Considering I’m someone who doesn’t have particularly great nails, I spend a lot of time scrolling through Instagram, saving down every nail trend shot that comes my way. However, despite spending the last year pinning and saving every intricate nail-art pic and bright rainbow mani on my feed, the truth is that I like to play it safe with my nail looks. From muted beiges to barely-there pinks, I’m all about minimalism.
And that has never been truer than it is right now. Without having my go-to nail technicians on hand to execute my mani looks of dreams, I am more inclined than ever before to reach for muted, sheer formulas that complement my shaky application skills. Luckily for me, it just so happens that such polishes are having a serious moment right now, with well-preened, perfectly polished, and bare-looking nails taking centre stage (and proving a welcome relief for us minimalists after a year of rainbow brights being everywhere we looked). In fact, one particular muted polish is having a serious moment.
It seems like just about every fashion and beauty girl on my feed right now is snapping up Dior’s Base Coat Abricot. And its popularity is showing, with retailers selling out of the stuff left, right, and centre. The reason for this frenzy? Nail expert of the moment (and manicurist to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, no less) Harriet Westmoreland. After many months of maximalist nail trends, Westmoreland’s flawlessly muted nail looks have been all beauty buffs can talk about. And yep, you guessed it—she has been singing the praises of Dior’s Base Coat Abricot, calling it “A perfect natural polish’” in her Instagram posts.
I’ve got to admit that I’m sold. Trying to find the perfect sheer polish that doesn’t deliver too much pigment and leaves nails looking naturally healthy and preened is no mean feat (trust me—I’ve spent years trying to find it), and it seems Dior unintentionally hit the nail on the head. Though it is technically a base coat to be used under your polish of choice, Westmoreland simply applies three coats of the base on its own and finishes up with a gel-finish topcoat to achieve the ultimate super-shiny, natural-looking mani.
So if you’re anything like me and are desperate to embrace the new low-key, minimal nail aesthetic, look no further. After years of testing and trialling every blush-coloured polish around, I can officially say my search is over. Not too sheer (but by no means opaque), not too pink (and definitely not beige either), and perfectly layerable, it turns out that the dream polish does exist.
