Pretty pastels for your nails

Beauty and fashion palettes are brimming with sorbet colours this season, and the easiest way to wear the trend is to give your nails a pastel makeover.

Virtually every nail polish brand now offers mouth-watering shades of pale orange, baby pink, delicate mauve and soft aqua to choose from.  But before you take the plunge, make sure your nails are in tip-top form. The square shape is a thing of the past. The warmer weather calls for perfect, beautifully feminine oval tips to showcase the season's delicate colours.

All pastel shades are hot, so pick the ones that best flatter your skin tone: if you are very fair, give baby pink a miss and go for cool aqua, periwinkle or mint instead. By contrast, peach and pale pink look best on darker skin tones.

And for a twist on the trend, pair neutral fingernails with pastel toes or vice versa.