This season I have my eyes firmly on the new eggplant coloured nail polishes, like OPI nail polish in Pamplona Purple or Revlon nail enamel in Plum Night.

However a dark manicure can be unforgiving, so Bernadette Thompson, creator of the Bernadette Thompson polish line and manicurist to celebrities like Beyoncé and Sarah Jessica Parker, told us how to pull off inky nails:

Go for a single layer. A super-saturated formula will cover your nails completely in one coat, which means it'll be much less likely to chip in the long run. You also want a basecoat, to protect your nails from staining, and a topcoat for shine and longevity.

Shape up. Your nails should be short and square with slightly rounded edges. "Long dark nails are just creepy," says Thompson. Run a soft buffing pad over nails until ridges are smooth, since polish goes on more easily and lasts longer if it's applied to an even surface—and mistakes are more visible with a dark shade.

Proceed with caution. Since any smudging will be far more noticeable than with a neutral shade, place the tip of the brush well above of the cuticle and paint toward the tip. "You can always carefully edge the brush toward the cuticle if the gap seems excessive," says Thompson. Remove any mistakes with the tip of a wood manicure stick wrapped in a bit of cotton and dipped in remover.

Make it last. Dark colours call attention to ragged cuticles, so moisturise yours daily. Reapplying a topcoat every four days will also help protect your manicure. Also, if you hate the way a dark polish gets all over the place when you remove it, Thompson has this tip: "Thoroughly saturate a cotton ball with non-acetone remover and press it to the cuticle area for three seconds. Then wipe towards the end of the nail. Avoid using a circular motion—straight up and down is less messy."

Be sure to check out our other 'must have colour' for this season.