I walk through Grand Central Terminal twice a day, five days a week, and during that portion of my commute, I have a weird little opportunity to take stock of what an enormous swath of New York City is wearing. No matter what the weather, almost everyone’s wearing something dark, year-round. New Yorkers are famously more prone to black attire than some other locales, but nearly everyone has an oversupply of his or her preferred dark neutral in the closet. That means that spring’s trend for pastels is going to be a little bit difficult for most of us, but the best way to ease into the look is with a light nail polish.
Pastel nail polish has a way of making nails look neat and hands look tan, and even if the idea of a pale pink polish seems a little too traditional for you, a blue or green might feel more natural. My favorite manicure has been pale blue for most of the past year, and I’m the furthest thing you could imagine from a lover of pastels. A polish is a good way to dip your toes, both literally and figuratively, into any kind of color trend because of the limited real estate and expense you’re investing. To get you started, we’ve included some of our favorite pastel nail colors below. (Plus a few coordinating cosmetic bags, because you need something to carry it all, right?)