NAIL IT

I used to be a nail color prude. College, as it does with many aspects of lifestyle, changed me... into a polish daredevil. I began this "act of rebellion" in the most bold way possible, I wore Deborah Lippman's "Happy Birthday" for months (as posted on "Best of 2009"). I was nervous at first, scared that people at my hippy-ish school would think I had lost it or that a disco ball had thrown up on my nails. Well, just the opposite reaction occurred. Random people stopped me in the hallways, girls I had never talked to dubbed me the "trendsetter" of school. A week later, girls were seen around campus wearing the polish. Indeed, I had started a trend. Fast forward 5 months later to New York City, a place where I have spent most of my summer working in the fashion industry. My new bold move? Essie's "Mint Candy Apple." The color is exactly as the names promises, it is a nice pastel green (green!!!) I walked out of the nail salon (Element Spa in the East Village) and stared at my toes, proud and feeling so chic. The next day, I realized so many other girls were wearing the same color ( or similar--Essie's "Turquois and Caicos" or Essie's "Lilacism") when I realized that I could be onto something. Maybe, nails are as much as an accessory as our accessories themselves. Major retailers like American Apperal and Topshop seem to agree as both companies recently launched nail polish collections. The colors are bold and unusual, but very unique.

Now... looking foward to fall, the brilliant creators at Chanel created a surprising color called "Paradoxal." The shade appears to have purple undertones with hints of green but is more gray/purple shimmer once applied to the nails. I like this as it is not as harsh as past "in" fall colors, like OPI's "Lincoln Park After Dark," though the color will always have a special place in my heart and polish collection. "Paradoxal" is both fun and classy. Take a look and try it for yourself.




Deborah Lippman's "Happy Birthday"




Essie's "Mint Candy Apple"




American Apperal



Chanel's "Paradoxal"


More later,
Elizabeth