Wait, what? Nail polish, in a blog post on Career Planning & Resources? You read that right. As a girl who has recently gotten interested in painting her nails, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what is work appropriate — specifically, what I can paint my nails with this summer at my internship.
I’ll admit: I used to bite my nails. It was a nervous habit, one that I had for as long as I can remember. Strangely enough, the habit died away last summer, and I’ve found that I actually enjoy doing my nails now. It’s something I do to relax while I watch my favorite shows or movies, and a relatively cheap way to pamper myself. I know I’m going to want to paint my nails this summer, but what colors are the best for a work environment?
Really, it depends on what field you’re in. In general, however, every person I’ve talked to has suggested very pale nail polishes — nothing too loud or bright. I’ll start with two work-appropriate nail polishes I own:
OPI’s Tickle My France-y, and Sephora for OPI’s Nonfat Soy Half Caff:
OPI's Tickle My France-y, a "naughty nude." Courtesy of opi.com.
OPI'S Nonfat Soy Half Caff, courtesy of polish-holic.blogspot.com.
You can’t go wrong with pink or peachy nudes for a formal workplace. If you don’t like colors on your fingers at all but want a little bit of shine, I would suggest painting on a base coat or a nail strengthener — OPI’s Nail Envy is a favorite of mine. There isn’t any color, but the subtle sheen polishes (get it?!) off your entire look. In my opinion, every girl should have a “safety polish” for interviews or formal work environments. You never know when you might need it!
What about work environments that aren’t that formal, you ask? I hear you. My internship this summer isn’t formal at all. It’ll be at a tech start-up, so the general office attire is jeans or slacks, with a Livefyre T-shirt or a button-down. While I won’t be painting my nails bright yellow or pink, I do have a couple of more exciting shades that will be seeing the light of San Francisco.
Sephora for OPI's Call Your Mother, courtesy of polishpixie.blogspot.com.
More often than not, if you see me around campus you’ll see this color on my nails. I absolutely adore it. A couple of my friends would steal this polish whenever I decided to paint my nails, and I ended up buying them their own bottles so they wouldn’t always take mine! People are always asking me what color it is and where they can buy it. Despite being quite popular, Call Your Mother is a subtle opaque lavender, a color that won’t make you look like you dipped your fingers in fluorescent paint!
A recent trend in nail colors has been matte polishes or top coats. A matte finish on your nails heavily reduces the shine, which brings about an overall subtler effect. Or, if you happen to enjoy classic polishes, you can’t go wrong with a French manicure!
Do you wear nail polish in the workplace? What colors are appropriate for younger women in college or just graduated? Does your workplace influence which polish you choose to use?
I am working in a lab at the moment and since we wear gloves all the time it would seem like we wouldn’t care much for nail polish. However, I have found that the great thing about working with gloves is that you can be adventurous with the nail polish and it won’t affect your work environment. On the occasion that you do take your gloves off, showing off a nice french manicure is not bad at all. I recently have been wearing the clear coat by itself since it is easier to manage (it’s harder to see that it is coming off etc). Other times I go with a metallic brown, a pearl color, or even a sparkly pink.
Great point! Gloves will also protect your nails from wear in the workplace. I often wear a clear coat of nail strengthener if I don’t want to put on actual polish – the little bit of shine and added protection can’t hurt!