My wardrobe is 99% black. On most days, I don’t wear makeup. My favorite nail color is no nail color at all. So if someone were to tell me I'd be painting my nails blue or yellow for pleasure, I’d be shaking my head no-no-no...yet here I am. First of all, ITG asked me to. ("It's spring! Do something fun!" they said.) But secondly, once I did it, it felt amazing. Bright color doesn't need to be explained—it just needs to be worn. Don't think that hard about it. Paint some on, peek at your fingers every once in a while, smile. No need to make it more complicated than that. I painted each nail a different color from this list last week and I don't know if I've ever felt so happy. When I go bright, I go with...

Revlon in Irresistible

If you follow me on Instagram, you know this one is my favorite color. I found it about a year ago. It’s a muted, sky blue. Not quite neon, but still a statement.

Smith & Cult in Suburban Warrior

I feel like with Smith & Cult, you can’t go wrong—all the colors are sophisticated but fun, and I love their base and top coats. When you respect the formula so much, it's easy to start using color more often.

Butter London in Ultra Violet

I don’t know why but I noticed that this color makes me hungry. Just an observation!

Chanel in Giallo Napoli

New color by Chanel. My second favorite after the blue, though it is a little difficult to apply. The shade is nice enough to spend the time fussing over it, I think.

Pixi in Oh So Orange

Who knew Pixi made nail polish? Not me, 'til a week ago. As a person with fair skin, I thought it would make me look dead, but it did exactly the opposite. So here I am, seriously advising you to try neon orange ASAP. Apparently it also makes everyone around you go crazy—some love it, some hate it, no one will be indifferent.

—Yana Sheptovetskaya

Photographed by the author.