Derby Gate on Elizabeth Street

I have never really been a pink girl. Growing up I loved my dresses – true – and especially the ones my mum made, but I was always a little bit of a tomboy. I ran around in the forest, played football for over ten years, dreamed of being a football pro or a war correspondent, and my favourite colour was blue. Always have been, always will be.

But in my later twenties I have started seeing pink in a new light. It may be that I feel like a grown-up now, and that as a teenager I had enough of the ‘ditsy blonde’ prejudice not to want to play on it by wearing pink, but who knows. When I was little I hated mushrooms and tomatoes and now I love them. Tastes change.

Anyway, though I’m still somewhat nervous of looking like Elle Woods when I dress in pink, one place where I do love it is my nails. I usually go for lighter, or dusky, and generally more subdued, shades, and my nail polish bag is filled with pink and pastels.

For Christmas last year I got a set of Nails Inc. nail polishes. Because I also got the OPI All Stars mini collection, I didn’t really look at the Nails Inc. until March. Coincidentally, it was my last week before I was leaving London, and once I’d painted my nails with the fun pink glitter polish that was in the box I realised it was called Derby Gate – which just so happens is right outside my old office!

Derby Gate is a darker pink glitter polish with both tiny round glitter and larger asymmetric pieces. I think it looks best over a light pink shade (here Elizabeth Street) but it would probably look nice over white as well. I don’t think a darker pink would complement it as well, because I think it would disappear a little.