So it's the holiday party season, right? Whether you plan on attending lots of holiday parties or you are looking for inspiration to add new life to some existing outfits, consider an accessory you are always wearing anyway...your fingernails. A well manicured set of fingernails add not only the finishing touch to your outfit, but also a touch of class I think. Manicures do not have to cost a lot of money. You can easily make your nails beautiful at home with a simple clean-up, filing, and fresh coat of polish. There are so many options for at home polishes, systems, etc. on the market this can easily be accomplished. If you would rather trust the expert schedule an appointment with a reputable manicurist. If you are going to try something new such as acrylics or even a french manicure, I would suggest you leave that to a professional manicurist for sure.
When I say manicure, I am not talking about nail art, embellishments, and color ...apologies if that's what you are looking for. I think updating your nail look is a great way to add "a little something" to your look for this time of year. Let me say again, I am a huge proponent keeping your nails looking good regardless the time of year. But, now that we are in the holiday season it's a great time to take your nail look "up a notch". Some great examples of this might be something as simple as changing your color story. If you typically go for dark shades experiment with a pale blush shade or perhaps a french manicure. Do you typically keep it simple, maybe even bare nails? Step outside your comfort zone and go for a bright red nail.
I decided to try step away from my "usual" which is typically a dark nail or often times I have alternate a couple of different shades on different fingers like this recent manicure
With a couple of holiday parties coming up (and because I was feeling festive) I decided to jump on the "almond-nail" trend. The almond nail is just as it says, an almond shaped nail. :) But, as you can see from the photo above, my short nails would never do that by themselves. My ever-willing and creative manicurist was more than willing to make it work on my otherwise "stubby-like" fingers. (my words not hers) So, she applied tips, shaped them to almonds and painted in a lovely blush tone to keep the look classy.
I love the look achieved here. Simple and classy yet still a little trendy. If I were going to a party tonight I would lean towards a more classic look with my little black dress and perhaps some pearls. Instead if I were going for something a bit more trendy or edgy I would change the polish color to something dark or a bright gorgeous holiday red for sure.
Call me "old fashioned" if you want, but I believe a woman's look isn't complete unless her nails look great as well. Whether you decided a plain, simple (even bare) manicured nail is your thing or you want to go all out with a nail look...don't forget your nails are the accessory you are always wearing.
p.s. if you are a local West Michigan gal and need a manicure from a professional I have someone to recommend...just email me for more information.