Greige nail trend

At The Good Spa Guide, we're huge fans of the instant magic of the manicure. Even the most chewed paws can be look almost glamorous and alluring with 20 minutes of TLC and a dab of polish. Don't believe us? Try it; even the raggediest nails look instantly better with a strong colour adorning them. (It's got something to do with the colour distracting attention from the cuticles!)

So, we were interested to read that Elle magazine was touting "greige", a blend of grey and beige, as the hot new nail colour for spring. The trend started with Chanel trying its Particuliere polish on Lily Allen, which has led to a clutch of copy-cats sporting greige nails, including Rihanna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Bullock and... The Good Spa Spies.

We got our mitts on a few of the new "greige" colours and here's what we thought.

Models Own sent us two colours to try. Pearly Queen, £5, which, despite us all deciding that it looked a bit like Tippex with a hint of rose, appeared surprisingly cool on the hands, especially with an all-black outfit.

Models Own also sent us Nude Beige (also £5), which was Sassy Spy's favourite and looked beautifully beige with a shiny hint of pink.

For those who want to dip a toe into the trend, try Mavala's Via Venetto which is available in a half-size bottle and produces a pleasingly pink and affordable shade of greige at £3.95.

Nina Pro's Gun Metal (£3.49) divided the office: I rather liked it and Shy Spy loved its metallic tone but Sassy Spy thought it was "too pearlescent".

Finally to our favourite: Nubar's Sandstone (£8), an eco-friendly polish with no formaldehyde which is even suitable for vegans. This was a gloriously greige colour; subtle but striking with a hint of pearly pink.

Book yourself in for a manicure now - and make sure they give good greige!

See also: Our top tips looking good.