OPI Nail Polish in Lincoln Park After Dark and Ski Teal We Drop

I don't get fake or fancy nails, but I do love a good mani/pedi. They get rid of all your nasty cuticles, paint your nails in a way that doesn't look totally busted (like I do at home), and give your paws a nice mini-massage. If you're not into elaborate nail art and you're just into losing three pounds of cuticles and slapping on a new coat of paint, you can get a pretty decent manicure on the cheap. I went to a place yesterday, as a walk-in, and got a great looking mani/pedi for $29. I even got a compliment on it last night! Then again, they could have just been impressed with my fabulous color choices.

I've been in love with OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark for years. It's the perfect deep purple/almost black, and it looks great on just about every skin tone (even my albino Casper skin). I used to always get LPAD on my fingers and toes, to the extent that once, when I picked out a different color, the manicurist said, "You're not getting your color?" That, and I bring my own bottle of LPAD in case the salon doesn't have any in stock. That's devotion.

Ski Teal We Drop, also by OPI, is a new discovery. I originally saw it on Pinterest, and I was intrigued. Then I found it at the nail salon and decided to give it a try. Then we fell in love. SKWD is a dark teal color, but not cartoonish/trashy way you'd imagine if I said, "I got the greatest teal nail polish!" It's a beautiful fall color, but I imagine I'll wear it well into other seasons. I like that it's more interesting than my usual polish, but is in the same family and compliments the LPAD that I still get on my toes. I never thought I'd be endorsing a teal (teal!) nail polish, but there you go. It has captured my heart.

The two colors compliment each other beautifully, but they're also pretty enough to use on both your fingers and toes, if that's your jam. (I've read in magazines that it's a faux pas to get matching fingers and toes unless the color is classic red or dark purple or another "neutral" nail color. I say do what you want.) Nail polish is a subjective thing, but I can tell you, these colors will not let you down.

OPI Nail Polish in Lincoln Park After Dark and Ski Teal We Drop: $8 each