Polish up

This summer has saturated everything with color and the best part is that mix and match is definitely in. Since recessionista fashion loves the cheap accessory, I offer up the suggestion that you make nail polish your bling investment for the season. (Plus you're saving on the salon visits if you DIY.)


The beautiful jewel tones in coral, turquoise and royal blue take some careful coordinating to make sure you don't take on a 'Tuncan Sam' look. But if you have a little more time on your hands (ahem, recently unemployed friends), you can try on the whole rainbow on hand at a time.

Various celebs have been spotted sporting the ring finger painted in a complimentary color, but lately some have taken it a step further.

While we all know The Hills/City girls seem to exist in a self-tanner-induced fashion world of their own, their style is undeniable. (You can't run your fingers through your hair without running into an LC side braid.) The paint swatch look has great potential - in my opinion.

Try it in subtle shades at first. Bring back the plumy purple that was the shade this past winter, only soften it into shades from lavender to lilac to mauve. Tone down that electric yellow with a sunny range from tangerine to butter. And translate the nude trend into a polish pallet of beige with tones in pink, gray and tan.

OPI has a great collection with subtle steps between colors. If you don't want to shell out $9 apiece for five nearly-identical polishes, try the $4.50 options at Icing or, better yet, mix your own.