Nails Bite

How do "done" nails differ from the effort behind a smoky eye or a tangle of intricate braids? Buns, braids, eyeliner, lip color: They all look more modern, at least to me, when they're slightly imperfect—harnessing the charm of fresh-faced indie girls passing around a red Revlon lipstick in the car on the way to a seedy rock club (yes, every one of my romantic notions ends at a rock show). Manicured nails, on the other hand, look ghastly when they're messy.

And as a makeup devotee, I feel like I have to choose my hands or my face as a repository for my beauty efforts. A hot pink lip paired with high-octane nails definitely feels like too much. Like wearing horn-rimmed eyeglasses with huge doorknocker earrings.

Finally, the chemical smell of nail products has always turned me off. Most varnishes contain a bouquet of well-known toxins—and even the options that are toulene-, pthalate- and formaldehyde-free tend to make my nose itch.