I find having my nails done just makes me feel so much more put together and ready. It’s a simple thing, but it helps, and I think right now those small acts of self-care (whatever they look like for you) are especially important.
I’m definitely a nude nail polish kinda girl – I just love that they go with everything and I find nudes are flattering next to my fair skin. Since nail salons are currently closed, I imagine many of you are doing your manicures at home. I’ve personally always done my nails myself, so I thought I’d share some of my go-to polish shades for spring!
OPI“Barefoot in Barcelona”
I’m actually on my second bottle of this polish – I love the color that much! It’s the perfect medium tone nude pink that goes with anything. The formula is very opaque and I find it lasts long for a regular polish.
Essie “Go Go Geisha”
I recently got this polish as a little pick-me-up, but it’s quickly becoming a favorite and I know I’ll wear it a ton. It’s a subtle greyed out pink nude, and I find it just looks fantastic on. The formula is lovely to work with too!
Essie“Fiji”
This is the polish I wear when I want to look like I have a tan! It’s such a bright whitish pink, and I think it’s just so flattering. My only complaint is that the formula can be a little tricky to get fully opaque – sometimes I need 4 coats.
Essie“High Class Affair”
When the weather starts warming up, I break out this pretty peach polish! It’s nice and opaque, and I love that it’s bright and fresh without being really saturated.
Essie“Less is Aura”
This is probably my all time favorite nude polish. I love that it’s a warmer tone with just a hint of rust. I wear this basically all year round – I think I’m on my third bottle! The formula is a dream too – smooth and opaque.
Essie“Desk Mani”
This color is brighter on me than I expected, but I actually love it! It’s a slightly de-saturated peachy orange – unlike any other polish I have. It’s part of their Expressie fast dry line, and it truly does dry in only a couple of minutes.
Essie“Buns Up”
Love this creamy beige nude! On me, it almost gives that “mannequin hand” effect since it matches my skintone so well. But I think this is really a color that would be super flattering on anyone. It’s another Expressie color, and I love how fast it dries. It has an angled brush that’s supposed to make it easier to do your nails with either hand, but so far I’m not convinced. Maybe I just haven’t gotten the hang of it yet, but I always end up with lots of polish on my skin.
Base & Top Coats
I’ve been using Essie’s Strong Start basecoat for awhile now and I love it! It actually has biotin in it, and find it really helps my thin peeling nails.
Seche Vite has been my go to topcoat for like a decade. It’s super shiny, thick, and long lasting, but best of all it’s fast. I always say that patience is a virtue but it’s not one of mine, so if I have to wait forever for my nails to dry I’m probably going to end up denting at least a couple of them. Seche Vite actually bonds all of the layers of your polish together, so you put it right over wet nail polish. I only let each coat of my polish dry enough that it won’t smudge when I’m putting the next coat on. The topcoat itself dries in about 15 mins if you’re playing it safe.
Recently, I’ve also tried Seche Vive, which I love as well. I find it doesn’t dry as fast (and you have to let each layer of polish dry before applying the top coat), but it does last longer. I switch between them both Vite and Vive depending on how much of a hurry I’m in!
