Spring is finally here, and with it comes a new palette of colors to dominate the season’s fashions and, of course, nail polishes. But the hue that reigned supreme on the catwalks wasn’t your typical warm-weather vivid pink or hot yellow; instead, the shade du jour, lavender, spoke quiet volumes—whether dusty and delicate (as seen at Max Mara) or brilliant and luminescent (as seen at Tom Ford). The sublime pastel, a toned-down variation of 2018 Pantone Color of the Year Ultra Violet, seems poised to knock millennial pink off of its pedestal, giving nail art lovers a shade they can partner with a slew of quirky hues to create manicure designs that serve up seriously on-trend beauty. Here, we pair spring’s freshest lavender polish picks with catwalk-approved colors and, with the help of resident NAILPRO nail artist Sigourney Nuñez, craft simple nail art designs that dare you to experiment with lavender.
Ultralight Lavender
Whisper-soft and cool, this hue buddies beautifully with an offbeat palette of colors—think: cognac, aqua, kelly green, teal and maroon.
Dusty Lavender
Warm in tone, this hue harmonizes with other neutral shades, like muted gray, blush, tan and sparkling cream, and makes a monochromatic impact with Pantone’s Ultra Violet.
Bold Lavender
As vivid as it is calming, this bright pastel plays the perfect partner to a gamut of colors, like hot pink, like-minded orchid, punchy peach, inky black and sandy beige.
What do you think of the lavender nail looks? Let us know in the comments below!
-by Karie L. Frost
This article was first published in the March 2018 issue of NAILPRO
[Images: fashion from Getty Images, nail art from Brooks Ayola]
