There used to be an acceptable boundary for nail polish and it consisted of  variations of red, brown or neutral.  Then a few seasons ago, the colour scale tipped over to the dark side and it suddenly became fashionable to coat your nails black or the kind of maroon that resembled dried blood. It was very Gothic and very ‘in’ but so passe now.

Today goth is out and the trend is pastel, pastel, and more pastel. It is the ‘it’ thing to paint your nails green, yellow, lavender, even blue (blame Beyonce). The very cool take it further and paint one hand several different colours. The ultra cool even design intricate patterns on their nails - stripes, polka dots, criss cross, zig zag, rainbow…  Nail polish manufacturers like Sally Hansen have responded to this fad by  producing press-on nail strips that come in houndstooth, animal print, butterfly, glitter, you name it , you can find it. You can even have the photo of a loved one printed on your nails this way, when you miss them, you don’t need to log onto Facebook, just flip your hands, look at your nails and taadaa.

If you find this nail trend too weird, you can make a subtle fashion statement by splashing your nails with rich colours from the OPI and Essie collections. Their colours are vibrant and long lasting. Revlon and Rimmel also carry a less expensive line but I prefer their finishing coat over their colours. Revlon especially has a no-chip finishing coat offer a glossy finish that lasts for two weeks. With the right colour or design, nail polish can be turned into an accessory, just like your handbag or your jewellery just don’t go over board