Black Nail Polish: Glam, Not Goth!

What do you think of the color black? To me, it is the color of elegance and sophistication but also represents boldness and rebellion. Black is the color you would see most commonly worn in the corporate setting (apart from blue and grey, of course), by rockstars, in goth culture, by rebels, and of course, in night parties! This color screams classiness and style. But on nails? That’s another matter. Black was, till a few years ago, considered too bold and outrageous to be worn on the nails by an average girl. Black nails were synonymous with darkness and depression. These were flaunted only by girls who were boho, or goth (oh and even by guys – remember black painted nails of the Green Day front-man Billie Joe Armstrong, and even AJ McLean, one of our favourite Backstreet Boy!)

 

Then, all of a sudden, we all woke up to the glam factor of black nails. I remember how I had experimented with this color on my nails, back in my college days, and I had completely hated it! But one fine day, a few years later, my life changed when I saw a girl, almost my age, dressed in business casuals, and wearing black on her digits. She was obviously on her way to work. Nowhere did she look goth or extreme. She looked sheer class! It was that day I realized how well put together this color can make you feel, if worn with the right attitude. From that day, I have never looked back, and you can see me wearing black on my nails a lot.

 

 

 

Of course, not everyone can make this look work. You have to have a slightly edgy personality to be able to carry this bold look on your shoulders. But I give you my tip: even if you don’t have a bit of a rebel hiding within you, wearing black polish can definitely bring that rebel out. It can make you feel all empowered, all dressed up, all proper and glamorous. Some fashion bloggers even call black nails as the LBD (the Little Black Dress, for the uninitiated!) for the nails, as you can never go wrong with it.

 

 

 

 

You really can’t go wrong with this color, as it can be worn with any outfit, any color, and on any occasion. Of course, don’t go to a job interview wearing this! But it can up the glamorous quotient of any dress manifolds.

A few points to keep in mind before painting your nails black:

1. Wear black on nails which are not very long. Extremely long talons painted black look quite weird, to be honest!
2. As a general rule, your nails should be well shaped
3. Black polish particularly flatters square/squoval nail shape
4. Chipped black polish is a strict NO! It looks hideous to say the least

I am listing some of the best available black nail paints in India (and even outside India, most of these are available)

• Maybelline Color Show Blackout: Rs 75 for 6ml

• Colorbar Exclusive 76: Rs 175 for 9 ml

• Lakme Absolute Fast & Fabulous Nail Polish in Night Desire: Rs 200 for 10 ml

• Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Blackout: Rs 250

• OPI Black Onyx: Rs 670 for the standard OPI bottle

• Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Black Satin: USD 27

 

So what are you waiting for, girl! Go buy yourself a bottle, and paint the town black! 🙂

Do you sport black nails? What do you think of this trend? Do comment!

 

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