5 Nail Polishes Every Girl Should Own!

Sometimes I look at my absurdly large nail polish stash and think “do I REALLY need all this nail polish?”. Of course, the answer is no. Realistically, a girl can get away with having only 5 nail polishes if they are the right 5 nail polishes.

Each individual nail polish will be a little different depending on the person but one in every category below the jump is a definite necessity. Leave a comment with your 5 must have polishes!

1. The Perfect Red: Just like everyone needs a perfect red lipstick, everyone also needs a perfect red nail polish. Whether it be a creme or it  be shimmery, one that compliments your skintone perfectly is a must. If you are cool toned, reds with blue undertones are the best place to start. For those that are warm toned, a red with yellow or orange undertones will work best. A couple fairly universally flattering reds OPI I’m Not Really a Waitress and wet n wild Red Red. A red that is great for cool skintones is OPI Perfectly Red and a good option for warmer skintones is OPI Bullish on OPI.

2. Vampy: Thanks to Chanel Vamp, vampy nail polishes are now considered a staple. Every girl needs a go to vampy polish in her collection. Whether it be a deep red creme like Essie Wicked or OPI Mrs. O’Leary’s BBQ, or a shimmery option like OPI Royal Rajah Ruby. They great thing about vampy shades is they are, for the most part, universally flattering. Much less work than trying to find the perfect red!

3. Nude or Light Pink: As much as I’d like this not to be a must have, it is. Everyone needs a perfect nude or light pink polish for the conservative occasion. Now, when I say nude polish, I don’t mean nude as in a mannequin hand nude polish, but a sheer polish that gives your nails a polished but not overdone look. I prefer a little shimmer for this look, and one of my favorite universally flattering options is OPI I’m a Princess, You’re Not!. For cool toned girls, a light pink is often a better option. One of my favorites is OPI Pink Before You Leap.

4. Metallic: This may not be in everyone’s must have polish list, but I think it’s an important part of a collection because metallic polish goes with anything. Metallic polishes are also appropriate for most occasions, whether it be a night out or a trip to the grocery store. Once again, what metallic is best for you will be entirely dependent on your skintone. Bronze and yellow golds look best on warm skintones, where as silvers and rose gold look best on cooler skintones. A great metallic for warm skintones is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Bronze Ablaze. My personal favorite for cool skintones is Orly Rage. A good neutral metallic is OPI Lucerne-tantly Look Marvelous.

5. Wild Card: No collection is complete without a polish that’s a little out there. Whether it be a super bright neon, or a pastel creme or even a chunky glitter. The point of nail polish is to have a little fun, right? And that’s why we’ve reviewed hundreds of polishes on this site alone. Nail polish can be a creative outlet as well as a fashion statement and accessory. And the best part about nail polish is….it’s not permanent. If you hate it, you can take it off! And you didn’t spend a fortune on it.

Don’t forget to leave your 5 must have polishes in a comment below!