Neutrals

These colors morph between pinkish and taupe-ish, tan-ish and "true flesh" colored. I would consider them my most-perfect mannequin-hand colors, but they have enough depth to make them interesting. A quick coat of something sparkly or shiny over the top makes them suitable for a special occasion like a wedding.

• Butter LONDON "Yummy Mummy": Medium-beige, pinkish undertones, slight shimmer. 2-3 coats for full coverage. • OPI for Sephora "Nonfat Soy Half Caff": Warm neutral with peach undertones. Two coats offers the prettiest color, but three are required for the fullest coverage. Decisions, decisions.

Pinks

These colors pull pink on me compared to my skin tone, but they are still very pretty and they still result in a long, tapered look. These are great for those who want a "mannequin hand" look without veering into the "corpse" look.

• Essie "Mademoiselle": This is a sheer, jelly-like pink that looks barely-there in two coats, but three or four coats almost gives the nail an artificial, gel-like appearance. I can see this one being a bridal favorite. (This, from a girl who wore Chanel "Vamp" on her wedding day.) • Orly "Prelude to a Kiss": Opaque and quite pink, you can find this color at most grocery and drugstores around town. Orly formulas are quite good, and a great value for the $7-$8 price tag.

Tans

These tans may still pull pink on you, depending on your skin's undertones, but they are much true-er brownish neutrals. • Essie "Sand Tropez" or "Case Study": One is light, one is dark, but both are true tans without pink undertones. Sand Tropez is a lighter, pastel version of Case Study which is quite sophisticated. • OPI for Sephora "Don't Feed the Hand Models": This one pulls more pink or peach, depending on light, skin tone and basecoat; the color is a warm-leaning neutral.

Fancy

Both of these options are great worn alone, or over another color. Worn alone they are a sort of mannequin-hand-but-better (MHBB?), or they can be layered over a color to add depth.

• butter LONDON "Hen Party": I flew back from Alaska with the death flu last March. The woman at butter LONDON at Sea-Tac didn't really want to give me my manicure, but she was pretty happy to take advantage of my weakened state and sell me some nail polish at the end of it. I grabbed up their new, pale mint-green for summer ("Bossy Boots") and then asked her to recommend an easy-wearing neutral. She gave me "Hen Party" and sent me on my way. When I got home I was mad, because it looked so ho-hum in the bottle, but it's become one of my favorites. It's super-fast drying, which I love, and the opalescent pearl shimmer is quite unlike anything I've ever purchased. Four coats is a perfect-but-distinctive mannequin hand-esque look for me, but a thin layer over a brighter color is a perfect way to spruce up a boring cream, or give something a fancy edge for a special occasion.

• Essie "Shine of the Times": Opalescent topcoat, looks great alone but Essie recommends a few colors to pair it with, including two neutrals: "Eternal Optimist" and "Tea & Crumpets." You can find this at Walgreens and a few H-E-Bs around the city, and the occasional CVS. This line is limited, so grab it while you can. I saw it at H-E-B Buffalo Speedway last weekend.