My usual annual lover letter to red lipstick is coming soon, but today, I felt inspired to share my growing love/obsession for colored nail polish.
See, when I lived in New York, I got manicures religiously, but once I moved to Italy, I had to cut some corners as I tried to find my footing so I cut manicures out of my routine and did my nails myself. A perk of this is that when the color eventually chips (it always does), I can take matters into my hands to fix it.
OPI’s Bastille My Heart–a rich burgundy I was drawn to not only because it was red, but because its name references Paris–was my color of choice for most of 2013, which I had brought over to Italy with me from the U.S. along with Essie’s Van D’Go.
OPI and Essie are drastically more expensive in Italy than in the U.S., so even though I could have justified the cost by how much I wasn’t spending on manicures (which cost about 15 euro), I just couldn’t (and still can’t) bring myself to buy those brands at Italy prices so instead, I turned to Chanel: Rouge Noir (#18 AKA Vamp in the U.S.), the deep dark red classic, and Azure, a limited edition metallic blue that I was drawn to because the Côte d’Azur is beside my dear Liguria, sharing that same Mediterranean Riviera hue.
Along came 2014, the year of OPI’s Big Apple Red (which I bought in the U.S. at Christmas) and Chanel’s Mirabella, a limited edition warm orange shade. I love/hate these Chanel limited edition colors because they are gorgeous, but then they’re gone after a months. I know new colors come along the following year to make up for them which is great, but when you find a shade you adore (like I did with Azure), it’s hard to say good bye.
Along came 2015. Now, I’m a big fan of YSL’s #1 Rouge red lipstick, but a visit to Marrakech and the Majorelle Gardens prompted me to add YSL Beauty’s Majorelle Blue to my repertoire, which was my nail color of choice, along with Big Apple Red and Bastille My Heart, for most of the year.
However, my obsession reached new heights this year. The few times I did treat myself to a manicure, OPI‘s Coca Cola Red was my color of choice. I also became obsessed with YSL Beauty‘s Rouge Pop Art and Kalymnos by Nars, a lilac shade named after a Greek island that recalls sunset in Levanto. I also happened upon Rimmel Super Gel Nail Polish which requires you to just apply two coats of the color and then the top coat. I bought the shade Rock and Roll and the top coat, and it has a surprisingly long durability that lasts up to 14 days. I haven’t made it that far (yet!), but I’ve made it for an entire week with no chips, so I’m going to buy a few more shade (I’m thinking Venus) when I get back to Milan.
What am I coveting for my ever expanding collection? I’m dying to add Nars‘ Elbrus, Fearless and Night Flight; Tom Ford’s Black Sugar; Dior‘s Junon and YSL’s Taupe Retro to my ever expanding collection. I’m also intrigued by YSL’s Rouge Wet from the La Laque Couture Pop Water collection. Hmmm….
Photo: Giulia Bertelli
