This Neutral Pink Polish Is My Go-To Shade

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It takes me a long time — if ever — to finish a bottle of nail polish, and I considered it to be something of an urban legend until I found my one consistent go-to color: Revlon’s Colorstay Gel Envy in the shade “Perfect Pair.”

Perfect Pair is the kind of color the beauty industry calls "nude" even though that term only really applies to certain (lighter) skin tones. It's a little more pinkish and rosier than a traditional nude, and deeper in shade thanks to its brown undertones.

To get just the right color, I use two coats. The formula is slightly thick, creating a beautiful gel-like shine. (And although it’s marketed as a gel, it doesn’t require UV lights to dry and comes off pretty easily with nail polish remover.) I’d say it lasts about five days without any chipping.

But ultimately, perhaps one of my favorite things about it is it’s eliminated the indecision around picking a color at the nail salon — particularly when you know you want something in the sandy beige range but don’t know where to start. (Because really, how do you even distinguish between O.P.I. Samoan Sands and O.P.I. Don’t Pretzel My Buttons? Or Essie’s Ballet Slippers and Birthday Suit?) With nail brands making dozens of iterations on the same color, often with only a hair of a difference — a slight grayish tinge here, a yellow undertone there — it’s nice to have my own perfect shade.