powder blu

Zoya’s Blu nail polish is just what I hoped it would be, a pale powder blue with the barest hint of lavender, opaque in two coats.

zoya blu nail polish

You know how you can be drawn to shades of polish you wouldn’t really consider in any other wearable life category? Not that I’m virulently against powder blue but I don’t own anything else in this shade, hardly anything that could be considered pastel at all, and that’s not a coincidence.

zoya blu nail polish

Michael Kors open arrow ring, other rings…

In the land of nail polish, though, suddenly an entire different set of criteria seems to be at work. The touch of lavender makes the blue pop against my olive skin, the pale, opaque color pops on the hand as white would, but in a softer, more intriguing manner than straight white. I’m not certain why this doesn’t convert me to the shade all around…but it doesn’t. Though maybe it should?

Nails, like shoes, are a style zone of their own, with bold colors and patterns not at all unusual, even arguably boring, now, with a demand for more and more creative designs to catch the eye of the machine of cultural interest. I appreciate this, though I wish this trend would spread to more and more categories. Which it is, I think, spreading…but, you know, I wish it were faster.

zoya blu nail polish

Vintage beaded clutch

Full marks to this shade for being pigmented enough (not too close to white) to pair well with every white accessory ever.

x

 

on the nails: essie dressed to kilt

I mentioned this Essie polish just recently but I like it so well, here it is again. Dressed to Kilt, from Essie’s Fall 2014 collection. A rich, dark red that’s great for fall/winter.

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iittala sarjaton metsa/white mug

Two coats of Dressed to Kilt worn here with OPI nail envy base coat, which I like so much, and OPI rapid dry topcoat, which I don’t like so much but which I am not going to throw away because while completely extravagant at times I am just as often cheap and long-suffering.

That said, there sometimes comes a point, after some months or years of eking functionality out of a mediocre or even actually poor product, when, in a fit of de-cluttering, which is really a fit of rebellion against this conservative, salvaging self, I take great pleasure in throwing such things away.

Thanks to my friend Katy for recommending this shade!