There are not many times in your life when your hands will be photographed more than your on your engagement. and your wedding day and it’s nice to have a manicure with a beautiful colour to enhance your nails on the day.

So I tried and tested eleven nail polishes from some of the top label’s bridal nail polish ranges.

ORLY “Kiss The Bride”

Opaque in colour, ORLY’s “Kiss The Bride” is a soft, creamy  pink (akin in some ways to liquid paper) that takes almost three coats to get looking perfect. It’s a high gloss colour that when paired with ORLY’s No Chip top coat lasted a few days and would look lovely in an English Country garden wedding paired with a bouquet of peonies and roses perhaps? The key to this polish is the application, as any imperfections show up quickly. I love the ORLY  bottles’ rubber caps too – it makes it so much easier when you’re trying to open the bottle with wet nails!

 

O.P.I “Hopelessly In Love”

O.P.I’s “Hopelessly In Love”s a a flesh tone pink, with peachy, coral undertones. Three coats gives an opaque coverage while two is a little more subtle. Careful application creates a nice neutral look, though it can be streaky if you rush. This colour would look perfectly at home at a beach wedding.

Sally Hansen “Shall We Dance”

Oh I love the sheer, nude pink of this colour  and it’s my top pick from Sally Hansen. The “Shall We Dance” colour from the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicare range is  gorgeous. It’s subtle enough to give a hint of colour while still being very neutral. One coat of this just gives your nails a gorgeous shine, enhancing your natural nail colour while a few coats adds a lovely soft barely there pink. Building up the layers gives a glossy pale pink. (Plus I am in love with the Sally Hansen wide brush applicator). Go slow and thin with the application though to avoid streaks. This is the varnish for someone who just wants a hint of shine and colour for their wedding day.

O.P.I “Princesses Rule”

“Princesses Rule” is one of O.P.I’s most popular bridal shades. This polish gives the trifecta – sparkle, shimmer and pearl with a candy sweet pink to match. For one or two coats it’s pure shimmer and as you build up the colour a pearly sweet pink shows up. Originally I thought the colour was a little too sparkly for me, but I grew to like it more and more as a sheer but fun option. Perfectly suited for a bride that is perhaps going for a dramatic look and wants something fun, or a casual wedding with plenty of sweet elements.

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength “Blushing Bride”

With a sheer coat, the corally pink sheerness of Sally Hansen’s “Blushing Bride” from the Diamond Strength range is a lovely neutral with a hit of colour. Building up to three coats, the sparkly coral pink becomes a bold metallic (packed with teeny tiny glitter) pink toned copper which would look right at home on a tropical island or for a bride in an over the top dramatic gown. If you’re a fan of metallic, this colour will be right up your alley.

ORLY “Lift The Veil”

ORLY’s “Lift The Veil” is a milky blue-toned pink. I actually love the softness of this pink – which is less candy pink than the bottle makes it out to be. It needs 3-4 coats to get the colour looking smooth and streak free. Definitely a lovely choice if you’re wanting a classic creamy pink on your nails for your wedding day. (I love how fast ORLY polishes dry too, it’s nice not worrying about knocks and dents!)

 

O.P.I “Otherwise Engaged”

O.P.I’s “Otherwise Engaged” is a sheer pearl pink with an unexpected lilac tint to it. I love the glossiness of this and even with three coats it’s still lovely and sheer. This is my pick from O.P.I as I love polishes with a hint of colour that I can build up or leave simply glossy depending on my mood. I love the unexpected lilac tone too – just for something a little different.

Sally Hansen “Honeymoon Red”

One of the weddings I remember the most was a bride who wore red lips and red nails for her wedding day – I loved the vintage vibe it gave her! Sally Hansen’s Diamond Strength “Honeymoon Red” is just the right shade of red – a classic if you will – not too dark, or orange but a clean, clear red that is  gorgeous for the bride who wants bold colour on her wedding day. Red always makes diamond rings look beautifully white too!

 

O.P.I “Altar Ego”

O.P.I tells me “Altar Ego” is Kate Middleton’s favourite nail colour. The soft iridescent pink has a blue pearl to it. Altar Ego is almost clear, but has a unique lilac sheen as you build the colour up. There’s a very fine sparkle which just adds to the lovely glossy finish of this polish. Lovely for winter weddings or if you’re heading towards cooler colour tones.

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength “Fairytale Ivory”

In the bottle, this polish looks like a champagne glitter and for girls that want a neutral sparkle on their wedding day this one is gorgeous – it shines white, shimmery glitter with the smallest amount of flesh tone to enhance your nail colour. I loved the subtlety of this colour (it’s my second pick from Sally Hansen). It gave just enough sparkle to feel like I’d gone to an effort with my nails but the sheer white of the colour looked understated. Plus it makes diamonds look incredibly sparkly!

ORLY “Toast The Couple”

A soft neutral metallic, ORLY’s “Toast the Couple” can be worn sheer or opaque. This one was my top pick from the polishes I tried from ORLY as I loved the sheer skin tone of the one to two layers – a hint of sheen without being too bold. Building up it becomes more of a neutral metallic frosty colour which is still subtle while giving a lovely colour. If you want a nude, pink shimmer on your wedding day – this is your one.

What nail polish is your favourite? What shade will you be wearing on your wedding day?