The Friday Night Manicure: Caudalie and OPI Red

There was no time for nail-painting this week. So I decided to treat myself to a quick Friday night at-home manicure, complete with a few stand-out products and a new magazine. I was craving a bright shade and decided to go with a recent addition to my collection, OPI's "OPI Red." This is a classic scarlet color with the tiniest hint of shimmer that makes the polish look glossy. It's by far one of the best red polishes I've tried; the streak-free formulation is opaque in just one coat (to be safe, I applied two here). Per usual, I used OPI's Nail Envy (Sensitive Formula) as a base coat and Revlon ColorStay Top Coat.

Another product that tops my current favorites list is the Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream. It meets all the criteria for the perfect hand cream (says the girl who has three near-empty hand creams in her immediate vicinity). It makes my hands feel soft and hydrated, but it's lightweight and absorbs almost instantaneously. It smells clean, fresh and ever-so-slightly of lemon cake. This product is formulated without nasty ingredients like parabens, artificial dyes and petrochemicals, and it contains the brand's signature "antioxidant grapevine polyphenols." The only flaw I could possibly find is the potentially off-putting picture of the fist clenching a bunch of grapes on the packaging... the one tiny oddity of an otherwise fabulous product! You can find Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream for $15 at Sephora here or for £10.80 on FeelUnique here.

For a little targeted moisture boost over the Caudalie hand cream, I massaged Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream around my nail beds. I think the citrusy scents of these two products complement each other well. It's funny how freshly painted red nails can make my currently pajama-clad, makeup-less self feel a little more glamorous!

Do you have a favorite red polish, or any polish you're loving lately?