Green Is the New Black! Why You’re About to Fall in Love with Emerald Nail Polish

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve worn nail polish in the past year or two. Poring over images of minimalist beauty icons like Charlotte Rampling and Lauren Hutton, I became obsessed with the allure of a chic, bare nail. It wasn’t until I came across a photo of a ’90s-era Linda Evangelista, lensed by Steven Meisel, that I realized that, somewhere down the line, I had forgotten that beauty—and fashion—can be fun and wild and wacky. In this photo, set against a muted sage backdrop, a young Evangelista sits cross-legged on the floor wearing nothing but a sequined emerald halter-top, thigh-high pantyhose, and pearl sandals. Her choppy bob is accented by a wash of light lime-color shadow across her lids and metallic green nails.

A few weeks after discovering the image—and still thinking about it—I was strolling through the Duty Free section in the Mexico airport when something caught my eye. There it was: Chanel’s new Emeraude vernis, an almost exact dupe for Evangelista’s green lacquer, calling me like a siren. And, as I held the glossy bottle in my hand, turning it over and letting the light pick up its many shades, I wondered if green and I were truly meant to be. You see, I’ve had my nights with sparkles and my affair with blues. I’ve dabbled in yellows and oranges, and even flirted with dark violet. There will certainly always be a time for feminine pinks and classic reds. But green? That is one color I can say assuredly has never crossed my fingers. Nevertheless, I said sayonara to my clean, buff nails and painted it on. Not only was I stunned by how much I wanted to wear the unapologetically bold color, but also by how much I liked to wear it. It seemed perfectly suited to summer, pairing well with bronzed limbs, recalling the sea or a lush, verdant countryside.

And it turns out I’m not the only one who’s taken a surprising liking to the hue. “I put on a limey green shade and was shocked by how flattering it was,” manicurist Madeline Poole admits. “Green has a lot of personalities. A dark hunter green feels really classic and preppy, while a pastel chalky mint green feels really youthful. A bright green, like Sally Hansen’s I-Rush Luck is so saturated and potent that it will work better with more casual, colorful wardrobe palettes.” Which gets me to my next point. With my newfound obsession with the venomous color, not only was I throwing my minimalist beauty conventions away, but I was also suddenly inspired to ditch my classic, neutral everyday wardrobe (vintage Levi’s, loafers, button-downs) and don my weirdest and wackiest clothes—all at once.

It’s a feeling that seems to be percolating in fashion right now. At Gucci’s Resort 2017 show, Alessandro Michele sent the models down the runway in a kaleidoscope of colors, patterns, and textures, each look stamped with its own personal beauty signature. Perhaps this is mine.

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