Add winter glamour and elegance to your hands with a dark polish. But far from being just a fashion thing, nail polish also doubles up as a protective barrier, helping to prevent your nails from splitting and peeling, allowing them to grow stronger. So find out how to wear it and keep your hands groomed with woman&home magazine’s expert beauty tips.
Our expert tips
1. File nails first before soaking them and the cuticles.
2. Massage a little oil into the cuticles before polishing makes the skin look softer and more groomed, especially next to a dark polish that always shows up any imperfections. We’re a big fan of Essie’s Apricot Cuticle Oil, R200, available from select retail stores and pharmacies.
3. “Buff nails to a high shine before applying any polish,” says nail expert and celebrity manicurist Pippa Hebden, who tends regularly to the tips of Geri Halliwell and Scarlett Johansson. “This makes the polish go on more smoothly and the shine comes through the polish, making the end result even glossier.” Fab dark shades to try: OPI Nail Lacquer in Vant to Bite My Neck?, R160, available at selected salons ; Morgan Taylor Professional Nail Lacquer in Denim Du Jour in, R123, sparklesa.co.za, and China Glaze Nail Lacquer with Hardeners in Unplugged, from R90, leoneldabeauty.co.za.
Go for short, neat nails that are slightly square and slightly oval – it’s the only way to wear dark polish.
Pro tip: “Prevent chipping and make your polish last much longer by ‘capping’ the end of each nail as you polish over. Wipe the brush with a little polish over the tips of your nails so that you can see it as you look down the end of your nail. Do the same with your topcoat too.” says Pippa Hebden.
