favorite summer nail polish

Before I get into this particular post, let me just tell you a major side effect of reading fashion and beauty blogs. I think every blogger (or blog reader) has that one item that they never seemed to “need” for the first 20 years of their life… but, now all a sudden, they find themselves obsessing over. For me, it’s definitely nail polish. Something about those bright shades of colors all in a row on display staring me down when I walk in a store. It just sucks me in. Anyways. Now for my favorite colors for the summertime! For me it’s all about the pastels (shocker!) and neons. I’ve somehow narrowed it down to nine colors, so here they are: 

1. Gargantuan Green Grape by OPI: I wanted to start with this polish because it is my absolute favorite right now. This is a bright mint green color. It’s the perfect mint without being too much on the nails. You really only need one coat for complete opacity. Love love love. Did I mention this is my favorite? 

2. Shocking Pink by China Glaze: If you want that perfect neon pink for summer, this is it. It looks so good on tan skin. The name hits the nail on the head. It’s definitely BRIGHT, so I have only worn this on my toes. Great consistency and opaque in one coat. I highly recommend this one!

3. Coastal Surf by Revlon: I’m not big on blue nail polish. I bought this one on a whim at Target when I had a coupon and didn’t really see any other colors I wanted. So I guess I decided to buy blue (even though I’m not a fan of blue polish)..? See what I mean by buying things you never “needed” before? Anyway, I love this one. It’s a nice summertime blue color without looking tacky.

4. Play Date by Essie: It’s hard to describe the exact color of this polish. To me, it’s a bright-kind-of-pastel purple. I really love this one because it’s super opaque in just one coat.

5. Fear or Desire by Essie: Pantone says that Tangerine Tango is the 2012 Color of the Year. I don’t think I own any true orange colors other than this one. This is a GREAT tangerine tango color. Looks great on the toes and is very opaque in one coat.

6. Cute as a Button by Essie: I admit that sometimes I buy polishes because they have cute names. Luckily, this is a cute name AND an awesome "coral pink" polish. It’s opaque and looks so pretty on the nails.

7. Van D’ Go by Essie: There’s something about the pale peachy-pink colors that get me. I have way too many. But this is my favorite! … for now J

8. A Cut Above by Essie: I honestly do not like glitter nail polishes. They can look nice, but I find them very difficult to remove. This one is an exception. I LOVE this glitter polish. It’s great for layering over a pale pink or gold color. I usually wear this on just one nail as an “accent.” Saves the headache of removing the glitter and it looks really nice as just an accent!

9. Alpine Snow by OPI: Every girl needs a good red and pink polish in their collection. But, what about a white? I don’t really wear just white polish, even though it's a trend right now. But it’s a good idea to keep a white in your collection. Use white as a base coat, then layer one of those sheer polishes you have (but hardly wear because you thought it was too sheer). The white polish will help any polish appear true to color. 

What polishes do you wear most in the summer? Let me know!