My Favorite "Edgy Neutrals"

Edgy neutrals are some of my absolute favorite polishes.  I really can't get enough of these purpley-taupe colors.  While I wouldn't say these are really "interview-appropriate" colors, I would definitely say these are safe to wear around the office (unless you work somewhere with a super conservative dress code).  They're perfectly low-key, without being boring in the least.  These types of color have really surged in popularity over the last few years, which I couldn't be happier about!  There's a ton of them out there, but these are five of my personal favorites!  As always, click to enlarge the photos to see the details.

 OPI You Don't Know Jacques - This dark mushroom brown creme has become one of OPI's staple colors, but would you believe I only just got my hands on this about a month ago??  It's so popular, sometimes it's hard to pin down.  Application was good, but it took three coats to really even out.  It's thinner than I would expect from OPI.  The first coat goes on kind of streaky, but it smoothes itself out nicely by coats two and three.  It was originally released as part of OPI's France collection in fall 2008, but luckily, this has become part of the core collection, so for $8.50 you can pick this baby up at your local Ulta.

Sephora by OPI Metro Chic - A purpley-taupe creme dream.  This one is lighter, dustier and more purple than You Don't Know Jacques.  This polish was a HUGE hit when it was released in fall 2008, and has really become the face of the edgy neutrals.  Application is good with this as well.  Usually this is a two coater for me, but my skills were lacking today, so I used three.  This is only available at Sephora, and for whatever silly reason you'll pay $9 for it instead of the standard $8.50 for OPI.  The brand has been affectionately abbreviated "$OPI" in the nail polish community.  I don't see any difference between pigmentation or application between the $OPIs and the regular OPIs, but at least know that it'll be $0.50 more well spent!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mystic Lilac - I would put this polish in my top five polishes of all time - I love it that much!  It's a dusty lilac purple with the most gorgeous contrasting green shimmer.  It sounds like it would be the most awful color combination, but look at it!  It's beautiful!  Application is smooth, but in order to really allow the green shimmer to show through, it has to be very sheer.  Therefore, this is definitely going to be a three-coater.  I've seen some get away with fewer when layering it over another color (Sally Hansen XW Concrete is popular), but I prefer it all by it's gorgeous self.  The downside is that this was released this fall as part of a limited edition seasonal collection.  It can be a little hard to track down now, but if you can, I'd highly suggest it!  It's the only polish I have a backup of, and I'm thinking of trying to hunt down at least two more!  lol

Revlon Perplex - Look familiar?  It's because it's an exact dupe of Chanel's super popular fall release Paradoxal!  I hunted this sucker down something fierce.  I went to six CVS's in one day about a mont ago with no luck.  Turns out I just jumped the gun a smidge, because they're out at most CVS's now.  This a gorgeous dusty purple with subtle shimmer.  It's sooo lovely!  The shimmer is less noticeable indoors, but even then it looks like a chic purple creme.  Application is unbelievable with this.  Revlon really outdid themselves here.  With careful application, this is a ONE coater!  But you know I need two.    LOL.  If you like this, go hunt it down now, because it's limited edition!  Only cost me about $6, but you could probably catch this in some kind of BOGO 50%.

China Glaze Recycle - Another one of my all-time favorites.  This is a perfect concrete grey creme with an *almost* greenish tint to it.  ALMOST.  I don't know what it is about this polish, but I just adore it.  There's a lot of greys hitting the market recently, but this one is still unique.  Application is flawless in two coats.  It debuted in spring 2008 as part of China Glaze's Ecollection (all of the polishes being named after eco-friendly things), but you can still get this fairly easily online and probably for cheaper than its original price.

Hope you enjoyed!  I'd love to see these colors more often in the office environment!  I need to try to follow up this post sometime with my favorite blingy glitter "don't-even-think-about-wearing-this-to-work" polishes.  :-)