Jane Dubiel is a die-hard fan of Hard Candy nail polish,
as her multicolored fingernails show.

The hue is blue - and green and yellow and purple and pewter - when it comes to nail polish these days. In fact, the latest fashion fad is to dip your tips in a range of shades that bring new meaning to bold.

"I see more and more people wearing it - weird colors, like purple and fluorescent ones," said Elizabeth Wong, 15, who'll be a sophomore at McKinley High School this fall.

"I'm not really a nail polish kind of person," she said, but Wong has been known to dab on Hard Candy shades of blue available in tester bottles at Liberty House.

Most Liberty House stores have been carrying Hard Candy since the beginning of this month, finding an appeal especially among the "junior girls," said assistant buyer Stacy Uyeda.

Hand model Verna Poon brushes on the hottest colors in nail polish.

The most popular colors so far are Bubble Gum pink, Frigid blue, Sky (light) blue, Violet, Coconut white and Jail Bait, a marshmallowey tint.

Others that haven't really taken off, Uyeda said, include Sushi, a turquoise green (maybe to mimic the color of wasabi); Taxicab, a bright yellow; and Pavement, a matte grey.

Other more traditional cosmetic companies also offer non-traditional colors, but not in the array that Hard Candy does, Uyeda said.

At $12 a bottle, Hard Candy is a bit pricey for most of Wong's friends, who "just buy the cheaper ones (brands), like at Longs," she said.

With Wet and Wild nails, can lime-green lips be far behind?

Actually, not. Hard Candy lipsticks will soon be available at Liberty House, Uyeda said, although she allowed, "I don't know how well that will do."

Anna Tongson, Bernadette Solomon, Wai-Yin Wong and Sakiyo Kawagoe check out the Hard Candy display at Liberty House Ala Moana.