In this image taken from video, Britain's Prince William, left, places the ring on the finger of his bride, Kate Middleton, as they stand at the altar at Westminster Abbey for the Royal Wedding in London on Friday, April, 29, 2011.The Associated Press
Deborah Lippmann Naked nail lacquer
The promise
Deborah Lippmann is one of the premier celebrity and editorial manicurists and a beauty-industry favourite. Her nail lacquers are said to be long-wearing, quick-drying and highly pigmented. They are also free of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalates (all bad things, trust me).
How it works
Botanical ingredients like biotin, green tea and aucoumea klaineana extract (a natural resin from West African trees) work to strengthen and hydrate nails, stimulate nail growth and prevent ridge formation, while the lacquer's slightly thicker consistency and densely packed brush bristles allow colour to glide on evenly and effortlessly.
How to use it
Apply colour to clean nails with smooth, even brush strokes. Apply a second coat if a more saturated shade is desired. Use it with a base and/or top coat if you like.
The bottom line
A collective gasp of horror was heard around the Twittersphere when someone suggested that Kate Middleton had eschewed a manicure on her wedding day. It was on April 29. Perhaps you heard about it? Well, the Duchess of Cambridge did not, in fact, skip the mani, but opted for this season's hot "nude" trend (nude, of course, being a term relative to your actual skin tone). She wasn't wearing this particular lacquer, but she should have been. Because it is hands down (zing!) the best shade of "nude" out there right now. The creamy colour goes on sheer in one coat and, with the second, just opaque enough to achieve the "mannequin hands" the beauty gurus have been pushing this season. Yeah, mannequin hands are hot. And you thought Princess Beatrice's hat was weird.
$20 at retailers nationwide (visit www.lippmanncollection.com for store locations).