Mannequin hands



Mannequin Hands

I thought I would have a difficult time choosing a nude polish to match my skin. Nudes can easily be too orange or too yellow, too gray or drab, too light or too dark...you know what I mean.  When trying to match specific colors it's often trial and error.  When I decided to find my own mannequin hand polish I expected to have a difficult experience, but found it to be easier than I thought.

"What are mannequin hands and why would I want them?"  you ask?  Well, it's simple.  A mannequin hand manicure is a manicure in which the polish closely resembles the color of your skin.   Mannequin hands were popular around 2010.  The idea is that matching polish to your skin tone gives the illusion of longer slimmer hands.  Also, it's the most work appropriate manicure next to French tips.  This manicure can be versatile when topped with a glitter, jelly or other top coat effect.  Since skin tones may deepen in the summer or lighten in the winter, it's a good idea to have two colors, just like you may have more than one foundation.  One for when you're tanned and one for the rest of the year.

I easily found my winter and summer tan nude polishes.
My luck came in the form of a little bit of research and a single trip to Ulta.

First, I checked out the Zoya and OPI web sites.  I found a few colors that I thought might work for me.  Then I narrowed it down to two.  I never like to pay full price and I don't want to travel near and far to hunt down a polish so I hit my trusty fallback,  EBay.  That's where I found my new best friend 'Flynn'  I got a pretty good deal for her too,  almost half the store price.  Then, because I rent camping space right outside the Ulta store (meaning that I practically live there) I headed to my second home where I accidentally lucked up on an O.P.I. polish that was just what I wanted.  I scanned the shelves feverishly, hunting for a good match (and I tell you, there were no tan nudes anywhere to be seen)  Giving up my search, I turned away from the polish display and found my perfect tan.  Lo and behold, it was the exact polish I wanted!  What luck!  'Going My Way or Norway' was going my way right into my already ridiculous collection.  See, lucky right?

So, for my tanned summer complexion I came up with 'Going My Way or Norway' by OPI from the Nordic collection that came out some years ago.  My other polish was 'Flynn' by Zoya.  Both polishes look great! Here are the results.

'Flynn' by Zoya

'My way or Norway' by OPI

I find the mannequin hand look to be a refreshing change from my usual garish, glittery, colorful manicures.  It would draw a lot less attention at the office.  However, when it comes to my nails, "work appropriate" doesn't apply to me.  It's understood and accepted at the office that if my nails aren't bold or don't sparkle, then something's not right and they should probably send me home...or to a doctor.

                                                                Need I say more?

Playing with my new babies, I found the OPI to be thick, but not goopy.  It went on smoothly, with no chance of streaking.  I could get away with one coat, but I wear two.  The Zoya was of a thinner consistency, but went on just as well.  The formula was what you would expect from Zoya.

What do you think about mannequin hands?  Will you search for you perfect nude or have you already found it?  Let's chat, comment below.