# Coloured nails: feet and/or hands?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 9, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619 "2012-06-09T14:37:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/1 "2012-06-09T14:37:48Z")
Summer is coming. Yippee! However, it brings life or death dilemmas like this one. When I’m wearing sandals I like to paint my toenails in bright colours. Sometimes I also l like to paint the nails on my hands. However…
If I paint both hand and toenails in different bright colours, I feel I look like a clown. But if I paint them both the same bright colour, I think it’s looks a bit odd and matchy matchy. So is it a case of either hands or toes but never both? Any opinions?
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### Author:  [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/2 "2012-06-09T14:41:38Z")
I usually do my toes a really bright colour, and my fingers something a bit more subdued.
Or I match them.
Really, I think I just wear whatever I like - I don’t think I would put two different, super bright colours on hands and feet though - that might be a bit OTT.
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### Author:  [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/3 "2012-06-09T14:43:33Z")
If you painted them the same color, I don’t think I’d give it a second thought. If they were painted in contrasting colors, I would.
My fingernails are too weak to take polish, or I think I would have them done in a French manicure or just a reserved, classy pale beige/pink. My toenails are bright colors all summer, and would stay that way.
Don’t you have awful problems with the bright polish on your nails chipping off? I’ve always wondered that.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/4 "2012-06-09T14:48:03Z")
I only paint my toenails in sandal weather. I don’t like how fingernails look with polish on them, but toenails are kind of ugly, so they get decorated.
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### Author:  [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/5 "2012-06-09T14:50:38Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#):
>
> I usually do my toes a really bright colour, and my fingers something a bit more subdued.
This. I like having a more subtle color on my fingernails and then get my toenails done in something brighter.
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### Author:  [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/6 "2012-06-09T14:51:09Z")
Candy apple red, always!
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/7 "2012-06-09T14:54:49Z")
Heterosexual male has a question:
What’s up with young women painting nails each a different color? I’ve seen it a few times. Looks weird.
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### Author:  [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/8 "2012-06-09T14:58:05Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#):
>
> I usually do my toes a really bright colour, and my fingers something a bit more subdued.
>
> Or I match them.
Same here.
My toes are only ever exposed on summer weekends, so it’s not like they get seen often, but I do like to keep them brightly painted. I rarely have my fingers painted, but when I do I use brights during the week (when toes are hiding) and nude/pinks on exposed-toes weekends, unless I go all out and match (or complement) the brights in both places.
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### Author:  [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/9 "2012-06-09T15:24:14Z")
I feel like if you painted all your toenails one bright color and all your fingernails another, it’d look fine. If you used three colors in each place, then it would look a little bit too much.
Depending on your outfit as well, painting all your nails (both fingernail and toenail) one color may even look good. Matchy does look cute sometimes.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/10 "2012-06-09T16:28:20Z")
I never polish my fingernails. I type all day so the polish just chips off. That and I have this compulsion to pick at the polish. So I just buff my fingernails.
My toenails are another story. They’re usually painted some funky color in sandal season. Right now they’re silver.
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### Author:  [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/11 "2012-06-09T16:54:58Z")
Polish on my fingernails gets wrecked quickly and also has the potential to damage what I’m working on so it’s for rare occasions only. I just picked some to wear to a family party.
My toes are rarely seen by other folks, but it amuses me to paint them (all ten the same) outlandish colors.
I can’t imagine ever judging you or anyone because their finger and toenails did match or didn’t, though.
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### Author:  [@umkay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umkay)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/12 "2012-06-09T17:19:09Z")
Well, I can’t use my hands or feet, so mani-pedis last forever on me, so I have to be careful with color choices: Do I want to do a cherry red on toes and nails, if I’m going to wear that green top I love in the middle of July? Ew. As a result, I usually end up going with a neutral on my hands and something more fun on my feet, which are easy to hide should my outfit choice fail to coordinate with a hot pink. 😉
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/13 "2012-06-09T18:03:35Z")
> [@Sattua](#):
>
> My fingernails are too weak to take polish, or I think I would have them done in a French manicure or just a reserved, classy pale beige/pink.
I have the same problem. I hate when my nails delaminate:(
On the other hand, I get comments on how pretty my nails are because they aren’t yellowed from removed nail polish. The white tips are very white, and my nail beds are a nice even pink without the little white blobs from nail bed damage [I used to get that when I was working a a machinist from knocking my hands around.]
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### Author:  [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/14 "2012-06-09T18:26:00Z")
If you don’t want to wear the same color on both, pick two colors from the same line. That usually works.
I only do matchy matchy if I’m doing candy apple red.
Don’t you get designs on your toes?
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### Author:  [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/15 "2012-06-09T18:27:00Z")
> [@Sattua](#):
>
> Don’t you have awful problems with the bright polish on your nails chipping off? I’ve always wondered that.
The bright ones are usually just for one of two days. I don’t type in my job. So no. And if they did I’d just take it off and re-do them.
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### Author:  [@cappi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cappi)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/16 "2012-06-09T21:25:19Z")
I’ll paint the fingers and toes different colors, as long as they don’t clash too badly.
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### Author:  [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/17 "2012-06-09T21:53:13Z")
The last time I painted my toenails bright red the red dyed my nails and I had rusty nails for months. Anyone else have this experience? How to avoid?
Oh, and I never paint fingernails due to the chippage and the fact that my fingernails are usually destroyed by my inability to garden in gloves.
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### Author:  [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/18 "2012-06-09T22:07:54Z")
A basecoat.
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### Author:  [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/19 "2012-06-10T00:41:18Z")
Basecoat is clear? (sorry, I’m not very good at this)
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### Author:  [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coloured-nails-feet-and-or-hands/624619/20 "2012-06-10T00:55:33Z")
The best aren’t.
[This is best for bright colors that are hard to apply evenly.](http://www.amazon.com/No-Miss-Vegan-Base-Coat/dp/B002HNAHI8/ref=sr_1_2?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1339289634&sr=1-2&keywords=no+miss+natural) And it makes application way better.
But I ran out…and haven’t been to Sally’s in awhile. So I have [this](http://www.amazon.com/OPI-Natural-Strengthener-0-5-Fluid-Ounce/dp/B001ARQWW2/ref=sr_1_9?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1339289675&sr=1-9&keywords=OPI+base+coat) now.
My nails never get stained.
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