Candy-Colored Nails

Summer's nail trend calls for sweet-inspired hues that conjure up candy store memories of our youth

While you still may be loving the glittery, metallic manicures of spring, come summer, it's time to lighten up and look for color inspiration in an unlikely place: the candy store. From pastels that remind us of Peeps to every color in the Skittles Wild Berry rainbow, this season's polishes have us craving sweets! Look for cotton candy pinks, grapey purples, soft yellows, minty greens and so much more. Pick your favorite flavor … or five. Celebrity manicurist Skyy Hadley says, "Painting a different pastel shade on each nail is a fun way to celebrate."

Pinks
From barely there pinks to bright sour strawberry hues, the on-trend, sweetlike shades of this girly color run the gamut. We favor the lighter shades like Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer in Teddy Girl because they're easy to maintain. A little chip off the old nail and no one will even notice.

Yellows
These sunny hues may jog memories of lemon jellybeans or butterscotch candies. With this hue, you can go bright, light or even creamy, such as ULTA Salon Formula Nail Lacquer in Cream of the Crop. If you have a dark complexion, we strongly recommend going mellow yellow, a hue suited perfectly to your skin tone.

Blues
There's something about blue candy that never fails to stain your tongue and teeth, giving away your sugary binge. But a blue manicure lets you have all the fun of eating that blue raspberry Blow Pop with none of the embarrassing aftereffects. Try Revlon Nail Enamel in Dreamer, a gorgeous sky blue color. One celebrity that has not-surprisingly jumped on the blue manicure bandwagon? Blue Ivy's mom, Beyoncé.

Purples
From gumdrops to lollipops, tastes of grape translate great to nails. Look for lavenders, deep purples and lilacs like Essie Nail Polish in French Affair. For a real grape escape, choose a lighter shade for your manicure and a darker one for your pedicure.

Greens
Conjuring up memories of lime Pixy Stix, sour apple Jolly Ranchers and even little ol' Tic Tacs, green nail polishes have never been so appealing. The range in this hue is wide, including sea foam, neon lime, turquoise, khaki and aqua, such as China Glaze Nail Lacquer in For Audrey. Give one a try and go green!