Tips on Tuesday: Back to the Business Basics

Tips on Tuesday is back! 

A friend recently suggested I do a post about nail colors that are appropriate for a job interview or the [conservative] office. I thought this was such a great idea and never would have thought of it myself!

This will be a bit of a series, since this also extends to colors that are appropriate for 

special occasions (weddings, first communions, dances and the like). 

It is almost graduation season and I am sure many people are hunting for internships or jobs. 

You might also be preparing for interviews with potential admissions counselors at undergrad or graduate schools. It is surprising the things potential employers will notice and I think it is important to have, at the very least, clean nails. 

When preparing your nail color decision for one of the above events, I would recommend you always go very conservative and neutral. 

Never go Bright, Bold or Brave. 

No blues, no greens, no blacks and never, never red.

Red has a very negative connotation surrounding it, and you simply do not know the interviewers background. Red is too sexy and simply just isn't an interview or first day on the job kind of color. 

When in doubt, file your nails nice, brush on a clear coat and call it a day.

I have compiled a swatch list here of my absolute favorite nudes that are 100% appropriate for any formal situation. 

First up is OPI Barefoot in Barcelona. 

This is a light brown warm nude, slightly darker than my skin tone, 

but still light enough to be considered "barely there".

I may have mentioned before that OPI is one of my favorite polish brands. 

All of the nudes I will be showing you today, are OPI. 

I love the formulas on all these polishes. I don't want to repeat the formula for each swatch, so I will say it here. These all went on perfect, opaque in 2 moderate coats. Average Dry time. The brushes on all of my OPI's are perfect and get even, neat coats.

Barefoot in Barcelona is shown here with

 2 coats and no top coat.

This is a great nude if you wanted a bit more of a darker shade, just enough to be noticeable.

Up next is Tickle My France-Y.

This is my favorite nude that I own (and I have a lot)! It is a cool nude and has no pink undertones, which I find a lot of nudes tend to have.

Shown here is 3 coats. France-y is opaque in 2 coats, but because it was so light, I wanted to show the true color as best as I could.

Next I have a bit more of a peachy nude to show you.

This is Hopelessly in Love. When compared side by side, this seems to be my least favorite of the bunch, but I truly love this color on its own. I think this heads into the pinks category however, the warm peachy-ness of the color is what compliments my skin tone nicely, so I still consider it to be a nude.

None of these shades are flashy, distracting or in your face. 

They are subtle nudes that give a hint of color and a nice shine to your nails.

I used 3 coats here, to show the true color of the polish. 

My goal was to show you 3 different nude shades that can compliment many skin tones. 

It might take a couple of tries to find a great one that you absolutely adore, but you will find it!

What nude shades are your favorite? Do you have a go-to formal wear polish?

Let me know in the comments!