Mani-pedi parties or manicure and pedicure parties are a great way to get a bunch of your girlfriends together for hours of bonding and pampering. It’s a popular option for many bridal parties the day before the wedding, but can also be thrown for someone’s birthday, or as a fun bachelorette send-off. To provide you and your friends with the most fun experience possible, it’s best to pick up a wide variety of colors and finishes so that there’s a perfect bottle for everyone in your group. Below is a nail polish guide to help you navigate the drugstore aisles.
Cream
Cream finish or crème lacquer is the most common finish available – which also makes it the most popular. You can consider these nail polishes as the standard baseline: in essence, they’re a pure solid color with no additives or special properties like glitter or metallic pigment. They have a thick consistency which makes them a breeze to apply, and they dry down to a smooth, shiny surface. They’re also the most versatile polishes, suitable for any occasion and available in all the colors of the rainbow and everything in between. Missha’s Self Nail Salon is Missha’s in-house nail line – they have a beautiful array of crème finish nail polishes to choose from.
Matte
Matte is a recently trendy finish on everything from car paint, smartphones, liquid lipsticks and yes, nail polish. Matte finish nail polishes dry down without any shine and provides a solid, muted color that is as versatile as cream lacquer. However, they can be much harder to apply and require special handling to use without causing unattractive streaks. They’re also a little more prone to chipping since you’re supposed to apply them without a base or top coat to get the best-mattified results. If you don’t want to shell out for a dedicated matte polish, certain brands have mattifying top coats that will strip the shine off any nail polish that you already own.
Glitter
As the name suggests, glitter polishes are nail polish with glitter in them, usually suspended in a clear base liquid. The glitter comes in many shapes and sizes, and some bottles may contain multi-colored glitter, two-toned glitter, or just one glitter color. They’re usually used in conjunction with other nail polishes – if you want to add some attitude and pizzazz to your usual cream nail polish, polish it off with a coat of glitter polish for a bit of sparkle. While they may be a little too bright and bold for everyday use, they’re great for nights out at the club, where the glitter can catch the light.
Suede
What happens when you take a matte polish and add some shimmer? The result is a finish called suede, and it’s perfect for those who love the look of matte but can’t deal with how streaky matte polish can get and how hard it can be to apply. It’s also great for those who want to add just a touch of texture to their matte polish, or those who desire more interesting colors that you can’t often find made in matte. It dries down smooth and luxurious, and come in tones that are subtle and workplace-appropriate or as bold as you want them to be.
Shimmer
Shimmer polishes are about as common as cream nail polishes, and there isn’t much of a difference between the two. Where cream lacquer is a solid color with no additives, shimmer polish is made with a cream base and tiny micro glitters that create the “shimmer”. It can lend a little more sophistication to your look than a simple cream polish.
Holographic
Holographic polishes contain prismatic, iridescent pigments that give off a rainbow effect when they catch the light. You can achieve this on-trend look by using holographic glitter nail polish or going the extra mile and investing in chrome powders specifically made for the purpose.
A mani-pedi party can be a blast for everyone, regardless of the occasion. If you’re hosting, try to prepare a rich array of nail polish types and finishes to cater to every attendee’s personality. If you’re attending, a good way to add to the fun is by bringing your favorite colors and introducing your girlfriends to their next favorite nail polish.
