Nail polish: questions and Band 8 answers

Not very often, to be honest. I usually keep my nails quite plain during the working week because of my job, but I might put on a coat of clear varnish or a soft pastel shade if I am heading out to a wedding or a special dinner.

I tend to lean towards neutral tones, like beige or subtle pinks, because they match almost any outfit. Having said that, in the middle of summer I occasionally go for a bold, bright red on my toes just to add a bit of fun when I am on holiday.

Yes, definitely. When I was in primary school, my older sister and I used to experiment with cheap glittery polishes at the weekend. We made a terrible mess most of the time, and my mum would always insist we took it off before school on Monday.

I definitely prefer doing them myself at home. Going to a professional salon is a lovely treat, but it can be fairly pricey and time-consuming. It is much easier to just spend ten minutes touching up my nails while watching a film on the sofa.

I suppose it is a quick and affordable way for people to express their personal style. It adds a neat, polished look to your overall appearance, and changing the colour can instantly boost your mood or complement a particular outfit without much effort.