Niki's Navy Nails

If you read our piece on RGB Cosmetics, you may have read that I love creamy beige or almond-hued polishes that my friends insist are all the same color (see: Zoya Clover, Zoya Vivienne, Zoya Corrine, Zoya Sadie, essie like linen, essie allure, Lippman Collection Satin Doll, CND Buff). They say that I need to expand my horizons and be more daring and try some color and, honestly, I've been trying. There has been more nail polish remover used than nail polish lately, but, after a day of whining about it (sorry Rach!), I have stumbled upon a new nail color that I think is HOT! I loved when Lea Michele wore it on the red carpet with her Oscar de la Renta gown (and even tweeted about it), but thought, "I'd never wear that, I'm too chicken."

In the intervening six or seven or weeks, without even thinking about it, I've been wearing navy more and more - a navy minidress one day, a pair of navy tights the next, a navy scarf thrown around my neck on the third. I even redecorated one of my bathrooms in navy this month. When trying to find a "daring" polish for my nails on Tuesday about which my friends would not tease me, I chose a mini bottle of OPI Ink I received free from ULTA back in the spring. Matched with a long blue Rachel Pally skirt and a pair of silver sandals the color really stood out and looked so good I ended up completely reversing my opinion about the color. Now, I am completely enamored with navy nails and think they make the perfect stand-out nail color for this fall.

Now, I am perfectly aware that the biggest "trends" in nail colors at the moment are mint greens, gunmetal grays, jet blacks and metallics; but, I have decided that navy nails should really be the "it" color this fall. This is especially true since Lea Michelle is on board. (If you'd rather stick with the trends declared by fashionistas other than me, see below*). After deciding that I would declare navy the nail color of the moment, I searched for others that would back me up and found that Glamour is with me and Refinery 29 sort of agrees.

To make this trend you and I are starting together even more providential, navy nail colors are relatively easy to find right now. Some of the best shades are OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue, Butter London Big Smoke, Zoya Ibiza, ULTA Blue for You, China Glaze First Class Ticket, Borghese Mezzanotte Blue, OPI Russian Navy, China Glaze Calypso Blue, NARS Midnight Express, OPI Play 'Til Midnight, Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia, M*A*C Ming Blue, Chanel Blue Satin and Dior Poison Blue.

*Polishes that fit nail trends:
Mint Greens
M*A*C Peppermint Patti
RGB Minty
essie mint candy apple
OPI Hey! Get In Lime
Chanel Jade

Gunmetal Grays
CND Hyde in the Dark

CND Asphalt
Lippmann Collection Hit Me With Your Best Shot
M*A*C Nightfall
Zoya Freja
Zoya Dovima
Chanel Steel
Lancome Le Gris L'Wren
RGB Slate
OPI Brand New Skates

Jet Blacks
OPI Black Onyx
Zoya Raven

M*A*C Nocturnelle
Chanel Black Satin
Dior Black Sequins
essie licorice
Butter London Chimney Sweep
Lippmann Collection Fade to Black

Metallics
Butter London's West End Wonderland
Butter London The Full Monty
Lippmann Collection Nefertiti
Lipmann Collection Marquee Moon
Lippmann Collection Boom Boom Pow
Lippmann Collection Today Was a Fairytale
OPI Bring on the Bling
OPI Glow Up Already
OPI Rising Star
essie shifting power
essie silver bullions
essie golden nuggets
Zoya Goldie
Zoya Richelle
Zoya Penny
NARS Versailles
Dior Czarina Gold
Dior Bronze Libertine


Update 10-23-2010:
Now, I have found that both Vogue and Temptalia have given the thumbs up to navy nail polish.


Update 11-7-2010:
After some serious experimentation, I have come to the conclusion that these three colors are my favorites for navy nails.

For a really dark navy bordering on black: Chanel Blue Satin

For a traditional navy with a bit of shimmer: OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue

For a slightly lighter blue with shimmer: OPI Blue My Mind