How to Pull off Metallic Nail Polish Like a Pro

Like a lot of you, I drooled over the pretty metallic polish Kate Winslet wore on *Oprah and at the Golden Globes *when I first posted about it. But every time I’ve ever attempted silvery polish, my fingers have ended up a streaky mess—it’s just hard to get that stuff to go on evenly. So I asked Kate’s manicurist, Deborah Lippmann, for some tips on how to make the look go off without a hitch. Here’s her sage advice:

• “Start with clean dry smooth nail. Then, apply a ridge-filler base coat and let this dry for 2 minutes. After, apply 2 very thin coats of metallic white, letting each coat dry 2 minutes in between. Resist the temptation to try to get the look on the first coat.”*

In other words, the ridge-filler gives you a smooth surface to start out with. But the real key is to get it to go on very thin so you don’t get random thick spots. Oh, and don’t worry if you can still see the whites of your nail through the polish—semi-opaque totally works with this nail look.

Now I’m thinking of going for the silvery white color Deborah used on Kate, Rhapsody in White, for my next at-home mani. And maybe, just maybe, this time my results will come out looking nice and even.

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Have any of you ever gone for metallic nails? Had trouble getting it to go on evenly? Got a tip to share? A white shade to recommend? Speak up!__

Oh, and speaking of nails, check out these six subtle shades that are perfect for engagement ring photos (or, really, anytime you want a soft nail look).

Photo: Wireimage.com