making me matte

i receive six fashion magazines a month and skip every beauty section without fail. however, something recently caught my eye among those taboo pages: matte nail polish. it was all over the runways and is apparently going to be a huge trend for fall. i'm less concerned with the trendiness of this new formula as i am with how it epitomizes my favorite look: classic with a twist. my problem was figuring out how to get my shiny-polished hands on a bottle of it.

i headed over to one of my favorite beauty shops, where i have always found every other O.P.I. collection and color. the store employees didn't even know what the word "matte" meant. trade secret provided no better results and even more hassle. the sales associate did not believe there was a distinct matte collection and was convinced i was simply looking for polish colors that did not contain any shimmer or sparkle. when she finished trying to point me in the wrong direction, she flat-out asked, "why would you even want nail polish like that?" in case it came in, she took my name and number on a post-it note, which i'm sure she promptly threw in the trash as soon as i was gone.

five stores, many phone calls, and $10 later, i was the owner of essie's "matte about you," a top-coat product that transforms any polish into a matte finish. it's not exactly what i had been looking for, but the more i think about it, it's probably better. once my $10 manicure has chipped a little more, i'll try it out.