Rainbow of nail colors
The other day I went to a yoga class. I’m still sore. But while I was in the class, I had ample leisurely time to study all the other women’s pedicures. And you know what? Every. Single. One. had a recent pedicure. And ALL of the pedicures were in really bright colors: lime green, hot pink, yellow, silver…. I had on a barely-there pink iridescent pedicure. I was definitely Out Of Touch in my toes.
So another clear trend for Summer/Fall 2012 is the bright/fun manicure and pedicure. It used to be that when you went to a nail salon, there were 50 shades of red. While red is still a pretty dominant color in real salons, the pages of Glamour only showed red/pink nail polish where required to fill out the rainbow of shades. In the cover picture, Victoria Beckham is wearing polish so dark purple as to be almost black. There are blues and greens and gold sparkles.
There’s also a lot of decorative nail art. There are nail stencils, that allow you to do fun designs with no skill required. There are crackle finishes. Possibly one of my favorites, which I’ve so far managed not to buy, is magnetic nail polish. You put it on and then you use a magnet and filings in the polish make patterns. That’s almost as cool as my photosensitive nail polish!
Now I love colors. I have about 90 pens on my desk, all in various interesting colors. I actually keep a few boring one son my desk in case someone needs to borrow one that is more serious. So obviously, this whole nail phenomenon is great! I love colors! And they’re “stylish”, so I have every excuse to wear them… right?
This is a situation where I feel like I need to be careful. I think it’s a bit risky to wholeheartedly embrace this trend, even though it’s extremely tempting to. Remember that just because something is fashionable does not necessarily mean that it is professional. (You would probably get kicked out of most work places if you showed up in clothing straight from a fashion runway. Either that or they would call an ambulance…)
So here’s how I’m splitting the difference: I can wear fun nail colors as long as they match with my outfit. For instance, I went to Atlanta the other day. While there, I wore a beige suit and a “statement” red necklace. I got a manicure with polish to match the necklace. If I had a meeting and I was going to wear purple, then I’d do a nail color that matched the purple. This helps take the trend and tie it more firmly to your style. You can have fun, but not edge to far from professional.
And hey, I found this really fun manicure blog, The Daily Nail. I can barely get polish onto my fingers, but this person does some truly amazing art on her hands.
So… do you have a manicure/pedicure? Is it always the same color, or is it a variety? Do you love the fun colors and wild effects, or do you feel like they’re too conspicuous. Do you think nail art is professional? What’s your take?
Technically Pretty 
Sep 17, 2012 @ 14:11:28
DO I HEAR A CALL FOR A PEDICURE DATE??
I THINK I DO!!
Sep 18, 2012 @ 10:00:43
That is the only possible interpretation!!!
Sep 17, 2012 @ 17:14:37
I tend to be fairly boring with my pedicure colors (I almost never paint my fingernails because it doesn’t last a day), though I’ve been tempted to do something very bright at times. I don’t have an objection to it, especially on the toes, but I guess I haven’t yet found a trendier color that appeals to me. My favorite part of the nail salon is reading the names on the OPI polish!
Sep 18, 2012 @ 10:01:20
My current favorite OPI color is “I’m not really a waitress”. It seems… apropos…
Sep 18, 2012 @ 10:02:30
That’s a classic. Mine is from the Canadian collection – “Nice color, eh?” – but I think it may have been discontinued.
Sep 17, 2012 @ 22:51:15
After watching styles on the subway this summer (when avoiding eye-contact like a good commuter, the floor (sandals) and ceiling (grab-bars) are safe places to park eyes when I’ve forgotten my book) I’ve also noticed this pedicure trend. I’m commuting into some High Business areas, but toes are pretty brightly colored right now. The neon yellows still only show up on people getting off at the college-station, but pretty much everything else goes into the law-firms & such.
Hands are far more subtle. Frosted, pale, pinks and other unobtrusive colors are what I see most often. From this I infer that obvious colors are still seen as too intense for the vry srs office.
Sep 18, 2012 @ 09:13:36
Fingernails – hah! No way those are ever getting polished, poor pitiful trimmed-short things. But my toenails are always a fantastic colour – right now they’re a maroon base with blue glitter on top, making them a great sparkly purple. My true favorite polish right now is this bright kelly green. I think you can get away with wacky colours in the colder months as you’re likely not wearing sandals or open-toed shoes to work.
Sep 18, 2012 @ 10:02:06
Plus it lasts way longer on the toes than on the fingers! Although the manicure I got in Atlanta is now at one week and still looks good!
Sep 18, 2012 @ 09:57:14
Ugh. I’m a mom and a career woman. I have no opportunity to exercise, I am so overwhelmingly busy with my 50-60 hour work week, kid, husband, dog, and house. I find time to paint my toenails twice a year. Being the hobby “chef”, my fingernails are always trimmed neatly to avoid harboring bacteria. Just avoid the fancy long nails if you are in software design. The noise on the keyboard is way irritating to your fellow cube dwellers.
Sep 18, 2012 @ 10:03:01
I hear you there. I find it relaxing to have my nails done, or it would be done even less than the rarely I currently enjoy!