Beauty Mark: Mannequin Hands

Up until recently when I kicked the habit of biting and picking my nails (I’ve been clean for almost five months), I only wore neutral shades of nail polish because I didn’t want to draw attention to my hideous little monster fingers. Lucky for me, the new twist on nude is mannequin hands.
You paint your nails the color of your skin to almost disguise your nails completely. Not pinks or beiges, but flesh tones – it gives the illusion of longer, thinner fingers. Some people have redder skin tones while others have darker, more olive coloring so the trick here is getting the color to match as closely as possible. A few shades I like are OPI’s Samoan Sand ($8.50) and Essie’s Blushing Bride ($8) for lighter skin tones, and Sally Hansen’s Dawn to Earth Frost ($4.99) for darker skin.
The bonus with wearing nude nails is chipping and smudging aren’t as noticble so these colors make for a great last-minute manicure. And if you’re really into it, make your nails even more mannequin-like by applying a matte top coat, like Essie’s Matte About You ($10). (This is actually kind of freaky, but it’s 2010 so who cares!)