Shades of Summer: Nail Polish

It's summer! And you know what that means, a lot of skin and less clothing. That also means pulling out those cute sandals and bathing suits. Summer is the season where feet get the most exposure, which means pedicures. Whether you do your own nails or get them done by a professional, there are some fun colors to watch for and try this season. After flipping through numerous magazines, I've put together some must-have nail colors this summer as well as what brands to find them with. I've broken the list down to three groups.

Aquas

For the first group think water; oceans and beaches. Basically the aqua family. Deep blues and teal. A nice color is 'Henley Regatta' by Butter London, which retails for $14. It's a beautiful deep blue that sparkles and shines. You can find this nail polish at their website, ButterLondon.com. If the price is too steep for you, OPI offers some gorgeous blues as well, for just $8.50 a bottle. Shades like 'What's with the Cattitude,' 'Catch Me in Your Net,' and 'Suzi Says Feng Shui.'

Brights

This next group of nail lacquer is all about bright, vibrant shades. Think sunny, colors that really pop like bright pinks, yellows and even orange. Essence cosmetics offer some fun, festive colors that are great for summer like 'Sundancer,' 'Everybody's Talking About,' 'VIP Appeal,' and 'Get the Fever.' And the best part is that a bottle only costs 99 cents. Essence products are currently only sold in ULTA stores in the US. It's a European brand that's still new to Americans. One of my favorite nail color is by E.L.F. cosmetics in the color 'Coral,' and retails for just a dollar! You can find E.L.F. products online and select Target stores.

Golds/Bronze

This last group of colors should be pretty obvious when you think of summer. It's all about gold and bronze. The colors of sand and a beautiful tan. You can find some shade of gold and bronze just about anywhere, for any budget. MAC cosmetics has a gorgeous goldish-bronze color called 'Mercenary' that retails for $12. You can find MAC nail polishes at most places that sell MAC cosmetics, like Sephora. Another great gold color is by OPI called 'Curry Up Don't Be Late!,' and it retails for $8.50. OPI nail colors can be found at Sephora and ULTA stores, as well as a few other places. A bronze color that I absolutely adore because it's very subtle is 'Blush' by E.L.F. cosmetics, and like most of their products it's only a dollar. A color I feel I should also mention is by Maybelline, from their Express Finish line. I'm not sure if this color is still sold in stores because it was a limited edition color I bought a few years back, 'Sunrise Shimmer'. This is a gorgeous truly gold shade. So gold it's almost orange. The best way to describe it is the color of 24 karat gold.

So whatever your plans are for this summer, if you plan on showing toes don't forget to pamper yourself and get, or give, yourself a little pedicure. Flaunt those little piggies!