Beauty Trend: Spring nail collections

Spring is here and nothing makes this more obvious that the sudden rush of Spring nail colour launches.

The quickest way for me to get into a Spring vibe is to try out some of the latest colours on my nails. The past two weeks I’ve been trialing the new collections from Essie and TipTop and have to say I’m super impressed with both of them.

Essie is my go-to nail polish and I always find myself disappointed when I visit a spa or salon and they don’t stock it (R110 at Sorbet salons nationwide). From the pretty packaging to the long-lasting nature of the formulation, I honestly think it’s one of the best beauty brands out there. The new collection is a firm favourite and I’ve already found some shades I’ll be making permanent colours in my own nail polish collection. The range is called Fashion Playground and contains 6 new colours in blues, teals and a couples of pinks (or nudes, whatever you want to call them). I’ve received 5 of the colours to try out and although my favourite was extremely easy to pick out immediately, the rest of the range is just as lovely. The colours are as follows:

Fashion Playground: The perfect pale mint. This seasons’ hottest colour. Wear it with everything.
Truth or Flare: A lighter almost-pastel blue for lazy days by the pool.
Hide & Go Chic: A deep blue, perfect to match with your favourite denims.
Spin the Bottle: Your classic nude. ‘Nuff said.
Romper Room: The prettiest pastel pink for summer romances.
Style Hunter (the only one I didn’t get to try out): A bright crimson with a hint of orange. Fabulous for feet.

Fashion Playground was easily my favourite because I’m having such a colour crush on mint and teal at the moment. I tested this one out first and got so many compliments from friends and colleagues. It’s my new colour for Spring but I’m quite sure it’ll be lasting for seasons to come. I also enjoyed Truth or Flare but I’m not quite sure about wearing blue on my nails – this is the perfect matching pedi to a Fashion Playground mani though! Romper Room I loved almost as much as the iconic Ballet Slippers. It’s also a lovely ballet pink, but with a much more opaque pastel look. If you’re looking for a pretty pink, give this a try! Spin the Bottle is the nicest nude I’ve ever come across. If I’m in a lazy mood and want something that will last and I won’t have to worry about noticeable chips, a nude is the best option. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find ones that match your skin tone. This is a little warmer than most and with a hint of pink, it looks great on my pale winter skin.

The second collection I tried was the new range from a loved local brand, TipTop. This brand has been around for years and because it’s locally made, I think it’s very in touch with what SA girls are loving and lusting after. It’s also one of the quickest drying and best value for money brands around (under R40 from Clicks). The new Spring collection, called Sumptuous, is a little unusual. A few bloggers have said they’d put it as a Winter collection because some of the colours are rather dark. For me it’s more of a Fall collection or, as it’s called in SA, Autumn. Joburg doesn’t really get to experience Autumn (we go straight from a week of Spring to a few months of Summer and then, just when you’re noticing the nights getting cooler, we find ourselves in the middle of a cold front – aka Winter).

After trying a few of the colours on individually, I realised that this range is actually surprisingly wearable for Spring. When used alone, they evoke memories of late summer nights and evenings spent watching the waves crashing on the shore. It’s definitely a darker Spring collection, but kind of reminds me of nights with windows open, the smell of jasmine wafting in while cool cotton curtains dance to a sultry summer breeze. The colours include:

Navi-Gator: A deep dark blue – very starry night. Hello, sailor.
In My Genes: Another denim colour – something tells me I might start to like wearing blues on my nails.
Lady Lilla: Technically a lilac/lavendar, but it comes out a very blue/purple. It’s indescribable and I love it.
Sea Me Now: Sea green – perfect for mermaids and water babies.
Jade in the Shade: I’m not sure how to describe this one. It’s very green, but surprisingly Springy.
Cupid’s Arrow: A bright hot pink. This is going on my toes asap.

Lady Lilla was my obvious favourite and I’ve loved wearing this colour. It goes with pretty much everything in my closet – being the purple princess that I am – but manages to look a little blueish. It’s the first time I’ve really enjoyed wearing blue on my nails. After bugging The Boyfriend for his favourite, I ended up painting my nails with In My Genes and was super surprised to find how much I loved it. It came out very Tardis blue for the Whovians out there!

The last collection I have my eye on this Spring, although I haven’t tried it myself yet, is the new Naturel Collection from Zoya (R140). Zoya frequently bring out fabulous colours and this one matches perfectly with the coveted Urban Decay Naked 3 eyeshadow palette. I’m obsessively trying to get my greedy little paws on this palette and being able to match my shadow to my polish is a dream come true for freaks like me who have a thing about matching things. It’s not OCD, it’s CDO, in the alphabetical order it should be.

The colours include: