Of the many things filling up your pre-holiday to-do list—buy a bikini, stock up on suncream, check your passport expiry date—arguably the most fun is booking in for that all-important pre-travel manicure. It’s usually one of the last things I do the day before I fly (in order to get optimal wear out of my new nails), so for me the ritual pre-holiday manicure is the moment I finally relax and switch my brain into holiday mode.

When it comes to choosing my holiday nail colours, I like to wear something that suits the occasion, that will last for the duration of my trip, and that will give me a mini serotonin boost every time I glance down at my nails. Sometimes that means bright tropical colours like lime greens or fiery corals, but often my go-to is a fresh white (which looks oh so good with a tan) or a suitably beachy beige.