decision paralysis : nail polish edition
October 26, 2017 4:32 PM Subscribe
I am not great at picking nail polish color. Generally I am good at design choices, but when it comes to my nails I need help. I am looking for tips on picking colors or personal favorites!
Every time I pick at color at the nail salon I see another person's color and instantly regret my own choices. I usually go for a pale pink (which is hard to find a color that works with my skin tone), or a deep red that borderlines on black (boring but looks ok). Anytime I try to go for something else I end up picking colors that look childish or clash with my coloring. Help me shake things up!
About me:
- woman early 30s
- Caucasian skin color in the pale neutral range (greenish undertones), but hands can get blotchy looking (because I am very pale)
- Work in a creative setting so I can do pretty much any color, including glitter (but not neon)
- Looking for flattering, funky or sophisticated
- Salon near me carries essie, Vinylux
- I am happy to invest in buying my own bottles if needed
Looking for a website/app that just told me what to pick, or had current trendy colors recommended by skin color. Or maybe you can just tell me your personal favorites!
Every time I pick at color at the nail salon I see another person's color and instantly regret my own choices. I usually go for a pale pink (which is hard to find a color that works with my skin tone), or a deep red that borderlines on black (boring but looks ok). Anytime I try to go for something else I end up picking colors that look childish or clash with my coloring. Help me shake things up!
About me:
- woman early 30s
- Caucasian skin color in the pale neutral range (greenish undertones), but hands can get blotchy looking (because I am very pale)
- Work in a creative setting so I can do pretty much any color, including glitter (but not neon)
- Looking for flattering, funky or sophisticated
- Salon near me carries essie, Vinylux
- I am happy to invest in buying my own bottles if needed
Looking for a website/app that just told me what to pick, or had current trendy colors recommended by skin color. Or maybe you can just tell me your personal favorites!
I recently got "Penny Talk" by Essie...jump on that rose gold bandwagon!
posted by exceptinsects at 4:40 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by exceptinsects at 4:40 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I’m never that pleased with the color selection at salons but I LOVE Ciaté - my favorite is Iced Frappe. They used to carry the line at Sephora but I believe they only have it in-store at Bloomingdales now. They do have Deborah Lippmann polish at Sephora which is also lovely. I would go in the store with no polish on and then you can test colors to see what goes well with your skin but I think the higher-end brands have more appealing colors in general and you wouldn’t go wrong with looking at swatches and ordering online.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 4:40 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tatiana wishbone at 4:40 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
For 'current and trendy,' I pretty much just look at what Essie's and OPI's seasonal colors are as a starting point - they're the fanciest drugstore brands and tend to imitate more high-fashion stuff.
For fall right now, I'm doing a lot of dark desaturated colors - dark blue, dark green, dark grayish purple, brick red - and some interesting metallics - a reddish copper and a pinky-silvery thing. (I do my own nails usually so these are colors I own.)
For me, the same rules apply to wall paint and nail paint: look at what draws your eye, and then pick something two or three shades more neutral than that. Otherwise I wind up feeling twelve.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:41 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
For fall right now, I'm doing a lot of dark desaturated colors - dark blue, dark green, dark grayish purple, brick red - and some interesting metallics - a reddish copper and a pinky-silvery thing. (I do my own nails usually so these are colors I own.)
For me, the same rules apply to wall paint and nail paint: look at what draws your eye, and then pick something two or three shades more neutral than that. Otherwise I wind up feeling twelve.
posted by showbiz_liz at 4:41 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
The vinylux shade of Tropix is one of my favorites. I am pale with lots of red in my hands and this shade does not turn funky on me.
posted by joan_holloway at 4:49 PM on October 26, 2017
posted by joan_holloway at 4:49 PM on October 26, 2017
I think eggplant purple and navy blue might work really well for you. I found some that I really like from opi but I don't have the bottles with me right now.
posted by Verba Volant at 5:16 PM on October 26, 2017
posted by Verba Volant at 5:16 PM on October 26, 2017
I think that a nude that looks good on you is something to spend a bit of research effort on. Just go to the salon and ask them to put on 10 different popular nudes, one for each nail. You can wear them for a few days and pick the one you think looks best on you, or most chic or whatever you are looking for. You can take the same for any colour, really. (I like having, for example, a good nude, a good dark and a good pink).
posted by nanook at 5:24 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by nanook at 5:24 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I have the same problem so will be following this thread with interest. My current approach is rapid iteration. Don't let yourself do pale pink or deep red for a while -- instead get totally different colors each time you get your nails done for the next however many months. It's just nail polish, it only lasts like a week. If you really hate it, you can remove it early. After a few months you should find at least a few colors you like and trends among them. This is cheaper to do if you do your own nails. [I am currently wearing Essie "Beyond Cozy" and it probably does make me look twelve but I don't care. It's sparkly!]
posted by phoenixy at 5:34 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by phoenixy at 5:34 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
If you're interested in a gel manicure, LeChat has a taupe color called Utaupia that's a great neutral. As I was getting a color I instantly regretted, the chic girl next to me got Utaupia and I asked for the name. When I was getting Utaupia myself, the woman next to ME asked for the name! LeChat seems pretty standard for gel brands, so hopefully it's not impossible to find.
posted by missmary6 at 5:49 PM on October 26, 2017
posted by missmary6 at 5:49 PM on October 26, 2017
I think grey is a good choice for funky and sophisticated. I own Picture Polish 2001 which is pretty fun but a more sophisticated choice (and better for Caucasian skin, perhaps) might be Essie Chinchilly - it's lighter and doesn't have the glitter.
Tips on picking colours: I like to follow nail polish brands on Instagram because it gives me an idea of what is currently available. I follow Zoya, Nails Inc and Picture Polish on instagram and a few nail art people like Sveta Sanders and Ana's Manis (her skin tone is similar to mine so her swatches are particularly useful).
Personal favourites: I tend to gravitate towards dark colours, my go-tos being Midnight Cami and Haute Tub by Essie. These are my work-a-day standards but I also like Trophy Wife, a pearly teal, for more casual occasions. I also really love Essie's Twill-Seeker, an interesting pewter with a green/purple shift, it's extremely cool-looking. It is part of their 'Gel Couture' range and they try to get you to buy it with the Gel Couture top coat but I have used it successfully with whatever top coat I had lying around. I like Essie because their brushes are wide and flat and make for easy application. I have lots of polish by brands that I can't really apply properly because of their skinny brushes (OPI are a major culprit).
posted by Ziggy500 at 4:27 AM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Tips on picking colours: I like to follow nail polish brands on Instagram because it gives me an idea of what is currently available. I follow Zoya, Nails Inc and Picture Polish on instagram and a few nail art people like Sveta Sanders and Ana's Manis (her skin tone is similar to mine so her swatches are particularly useful).
Personal favourites: I tend to gravitate towards dark colours, my go-tos being Midnight Cami and Haute Tub by Essie. These are my work-a-day standards but I also like Trophy Wife, a pearly teal, for more casual occasions. I also really love Essie's Twill-Seeker, an interesting pewter with a green/purple shift, it's extremely cool-looking. It is part of their 'Gel Couture' range and they try to get you to buy it with the Gel Couture top coat but I have used it successfully with whatever top coat I had lying around. I like Essie because their brushes are wide and flat and make for easy application. I have lots of polish by brands that I can't really apply properly because of their skinny brushes (OPI are a major culprit).
posted by Ziggy500 at 4:27 AM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
You sound like you have similar coloring and a similar level of funkiness you can do in your work as me. My signature color is royal blue cream finish (or royal blue in whatever you call that traditional very-slightly-shimmery finish that all nail polish came in back in like 1990). To me, it ought to be considered the same kind of classic as a true red, as it hits the exact same tone/depth notes as the traditional red.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 10:51 AM on October 27, 2017
posted by dust.wind.dude at 10:51 AM on October 27, 2017
dropped in to 2nd Essie Twill seeker.
I'm a child when it comes to nail polish, I like a colour for 5 days before I want a new one. My bathroom is full of impulse purchases. I do something similar to nanook, I try a bunch of different colours on each finger on Sunday -wear them round the house for a bit before picking the one I'm going to wear for that week. I also try out more controversial colours on my toes, which I can hide over the winter. I like the idea of trying these on at a salon to pick a signature neutral as a base.
I do come back to Essie Maximillianstrasse again and again. It's neutral and more interesting than the grey/beige tones out there. It's my easy go-to neutral nail polish which never gets boring.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 3:09 PM on October 27, 2017
I'm a child when it comes to nail polish, I like a colour for 5 days before I want a new one. My bathroom is full of impulse purchases. I do something similar to nanook, I try a bunch of different colours on each finger on Sunday -wear them round the house for a bit before picking the one I'm going to wear for that week. I also try out more controversial colours on my toes, which I can hide over the winter. I like the idea of trying these on at a salon to pick a signature neutral as a base.
I do come back to Essie Maximillianstrasse again and again. It's neutral and more interesting than the grey/beige tones out there. It's my easy go-to neutral nail polish which never gets boring.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 3:09 PM on October 27, 2017
Penny Talk by Essie is sooooo nice! It chips really fast though :(
Honestly, what I do is go to the Essie section at Target, and try a different color on every nail, and then pick my favorite.
posted by katypickle at 6:27 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Honestly, what I do is go to the Essie section at Target, and try a different color on every nail, and then pick my favorite.
posted by katypickle at 6:27 PM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm just going to list colors I love and probably available at a salon. So no indie polishes which have been my obsession for the past few months. I'm going to stick with "fall" colors but, personally, I believe in wearing whatever color on your nails you feel like wearing regardless of the season. Sometimes I just want to remind myself green exists on a cold, gray February day.
OPI nudes Tickle My France-y and Dulce De Leche. Dulce is one of my favorite polishes in general. I've linked to a comparison between them
I suggest a burnt orange shade for fall as an alternative to a red. I like OPI's It's a Piazza Cake. An Essie equivalent would be Playing Koi.
Don't be afraid to try browns. OPI's fall 2017 collection had two browns--one cool toned and the other warm. They're called That's What Friends Are Thor and Krona-logical Order. If brown cremes don't appeal to you, I know Essie has some with shimmer like Mochaccino.
If you have the time, check out the OPI and Essie posts on Beauty Geeks. She does swatches for entire Essie and OPI collections which can give you an idea on what the colors look like on a nail and what colors are available from each brand. She recently did Vinylux's Fall 2017 Nightspell collection.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 9:32 PM on October 28, 2017
OPI nudes Tickle My France-y and Dulce De Leche. Dulce is one of my favorite polishes in general. I've linked to a comparison between them
I suggest a burnt orange shade for fall as an alternative to a red. I like OPI's It's a Piazza Cake. An Essie equivalent would be Playing Koi.
Don't be afraid to try browns. OPI's fall 2017 collection had two browns--one cool toned and the other warm. They're called That's What Friends Are Thor and Krona-logical Order. If brown cremes don't appeal to you, I know Essie has some with shimmer like Mochaccino.
If you have the time, check out the OPI and Essie posts on Beauty Geeks. She does swatches for entire Essie and OPI collections which can give you an idea on what the colors look like on a nail and what colors are available from each brand. She recently did Vinylux's Fall 2017 Nightspell collection.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 9:32 PM on October 28, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 4:36 PM on October 26, 2017