Nail Polish and the Professional Woman

By Rebecca

Until recently, I have been primarily a nude/pale pink nail polish type of gal. And I still am, to some degree—I love how chips don't show and I love that you look polished but not "out there." But lately, there's been an explosion of beautiful, colorful nail colors that I absolutely love for summertime. Here's one I can't get enough of: Ole Caliente by Essie. It's the most gorgeous orangey, pinky red. Exhibit A:

 

And exhibit B, another Essie color called Go Overboard:

Fantastic, right? But here's my dilemma. Is wearing these colors on my hands...professional? I feel very conspicuous with one of these colors on my hands, but it might just be me and my (overly) conservative nature. Am I overthinking this, or is there something to it?

What's your opinion? Do you wear bright/noticeable nail colors to the office?

{photo credits: amazon.com}

Comments

[Heather]

I do, but I work in a call center, and I am not client facing. I am not sure if that makes a difference. I ALWAYS wear cool, funky colors on my toes, though.

[J]

I vote that the colors are pretty & fun but not very professional for all but the most creative workplaces.

[Anonymous]

It depends. You're probably safe wearing whatever on your toes, but what's your day job?

I'm a lawyer. Those fun colors would definitely not fly. More's the pity.

[Nicole]

I am extremely conservative in my apparel, but I usually do not hold back with my nail color. :)

Usually I'll just gauge what everyone else wears. I started a new office job a few months ago, and the women here will wear jeans (I won't), so I figure I'm all set wearing bright nail polish!

[Caitlin]

I work in a pretty casual office, and I wear whatever I want on my nails. But, I don't meet with clients, and if I have a vendor meeting I'd likely be more conservative (also wouldn't wear jeans to a vendor meeting on a Tuesday, but alas, it's Tuesday and I sit in my office in jeans, nary a vendor in sight!) If you're nervous, I'd say start with a funky color on your toes.

And for what it's worth, I don't think wearing red on your nails is too risky at all. The blue might be, but I think it really depends on your office. The VP of my department - who rarely wears jeans, and usually dresses in business clothes - often has her nails nicely done in red. As long as they're well maintained and look nice, I think it's fine.

[black jeans for women]

The colors look pretty fun:)