I love wearing nail polish and rarely will you see my fingernails or toenails naked. Typically, I’m a dark nail polish kind of gal. While I have a few dozen nail polish colors, my nails spend most of their time painted a color within a few shades of black or red. However, I’ve always dabbled in wearing nude polish for that chic, fresh look, but it’s been a challenge to find the right nude color for my dark skin. Until now!
Truth be told, I was first attracted to the Sephora by O.P.I. Urban Ballerina collection out of my love for ballet (I take classes, to be discussed in a future post). But then I tested a little of the Leotard Optional color on my nail, and I was intrigued. Thanks to a birthday gift certificate, I took a bottle home, and it’s been my go-to color all summer.
The good: I was already a fan of Sephora’s O.P.I. nail polish formula. The colors I have purchased in the past (Domestic Goddess and I’m With Brad are faves) have a nice, consistent formula with opaque, even coverage in two coats. Unlike many nude polishes I have tried in the past, you can see from my photo that Leotard Optional applies as rich as the color appears in the bottle. The polish has good lasting power and wears well for a week.
The questionable: It’s easy to stain your nails, like with pen ink, while wearing this color. I don’t really consider this a fault of this particular nail polish formula, but it’s just the risk you run with wearing a lighter-colored polish. Also, the first coat may go on uneven, but the second coat makes it all better.
The verdict: For my skin tone, this is the perfect nude. It makes my naturally long fingers look longer, which I love. I may never go back to dark nail polish again! Okay, maybe that’s going too far.
Rating (out of 5): 
Images: Author’s own, Uliana Lopatkina
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