Charlotte: So you’ve thought about your bouquet and your barnet and your shoes….but what about your nails? a neat and un-fussy coat of pale pink? or maybe something a little more daring such as a deep sexy purple… or how about some kind of two-tone monochrome with glitter and rhinestones?? (Ahem – got a wee bit carried away there.)
I was always going to have a sophisticated french tip for W-day then last minute (and after seeing my sisters statement hot magenta) I decided to go for a bold bright coral. The shade in question was number 75 by Biosculpture, a gel like coating that lasts for ages without chipping or fading (mine usually last a good three weeks before I require infills) and I would highly recommend the treatment. Biosculpture manicures and pedicures are available at beauty salons around the UK and will see you right through Honeymoon – expect to pay between £30 and £35 for a full set.
If I was in the position of choosing now, and especially if I was having a winter affair, I would be opting for a pretty mid-tone grey (as I type I am currently sporting Biosculpture gel in number 115 – “Eclipse” and I LOVE it)… or maybe even a dark charcoal such as Jessica’s Fishnets and Fringe.
And for spring? a delicious duck egg blue such as Nail Inc’s nail polish in Haymarket.
Jenny: I was a bit lazy and didn’t give my nails much thought, I am lucky that one of my closest friends is a beauty therapist, and she decided to come round the night before our nuptials and pamper me to within an inch of my life. I had considered being bold and having a colour on my talons, but then I bottled it and went for the standard bridal nail colour….french.
The only other colours I love to wear on my nails are super dark which I didn’t feel was appropriate for my wedding day.
My nails were manicured into a lovely squoval shape, quite short in length because I can’t function with long nails, and the polish lasted until I was almost back from mooning in Thailand. I had the OPI manicure, and I might treat myself to another quite soon because I have gnarly dry Mummy hands at the moment!
Vix: I have no idea what I will be a wearing on my fingers and toes for W-day, I do love a white tip on short square nails and at least it would “go” with everything but my favourite colour of all is a black red such as Chanels Rouge Noir. I recently discovered a deep cherry red by Nails Inc aptly named Victoria (!) which is really shiny, they also do a muted mushroom shade called Porchester Square which might be a nice balance between having something neutral but still a bit of colour….
Decisions decisions…. at least I have another 10 months to finally make my mind up!
Charlotte: So lovelies, what are you wearing on your fingertips for the Big Day? are you opting for your all-time favourite hue (and yes you MUST tell us what it is whether you are wearing it W-day or not) or are you going for pale and oh-so-interesting? And are you attempting to do it yourself (I worship at the ground of anyone that can paint their own well) or are you seeking to include some talon glossing in your general pre-wed beauty pampering?
Please feel free to provide links to our favourite polishes in the comments section below as you know…we may want to treat ourselves later.
Big If In Doubt You Could Always Go For Greige Love
Team RMW xx
P.S My coral can be seen here if you fancy a butchers.
Much to my little sister’s horror I had bright blue nails for my wedding. She was quite insistent that it wasn’t very weddingy and couldn’t I be nice and bridal for one day, but I went to get my nails done on my own so bright blue it was (matched my union jack shoes quite nicely!)
My favourite nail colour is probably OPI Russian Navy – first time I had a manicure I got this colour and immediately bought a bottle of it so I could do it myself at home. Otherwise I tend to go for red or coral mainly. Bought a lovely red for Christmas – I think it was 17 and is called Ruby Dazzle – a lovely red with fine red glitter in it too – very festive
Always keep my nails really short these days altho they are very strong so I can grow them quite long when I want to. Life is too busy to be worrying about breaking a nail though!
I tend to do my nails myself but the day before my wedding my mum told me to get booked in to get them done, and I’m glad I did as it gave me some quiet time on my own without crowds of family and friends “trying to help” – it was nice to have some time to just think about the following day.
Charlotte – I think if I’d not seen your lovely coral nails for your wedding I would have probably ended up with french manicure and hated it!
xx
French manicures scare me…and even more so when people have them on their toe nails…I do not know why but I cannot help looking at them and thinking about Tippex (other liquid correction products are available)…or Coleen Rooney…
I wear gel nails all the time…I LOVE going getting them done at the salon but colour wise, I do not deviate from the following shades (even in summer):
Black
Blood Red
Mucky Grey
I find dark colours look so much neater and chic – personal opinion obviously, but as soon as I have newly black nails, I instantly feel like Nicole Ritchie circa 2010…amazing.
The colours you’ll see on my w-day are a bit of art deco mismatched heaven…however black, blood red or mucky grey don’t come into it anywhere…but what the hell…they’re my nails…and I’m going on honeymoon pretty much straight away…so they’ll probably be black. Not very bridal perhaps but if Carrie Bradshaw can stick a bird on her head…I can have black, neat, square (always square, not round!) nails.
The only other shade I may consider would be an art deco inspired sea-foam but I am scared I may look like I have some kind of fungal infection.
Wow – that is a long post about nails. Sorry.
@Lady Fushia – I love blue nails, Chanel do a fab colour called Blue Satin that my Mum bought me one Christmas.
@Pamela – Never apologise for long comments, we love them. And I think black would look very chic, apart from my summer coral I too stick to darker shades on short square nails, mid-tone grey, a rich coffee brown or a charcoal. I am looking forward to trying that duck egg blue though (hoping it won’t look like a fungal infection…)
Charlotte xxx
Mum wanted me to have a french manicure, and I think some of my older relatives/friends were surprised that I didn’t have one… but I’ve never had one so I wasn’t going to start for W-Day!
I had a lovely grey which was mixed at Nails Inc – it was similar to the Biosculpture gel and called the three week manicure… it lasted me a month too, so was perfect for honeymoon!
Would definitely recommend the Nails Inc 3 Week Manicure to anyone!
xoxo
Red red red red red!
It’s what I wear all the time, and will match my red lippy.
Picked up Nails Inc’s Victoria and Albert, which is a really bright shocking scarlet, and their Kensington Caviar topcoat.
My and my glamoupuss bridesmaids will do our own nail the night before, as a sort of wind down exercise!!!
My favourite ever is the Barry M charcoal grey. I’d really love to stick with that for W-Day and it fits in with the colour scheme pretty well.
But I’m debating whether to go all bridal or not. Decisions decisions.
Loves, R xx
@Katie – I think you may have my favourite bridal nails in the whole of the world, the colours they mixed were immense.
@Colene – I am loving the sound of a bright shocking scarlet!!
@Rachel – You MUST have that Barry M charcoal grey (I know the one you mean) and wear it with a massive hair do….
Charlotte xxx
I had my first Shellac manicure before Christmas and loved it, will defo be getting one of those before I set off for the wedding in italy. I am thinking either bright red (my usual favourite) or a pink to be a bit lighter. I had struggled to find the right sort of pink until I read your ‘ask the expert’ post with Kim Neville and fell in love with the Chanel Rose Insolent which Kim wore x
I went all out and had a shot of hot pink on my talons!
I wanted hot pink shoes and fell in love with an ivory pair so it was my only opportunity to tie in with my colour scheme, I never have a french polish so why would I start just because it’s my W day?? It’s my day, my way
I had a professional manicure a week before the big day and touch up on the day, my manicurist was all set for a french polish and was a little dizzy that a bride finally opted for some colour…..go bold, go bright I say
I’m used to doing pedis (Biosculpture coral for the win!!!) but I’ve never done a mani in my life!
Any suggestions that won’t be too shocking for a manicure-virgin, for my civil ceremony in April? I’ll be wearing an olive-green dress and gold accessories, but I don’t think myself or my husband-to-be will be able to deal with gold nail polish..
Also for my big fat Greek June wedding? I really don’t want French. I think I might just go bare =O
I am thinking a deep berry purple to go with my amazing Christian Loubouting shoes for the big day. My wedding will be in winter (a year and 3 days from today…eek!) so hoping my nails will bring a bit of brightness to what will probably be quite a grey day (weather-wise that is!).
Charlotte, I had bio “eclipse” recently, and I loved it. My “nail lady” does bio and shellac, and I must say, I found shellac works much better for me. Over Christmas I had the most amazing deep purple covered with a fine purple glitter dust, which was then set using the clear top coat, and they looked A.mazing! Very festive and I got so many compliments. My lady does it from home and only charges £18 with soak off for shellac and around £25 for bio. I love her!!
For the wedding, I was originally going to go for French, but i’ve now decided colour is the way forward. We have a rather loose colour scheme of teal and vivid purple, so I think I’m going to go for one of those.
I’m torn between navy & a standard French!
I have been racking my brains to try to decide what colour to wear at my wedding, I am wearing some peep-toe nude (with pink tone) coloured heels and cannot for the life of me decide, french manicure is a no no, partly because I think it looks a bit dated and I haven’t ever understood it on toes and also because I have a phobia of unvarnished toe-nails. Any ideas lovely people?!
I went on a search for a shimmery goldy, champagne, oyster-ish colour for my wedding that I thought didn’t exist. Then I found the perfect one on eyes lips face for the bargain price of £1.50!
http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~62.htm
It was called Moonlight and I just used one coat so it was more like a shimmer than a solid colour but I think a few coats would be fab too. Unfortunately I have no idea where it is so I have to wait until it’s back in stock!
@Laura – good choice, I thought Kim’s nails looked gorgeous.
@Ashleigh – couldn’t have put it better myself
@Christina – How about a chic biscuit-esque shiny beige? works well with gold but is discreet enough to not distract your husband whilst saying the vows…
@Jo – I think deep berry purple sounds ace, do you have a particular shade/brand in mind?
@Lauren A – Hello nail twin!!! and this Shellac sounds fab – especially for £18?! how long do they last without chipping/peeling?
@Colette – *whispers so as not to appear biased*…navy navy navy
@KIt – How about a pretty blush that is a little bit deeper than your shoe colour? or a pale grey – pale grey looks gorgeous with nudey pink peep toes, I like Nails Inc in Southbank…..
http://www.nailsinc.com/nailpolish/the-southbank-polish/564
Charlotte xxx
I’m torn between a soft bridal peachy pink (like Essie Sandy Beach), Essie Chinchilly (a kind of greige) or one of my favourite brights, like coral or hot pink. I’ve got till August to decide, I’ve paid for me, my mum and bridesmaids to have manicures and pedicures the day before!
I too had the NailsInc 3 week manicure and it was the best decision, they lasted the big day and the honeymoon and normally I chip my nails within about 5 mins of painting them :-s
I had really vintagey pinks and peachs for my wedding and nearly went for something to match, but I usually wear Chanel mud varnishes (I have about 10 that are all a variation on greige, brown or black and I love them) and I didn’t want to have nails for 3 weeks that weren’t very me.
So I went for the NailsInc version of my favourite nail varnish ever- Chanel Rouge Noir, still Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction is the coolest girl in the world and looking back at my wedding photo’s I’m still so happy I stuck with what was me rather than something ‘wedding’
I’m 3 1/2 months to go and happily in experimenting stage so I have a laqa nail pen in a nude colour and Chanel rogue noir. My idea is nude nails, except ring finger which will be in the Chanel and all with a smidgen of gold glitter on the tip. When the gold arrives through the post I’ll see how it goes!
I love Orangey Pink, Corally Pink, Fushia, Pinky Red moving towards darker shades Red nails… I love them vibrant and bright… today I have Corally pink on.
But then also love a dark navy, black, grey or taupey brown…
(ok so basically all colours bar light pearly pinks or clear)
So yep I think I’ll be having some form of bright pink nail for my wedding in June and I have wanted to justify Bio Sculpture since the first time I saw your wedding Charlotte… So I am definately going to be doing that!
ooooh I’m all excited now about getting that done in a few months
oooh and could anyone recommend me the perfect non-shimmery navy nail polish? My current favourite is Nails Inc the Serpentine but I’ve not seen it in real life to try it out. Thanks!
Thanks for the suggestion, Charlotte!
Time to experiment methinks!
Ooh, thanks for that Charlotte, I shall be experimenting, any excuse for some new nail varnish. Kx
I’ve been through a long french phase, and after a good few years of acrylics and destroying my nails, I decided they look cheap and tacky on me. Now, I’m all about the short and square natural on my fingers and something bright on my toes. Love a coral in the summer, Barry M is amazing.
Am undecided for the W-day though… I need a good nude that LASTS for the fingers and an idea for my toes as I’m wearing peeptoe shoes with a grey-ish dress. Perhaps an old-gold colour? Or maybe Nails Inc 340 which is a nice mushroom colour. Hmmm… thoughts?
I’m an artist & I love gardening, so my nails are always a mess. I never wear nail polish & don’t even own any. My biggest challenge will be growing them long enough for a manicure and then not chipping the nail polish!
Charlotte, the longest I got from Shellac was 3 and a half weeks, but in reality it tends to be more like 2 weeks the majority of the time. £18 is incredibly cheap for Shellac, I must say, I’ve never seen it that cheap anywhere else. Which makes me love her all the more!
A little Chanel Le Vernis in ballerina for me, I know it’s not very adventurous but there is thought and feeling behind it! Only now I need to work out what I am to do with my stupid nails taht keep breaking!! Might need to go for a couple of natural gel treatments on the run up, don’t want to have false nails
Does anyone know if they do Shellac in clear as I have heard it also stops your nails from breaking? xx
Oh and if anyone else is considering treating themselves to a little chanel, I popped in to our local department store and as I was browsing the woman came over and really helped me look at the tones and tell me what suited my skin colour etc, in the same way as if I was buying make up!! I hadn’t even thought about it, I was just going to go for something pretty!! But after speaking to her, within 5 mins I was impressed and could totally see what she was saying! x
Well, I don’t have a dress, or shoes, or bridesmaids dresses (no hurry(it’s 9 months) right?!) but I knew from day 1 that I wanted rouge noir fingers. I really don’t like french and I love colour and we’re getting married in November – rouge noir is chic and yet neutral.
Normally I wear nude during the week for easy maintenance because it doesn’t show chips (Revlon grey suede – which isn’t grey, curiously. Or, er, suede of course) and in the winter a dark non-sparkly red (need a new recommendation), navy or Chanel’s Peridot (bronze/green). In the summer it’s mostly orange or bright coral. Or bronze or Peridot.
I don’t like matchy-matchy nails so if I end up with open-toed shoes, I’m going to have to think hard about what to wear on my feet. Maybe bronze, maybe purple… Depends on the colour of my shoes – because they’ll be a colour, not white!
PS I had Shellac – it chipped on day 3. Luckily it was nude and I got away with it for the holiday but I was not happy.
Emma, not sure if there is a clear shellac, the top coat is obviously clear, not sure if you could maybe have a couple of coats of that. But it does come in lots of very subtle, neutral shades.
Oh, ruddy hell – ANOTHER decision to make!
I’m with Pamela on the French manis – they scare me too, unless they are done to look really natural.
Currently feeling the love for grey/taupe or very pale coral, but also love dark cherry red and rose pink.
Did I mention I’m indecisive?
PS: Charlotte – loved that grey on your nails on Sat – didn’t realise Biosculpture did that colour. Beaut
I was thinking of having the Nails Inc 3 Week Maincure – and now I definitely will!!!
And the colour….. Shoreditch!
http://www.nailsinc.com/nailpolish/shoreditch-polish/359/
xxx
@Linsey – you’ve got me all excited over Elf nail varnishes! love them all!
I can’t wear varnish on a day to day basis as we’re not allowed it at work. Likewise I have to have extremely short nails, so wearing it when I have more than 1 day off at a time is a big treat. My mum is insisting she treats me and my sister to a manicure before the wedding (I’m not resisting!). Would love a dark exciting colour like deep purple – but KNOW I would chip it before the wedding, I’m terrible at keeping it on.
Are the Elf varnishes any good? how many coats do they take and (most importantly for miss impatience) how long do they take to dry? I’m loving rimmel lycra varnishes at the moment, dry in seconds and with a huge brush so easier to apply!
Hmm. It would seem I have quite a lot to say on the subject of nail varnish! sorry!
Wow loads of suggestions here! I have not given it enough thought yet, I know I will go for the nails inc three week mani though as there is a champagne nail inc bar just round the corner from our venue! Day before the wedding treat for me my mum and sisters!
I defo won’t be going for french mani look as I have never ever really sported that before so would be odd to do so on the day.
I would like a lovely fresh colour with it being almost spring and will defo be checking out duck egg blue Charlotte!
I also have a lovely lilac shade from Illasmaqua but didn’t really know if it was a bit too sickly lilac if you know what I mean. Maybe dark purple to tie a little bit of colour into the creamy palette on the day and to match the invites but that’s not really fresh! Arrhhhh! Going to have to a shopping trip purely for nails I think!
x
p.s. love the coral nail polish a la O’Shea big day!
I too opted for something different and went for a bold colour!
I’m not that keen on French manis/pedis but always felt that it was more appropriate for my wedding day.
However after a lot of thought-and being inspired by Mrs O’Shea gorgeous coral nails for her wedding-I decided to go for a more bold colour.
I have only ever had 1/2 French polishes-and normally like to wear some colour on my nails-so why change just because it’s my wedding day?!
I went for a new shade-Jessica’s Glamorous Gladiator-on my fingers and toes. It’s a beautiful dark chocolate brown with a lovely shimmer to it. It looked so luxurious and amazing and everytime I look at my wedding photographs it makes me smile.
I’m so happy that I plucked up the courage to go for something a but different
My friend is a beauty therapist and treated me, my mum and my sister to a mani and pedi the day before the wedding-it was a lovely way to relax with a glass of bubbly!
Right now i’m loving ‘City Grey’ Polish from none other than good old M+S-never used it before but I love it!
My favourite summery shade is Chanel Miami Peach (it’s such an amazing colour!) and my new favourite winter shade is Chanel Dragon-a deep red polish that looks great.
I love seeing people with painted nails and one of my New Year’s resolutions is to treat myself to a new nail polish every month. So any recommendations would be greatly received!!
Xx
If any of you ladies are looking for a shimmery shade, check out OPI’s new Spring/Summer Collection (Holland Collection) which is released in February – they look seriously gorgeous!!! (Check out Fashion Polish Blog for fab swatches) I am seriously addicted to nail polish, and although I had an OPI Gel French mani on my w-day, I rocked dark purple on my toes and loved it!
Check out OPI, China Glaze, Zoya, Essie and Barry M (!!) for amazing colour choices!
Donna x
Evening Polish lovers…
@Abi Lady Ha Ha – you won’t regret it pet, I don’t give my nails a second thought when it’s on – I am so clumsy and it still doesn’t chip or split.
@Laura C – loves me a bit of Mushroom, the colour Vix mentioned is really pretty.
@Peridot – are you named Peridot after your favourite Chanel?! I actually bought this shade for a friend for Xmas.
@Mra A -to -be – why thank you! I think it is my favourite – goes with everything!
@Alice – It shouldn’t chip after a day pet, the manicurist should use a decent hard-wearing topcoat. Just avoid any gardening or other strenuous activities!!
@Alex (84) – If you wear Haymarket on W-day you will be my varnish icon. No joke.
@Shell – I have honestly never heard anyone mention M & S polishes, are they really that good? might have to go and have a butchers next time I am treating myself to their fresh soups (M & S soups almost make eating healthily fun..)
@Donna – OPI have the coolest names – and yes I would be tempted to buy something just because it is called “Suzi and the Lifeguard” – isn’t that just the best name ever?!
Charlotte xxx
Coral rocks!! Coralicious by Rimmel is an amazing colour.
When I say French I don’t mean mahooosive, bright white, 1cm big square tips, I mean natural looking short nails with a creamy white short tip – its not scary looking just goes well with the general natural look.
I know I have ages to decide but I think will defo opt for gel as we’re off on H-moon the next day and it will last the entire 2 week hols and will not chip. Has anyone else tried LCN? its awesome. Sadly I can’t afford it at the moment but I will be treating myself for the big day, they do a massive array of colours and I really rate it. Its stronger than gel but not as hard as acrylic. Normal gel just peels off my nails for some reason, this stuff stays put for weeks!!
Vix
xx
He he – the new pink shimmer from opi is called Pedal Faster Suzi!!! Can’t wait to get my hands on all 6 shimmers from the collection & get swatching!!
Donna x
Hi Charlotte-I’ve only tried the one polish from M&S but was suitably impressed-not sure how big their range is but it’s definitely worth a try!
X
evening all! had been starting to think about this! i like to be a bit quirky with things so will definitely be colour. I have however rubbish nails (that like to peel – gross, I know) and have never had a manicure in my life! so shall definitely be treating mum and me! gel nails seem to be winning from what i’m reading so i’ll have to investigate further
@Charlotte That’s the one! My bottle doesn’t have a name on it – it’s deffo Porchester Sq. I love it. That’s it, I’m having that as a 3-week mani on the day. Job done
@Katie
I had mine mixed at Nails Inc too. I went for a lovely pinky/peachy shade-looked lovely with my pink tipped calla lillies, lavender and amnesia rose bouquet. I went with my sis and sis in law and it was the perfect pamper. Nails Inc ain’t cheap but it certainly is one of my fave places to get my nails done!
I am a nail tech and makeup artist and rarely find any brides now getting standard bridey French polish! (This may partly be because I dislike it – I think it rather dated) I work with China Glaze polishes – There are so many options, whether it’s a slight shimmer or translucent glitter, to the colour of the bridesmaids dresses or the “something blue”. I personally think its one of the most important things – everyone wants to see the ring, so why not show it off with some rather fabulous nails to compliment it!
I would suggest to any B2B to take a half hour the day before the wedding and get that mani… It’s a time to unwind, and if there’s any smudges or chips you have plenty of time to get a repair done. The last thing you want is to be sitting waiting for an hour on your day waiting for them to dry then smudge them when getting in to the dress!
I get married in August and am having a really hard time of deciding what to wear myself… I can’t decide on a deep red or a blue, or maybe even nails covered in diamantes…
Decisions decisions!
Wedding day still a very long way away for me, with so many other decisions to be made that I can’t even begin to think about nails yet!
But reading the names of the nails inc polishes it would be very tempting to choose the one closest to the area of London I live in! (Until I realise that it comes out as a vague pink, not very me at all). I have been looking for the perfect navy (no shimmer, no sparkles please) since I got engaged, to complement the colour of the stone in my ring – and it looks like serpentine might be it. I’m also wondering if I could get away with a bright green.
I’ve been wearing a few different colours this winter, my favourites being Indian Ocean from Accessorize, a very vibrant blue that is just so cheerful, bought in the sale for £2. Father Christmas was very kind to put a bottle of no 7 Devil’s delight in my stocking, being the perfect red.
I actually quite like a french manicure look, so long as its done subtly with a pale peachy tip rather than pure dayglow white. I haven’t decided yet for the W-Day but I’ll probably have french on my fingers and hot coral on my toes.
The colour I had on Sat is Hot&Spicy by OPI and I love that so maybe I’ll have that on my toes on W-Day (it will fit in with my colour scheme at least!) and I quite like Revlon 900 Pink Nude at the moment too on my fingers.
I opted for a beautiful rustic orange colour for my wedding day which tied in beautifully with the autumnal theme! I think some people were a little suprised but I’ve never been a French manicure type of girl!
My current fav nail polish has to be Nails Inc, I particulary love the shocking pink one!
X
I’m going a bit crazy and having some nail art from WAH nails. Something bright, vibrant and fun!
loving some of the ideas here! love a fresh painted nail….just so lovely to look down and see perfectly painted nails. I am going to go for lilac. I have a lovely lady coming to do our make-up on the day and a light spray of tan two days before so may get her to do it as she has the calgel which lasts 2-3 weeks so will last throughout the honeymoon, we are leaving the next day. Although i love the Barry M lilac named Berry Ice Cream which I wore it all of last summer, so if the lovely lady Kirsty doesn’t have the suitable shade i will provide her with the Barry M.
I am getting married in August and still need to book my hairdresser and someone to do my nails.
They grow quickly so I don’t need extensions – not sure whether to paint them myself. Love the manicured look with a raspberry pink flower on my wedding ring finger nail… I might be able to pull that off.
Coming rather late to this talon-tastic party but totally inspired to get my nails done all fancy right now! @Ruby, I too love a navy polish now I have a sapphire engagement ring…
On the big day itself, i will be wearing ivory and gold peep-toes, not sure what colour to go for (often like a hot pink on my tootsies). Hands, hmmm….. maybe a neutral? Never heard of griege before but sounds like it might be spot on!