Teal, the nightmare shade of a million taffeta prom dresses, is day one’s theme colour in this year’s Oh Mon Dieu Nail Art Challenge. Teal’s an ugly sort of descriptor for a really rather lovely colour; I think it gets a bad rap from its associations with unflattering bridesmaid gowns and the carpet in South Beach retirement homes. Faulty nomenclature aside, I quite like teal – the painted lower cabinets in my kitchen are a testament to that.
But the thing that invariably comes to mind when I think of the colour teal is the aforementioned tafetta prom/bridesmaid dress, a staple of any formal event in the ’80s (and well into the ’90s) that was seemingly designed to engender animosity between otherwise caring friends. Because there’s just no way you’d let your friend go to prom in a teal tafetta monstrosity OR ask her to wear one on your behalf as a bridesmaid if you didn’t actually hate them, right?
For these nails, I drew inspiration from that love-hate relationship with a manicure dipping into all the best parts of those ’80s mall dresses, from sweetheart necklines and puffy sleeves to non-functioning corseting details and ruffles aplenty. And all of it in shades of glorious, luminous teal!
Finger Candy 
Super cute ❤
Thank you! 🙂
Haha, taffeta dresses, yahs, what awesome inspiration : D
I loved reading all the teen magazines in the springtime that had their prom features and ads going full tilt – so much taffeta and runched bow sleeves.