discontinued it. :/
posted by joyceanmachine at 11:13 AM on May 8, 2018

I have olive skin also, and I've been favoring light blues, lavender, and gold (not the ones with huge chunky glitter, the ones that look like actual gold paint). Rose gold is a super popular shade right now, though I find it reads too pink for my liking.
posted by ananci at 11:50 AM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

Consider adding a nice holo topcoat over another shade you like to change things up.
posted by Lexica at 1:16 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

I just bought Essie’s blue-tiful horizon and adore it. All the shades in the collection it’s from look gorgeous too.
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 4:51 PM on May 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks so much guys! These are all sooo cool!!
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:25 AM on May 9, 2018

Response by poster: For anyone consulting this thread in the future, I've just got wind of Essie's Seaglass collection, which is very much the kind of thing I had in mind when I posted this question.
posted by Ziggy500 at 4:03 AM on May 15, 2018