Blue nails for SS11: Teal, Sky Blue, Denim and Turquoise are all Cool for Tips

If you're so over orange, meh about mint, and couldn't care less about crackle but would like to do something different with your nails, how about blue? Two of the hottest polishes of the current season are Deborah Lippmann's I Know What Boys Like (opaque vivid royal blue) and Glitter In The Air (sheer milky blue with glitter), and even Essie, better known for understated and classic pinks 'n' reds, included blues in both their bridal and spring collections for 2011.

Yellow may have been busy grabbing the beauty headlines, thanks mostly to the Chanel connection, but blue nail polish is having a quieter moment. It's a cooler choice for summer than its sunny counterpart in more ways than one, and provided you don't follow the lead of Vivienne Westwood, who sent models down the SS11 runways with dead-looking blue-tinged nails, it can be a surprisingly flattering choice.

A quick look through my own stash revealed eight (!) very different shades of true blue, from pale pastel to iridescent indigo, as well as a couple of turquoises and teals ...

The sky blues: M&S Pastel Blue, Eyeko Rain (grey-blue with practically undetectable shimmer)

The bright blues: Barry M Cobalt Blue, Ciate Skinny Jeans

The moody blues: Mavala Smoky Blue (denim creme with bright blue Chanel-alike "hidden" microglitter), Deborah Lippmann Lady Sings The Blues, Essence Just Rock It!, Chanel Blue Satin

The green-y blues: Rimmel Sky High, Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe, China Glaze For Audrey

Are you feeling blue (har har) nails or do you reckon that this a look best left to the recently deceased?

Celeb pic credits: cosmopolitan.com; stylehive.com