Trend for Spring - Pretty pastel nails

Sure, pastel colors are typically associated with springtime, so it looks as though these colors are being released at the most opportune moment. This year different nail polish companies are devoting their whole Spring 2010 collections to these ethereal, light colors. But, unlike many light polishes that take 4 and 5 coats of polish to fix streaks and hide the nail, these babies are opaque and avoid color buildup. I like it.

Each year there is a so-called "it" color that has polish companies coming at with more and more tints and people lining up for these colors. A couple of years ago, Chanel's Black Satin nail polish sold out in all of it's stores and online and was selling on Ebay for $60. This last year the Chanel's Jade Green had almost the same mass chaos effect and was deemed the color to wear. We are still seeing mint greens popping up everywhere. I feel that this trend showed us that people wanted potent light polishes that wouldn't need hundreds of coats to get the color to show. Well ladies, our prayers have been answered. Here are a couple of collections coming out for spring that will have you putting them on your wish list.

Essie: The Art of Spring has six creamy colors that are either pink, coral, or purple. I'll admit that I was stopped in my tracks when I meandered into Beauty Brands and saw the collection sitting on the counter. I hadn't planned on buying nail polish so I told myself to walk away, but Van D'Go drew me back. I bought it and promptly painted both fingers and toes with it. BEST. COLOR. EVER. However, Tart Deco did look pretty tempting too so I might have to return and add that one to my collection.

TIP: If you like what a color looks like in the bottle but aren't sure if it will look good on your skin tone or want to test its opacity, simply ask a salesperson for a piece of tape, paint a swatch on it, and hold it over your nails. That'll give you a pretty good idea.

China Glaze: Up & Away collection is bigger than Essie's, but it also contains a few brighter colors, some of which seem like darker versions of the pastels they offer. I'm not a huge fan of bright yellow nail polish as it reminds me of caution tape, so Happy Go Lucky seems like an unlikely choice. BUT...Lemon Fizz has me hooked. Baby yellow polish is the key to my heart, people. This is the shade I have done the tape tip with and it looked heavenly (which means if you are pale, grab this color), but I left my wallet at home so had to leave the store without it. Peachy Keen is also a very interesting color I'd like to try, both sophisticated and fun at the same time - like a darker version of Essie's Van D'Go. And Re-Fresh Mint is just one of the gorgeous mints that have been released in time for spring and summer. This color is taking off!

Orly: Sweet Spring contains six polishes, spread evenly over the color spectrum, but adding a little punch to make the polish vibrant. So, while the colors are still pastel, they almost seem to glow. The light green featured in this bunch is more the color of Tiffany's boxes and less the color of mint, but it's like mint to the nth degree. Orly is known for having great application, so streaking shouldn't be an issue. I like Lollipop, Cotton Candy, and Lemonade...but if I don't narrow down my selection, I'll end up having 3 light yellow polishes. Which actually really doesn't bother me.

Illamasqua (a brand from across the pond that's now available in Sephora): Containing four colors in what are described as 'ice cream shades', the brand talks about exactly what colors were mixed in order to create these shades. And, the cool thing about this brand is that they call their polishes "varnishes", so in case anyone asks you about them...you can say that you're wearing a varnish...not a polish. Sounds sophisticated.