Springtime Nailpolish - Fun Non-Traditional Approach

One of the most under-appreciated elements of the beauty world will be getting a little more love this spring! There has been a rising trend in nail polish use in the past year or so; people branching out from the traditional pinks and reds and expanding their polish collections to include sophisticated browns, grays, blues and purples. However, there are also other routes that can be taken when it comes to nail polish.

Several polish brands such as Zora, MAC, Essie and OPI jumped on the "matte finish" bandwagon that erupted about a year ago. Matte finish nail polish is nail polish does not look shiny when it dries. In a way, it looks as if the polish has been frosted over and can create a very edgy, or sophisticated look depending upon what polish you use and what else you wear to complete your look. Matte polish has been one of my absolute favorite beauty inventions of all time, but unfortunately very few people feel comfortable wearing it. However, there are definitely ways that you can rock a fun, flirty matte polish look this spring.

The first thing that I think every woman should invest in this spring is the Essie "Matte About You" matte topcoat. This polish made its debut at the end of summer 2009, but it has made the matte polish trend an absolute dream! Many women complain that of the matte polishes certain brands offer, they cannot find a color that suits them or that they like enough to consider shelling out $10 for - I don't blame them! But, by picking up Matte About You, you can paint your nails literally any color you like and brush a coat over it, and voila - you have classy, matte nails in the color of your choice. This is a great investment because you may already have nail polish colors that you love to wear in the spring time, but are looking to jazz it up a little. With Matte About You, the need for matte colored polishes is eliminated. At $8 per bottle, this investment is worth it.

Now, there are other ways to have fun with matte polish as well and I would like to share with you a look that is perfect for spring and can be worn by women of any age and skin color. I chose to use She's So Glitzy by Milani, which can be purchased in any drugstore for roughly $4. She's So Glitzy is a beautiful pale, soft pink filled with pearl shimmer.

Begin with a clear basecoat. This will make taking the polish off when the time comes much smoother. Allow it to dry, and then move on to She's So Glitzy.Now, when you apply She's So Glitzy, you'll notice right away that the color is not apparent with just one coat - or two. Because the softness of the color is so beautiful and feminine, it should be made as apparent as possible by layering (layering will also help make the shimmer pop later on). I suggest using 3-4 coats; in the attached pictures, I am using 3 coats of the polish. Wait several minutes between coats to allow the polish to set.

Once your polish has set, run your nails under some cold water to help it to harden just a bit more before the next step.

Apply one coat of Essie's Matte About You matte topcoat and allow it to dry thoroughly.

What you are left with is a gorgeous, soft frosted look that screams "springtime!" It is subtle enough to be worn by women of any age and is a great addition to any springtime beauty routine. I can guarantee you that I will be rocking this look a lot this spring!