Few things are more cathartic than painting your own nails—and infuriating to have them chip or smudge minutes later. It’s a tale as old as time: You spend an hour meticulously painting with the patience of da Vinci only to nick your nails while putting the bottle away. Or worse, they look perfect, and somehow dry all warped and bubbly. (And don’t even get us started on glitter.) But the reality is going to the nail salon isn’t always in the cards (it’s expensive, it’s raining, a Harry Potter marathon is on…), so we rinse and repeat the process again with the hope things go more smoothly the next time. To help, we called on the pros to ask them what the most common at-home manicure mistakes are, along with their advice on how to keep your nail polish from chipping. Read up on their easy tips that’ll make your manicure last longer, then start planning what your next shade will be. We’ve got ideas.
I’ve always thought of spring nail polish colors as a wild gamble in the lottery that is the perfect manicure. I can chalk that up to the simple fact that as the weather warms up, pastel lacquers abound. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the concept of soft, dreamy colors coating my fingernails when it’s gloomy and gray outside. But let me ask you a simple question: Have you ever encountered a quality pastel, one that doesn’t streak or look kind of sad and limpid once it slides off the brush? In my experience, that is a rare find.
This year, I was seized by fresh determination to finally unearth spring’s best nail shades, the ones that look every bit as good on your hands as they do in the bottle. To weed out the duds, I turned to a few celebrity nail artists for their expertise. (If it’s good enough for a runway or a red carpet, it certainly works for me.) The result: 12 standout shades that range from ethereal to vibrant. There are egg-yolk yellows, whisper-soft lavenders, and iterations of pink for your every mood. And naturally, they all feature smooth, long-wear formulas that won’t make you throw the bottles straight out of the window in a fit of pique. Scroll on for this year’s batch of pro-approved shades.
We already know Meghan Markle is unafraid to rock a messy bun, no matter how critical fussy royal watchers might be of her protocol-breaking signature style. And after the British Fashion Awards, we can add another entry to the list of ways the Duchess of Sussex is doing this whole royalty thing her own way.
Markle made a surprise appearance at the 2018 award show on Monday to honor Clare Waight Keller, the designer of her wedding dress. She wore a one-shouldered Givenchy gown, a low hair bun, and dark nail polish that broke with a longstanding royal beauty “rule.”
PHOTO: Joe Maher/BFC/Getty Images
Typically, royals (including Markle’s sister-in-law Kate Middleton) will wear pale shades of polish on their well-manicured nails for official appearances. The reason? Rumor has it that Queen Elizabeth II prefers it that way because she finds colorful nail polish—even if it’s a classic, non-trendy shade—vulgar. Her Majesty herself has been wearing Essie’s Ballet Slippers for decades. And so far, the Duchess of Sussex has played it pretty by-the-book on this front… until tonight.
She was attending a fashion event, after all—and an award-show setting that must have reminded Markle of her past life as an actress. The dark (maybe even black) polish color looked amazing with her one-shouldered gown and gold bangles—and was far from vulgar, to be sure, as you can see in the close-up below.
PHOTO: Jeff Spicer/BFC
Given that press critical of Markle has basically become a cottage industry, we’re sure to hear from some naysayers—however, Twitter was pretty excited to see her change up her mani. “Good on Meghan for not only wearing nail polish that isn’t pink but a bold dark color,” one user wrote. “Mannnn, Meghan Markle DGAF! LOOK AT THE BEAUTY!!! HER BUMP! HER DRESSSSSSS!!! Black nail polish too? I STAN A GORGEOUS REBEL!” said another.
Now that Taylor Swift has broken her silence on politics, she can’t stop, won’t stop encouraging her followers to vote in the upcoming midterms. This week, she made yet another political statement, with a little extra help from a few bottles of nail polish.
On Wednesday morning (October 17), Swift posted two photos on Instagram; the first is a Polaroid of her toenails, which are adorned with either red, white, or blue polish, while the other is a relaxed selfie. “Something I wish I knew about when I was 18 and voting for the first time: ✨EARLY VOTING✨. It makes it so quick and easy to go and cast your vote before November 6. Early voting starts TODAY in Tennessee and goes to Nov 1,” she wrote in the caption. For those Swifties and followers not in Tennessee, she also pinned a calendar of the early voting dates for all 50 states in her IG bio.
“In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country,” she wrote on Instagram a few weeks back. “I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.”
In the hours after Swift’s first post, Vote.org reported a massive spike in voter registration. And a few days later at the American Music Awards, Swift once again reminded everyone to hit their local ballot boxes. “I just wanted to make a mention of the fact this award and every single award given out tonight were voted on by the people,” she said toward the end of her speech. “And you know what else is voted on by the people…is the midterm elections on November 6. Go out and vote, I love you guys.”
The most exciting Fall 2018 nail color is one you’ve probably never thought to grab off the polish wall: Green in all its variations. The shade has been permeating Instagram leading up to autumn, and there are a handful of particular shades that seem to be the most popular, from mossy forest green to Nickelodeon-level slime green.
We could have the runways to thank: Verdant greens gained steam last season thanks to designers including Tom Ford, Valentino, Sonia Rykiel and it continued during this past fashion month at Prada, Miu Miu and Maryam Nassir Zadeh.
But—because not everyone can or wants to rock a neon green Versace suit like Blake Lively—the color trend made its way into beauty. First it was through hair, when celebrities like SZA, Kim Kardashian and Dua Lipa went for bright shades, then it trickled down to nails, which is decidedly less noticeable but just as cool, as evidenced by Instagram:
Green nails look good running through your hair. They also look good while holding broccoli. As evidenced by pop star Kim Petras, neon green nail polish is so powerful it can even make a french tip cool again. It’s is also a great way to add color to an outfit without overdoing it. Plus, uploading a picture of your green nail manicure means you have an excuse to caption it with every green emoji possible. Finally, the T. Rex and Kiwi emoji can get the respect they deserve. Shop below for the best green nail polish shades for fall 2018.
Photo: OPI
Buy It: OPI Infinite Nail Polish in To The Finish Lime!, $12.50, Amazon
PHOTO: Nordstrom
Buy It: CHANEL Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in 536 Emeraude, $28, Nordstrom
One of the best things about summer—right behind the Fourth of July sales, the joy of setting your out-of-office message to go on vacation, and all the new shoes—is the fun that comes with landing on the perfect pedicure shade now that your feet can finally see the light of day. This, of course, is easier said than done when you’re standing in front of a hundred options at the nail salon, which is why we polled everyone around the office to share what they’ve been wearing. If you’re anything like our editors, your primal impulse is probably to grab something colorful and bright. But if punchy pinks and corals aren’t your thing, a few staffers also make a strong case for summer darks and neutrals with a kick. (I’m all about a moody purple year-round, personally, but—hey—to each her own.) So if you find yourself stuck staring at the same bottle during your next pedi run, here are 12 of our favorite summer nail colors for toes, below.
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