‘I love getting a gel manicure, is that really problematic?’

Photograph Shaw + Shaw

Regardless, the global nail industry – now worth more than £11bn – is booming. But the obsession with nails isn’t new. Ancient Babylonian men – yes, men – tinted their nails with crushed minerals before battle. The darker your polish, the higher your rank. (Imagine gearing up for war and pausing to check your manicure.) In 1975, when Tippi Hedren – Hitchcock’s icy blonde muse (or, for Gen Z, Dakota Johnson’s grandmother) – was volunteering at a Vietnamese refugee camp in California, she brought in her Hollywood manicurist, as you do, to teach the women the trade. Today more than half of all US nail salons are Vietnamese-owned. It’s a feel-good story, but the reality is complicated. Watch Nailed It, Adele Free Pham’s brilliant documentary that acknowledges darker realities: low pay, chemical exposure, slavery. So, yes: if your manicure is suspiciously cheap, it’s suspicious.

My personal nail icon is the athlete Florence Griffith Joyner, aka Flo-Jo. Those 8in technicolour talons were everything. Yet the media still diminished her. Because, apparently, the fastest woman in the world should have bitten nails with overgrown cuticles. Nails have always been political. When Joyner and hiphop stars such as Lil’ Kim wore encrusted, ostentatious nail art, it was dismissed as “ghetto”. Later, when white celebrities turned up with the same look, it was “cool”. I’m rolling my eyes.

Looking at my own nails – red, shiny, shade name 007 – I’m reminded that, pleasing as they are, there are downsides. Last month, the EU banned TPO, an ingredient that gives gels their glassy finish, after it was deemed unsafe at high exposure. Brands including OPI, Manucurist and Bio Sculpture are already TPO-free, but others will follow suit before a likely UK ban in 2026. And those UV lamps? Basically, sunbeds for your hands. Apply SPF first. Then there’s removal. Please don’t peel – that’s like surgery performed by someone who failed GCSE Biology. Get them taken off properly, avoid overfiling and take breaks: bare, clean, well-shaped nails are not a crime. But square nails should be – unless you’re SpongeBob.

Prime suspect Once upon a time, primers were just makeup’s undercoat – the thing that stopped your face from sliding off before lunch. But times have changed. Today there are primers and then there are primers that multitask. Kate Somerville’s does it all: a three-in-one serum, moisturiser and primer that plumps with hyaluronic acid, smooths texture and keeps your makeup juicy for hours. Kate Somerville HydraKate Power Plumping Primer, £74, Cult Beauty

Pits tops I love the idea of elevating everyday essentials – but they have to perform. This deodorant smells divine (rose, jasmine, sandalwood) and uses mandelic acid to neutralise odours while smoothing, exfoliating and brightening the skin. It’s super-chic skincare for your underarms: proof that practicality and luxury can coexist. Saltair Santal Bloom 5% AHA Serum Deodorant with 5% AHA, £14, SpaceNK

Lipstick traces Hermès lipsticks are some of the best in the world. The catch? Many shades are limited editions – like this one. If you love it, grab more before it’s gone. Hermès Rouge Hermès Satin Lipstick, £66, Hermès