By Erica Thompson, News Correspondent

With temperatures nearing 40 degrees, spring is well on its way to Boston. In the fashion world, a warmer season means finally retiring those winter boots and gloves and breaking out the skirts and flats. So why not compliment a floral dress with an equally colorful manicure?

“Orange is the color for spring 2011,” said Jamie Depaolo, a sophomore psychology major and receptionist at Campus Tan.

Some students like switching up their polish colors for springtime and appreciate the ability to steer away from darker winter tones. Lopez said she mostly sees people going for various shades of orange and pink when choosing a nail color for the spring.

“A lot of people go for bright colors – anything that stands out,” she said. “The one I have on is called ‘Bright Power’ by OPI. It’s bright orange. Orange and pink are definitely the top two colors.”

Like DePaolo, Michelle Bizzoco, a middler business major, said an orange hue is her color of choice for this time of year.

“Peach has been my go-to color,” she said. ”It matches more things than you’d think and it’s just bright and girly – a nice change from the dark purples and reds.”

In the spirit of keeping nails fresh and subtle for the change of season, several nail care brands have released new spring collections. Nail polish brand Essie released its line, “French Affair,” in February. The palette includes a soft pink, pastel purple and feminine blue, among other beige and sand colors. The shades and their names (Nice is Nice, Coat Azure and others) are inspired by “1960s glamour,” according to Stylelist.com. When applied, the polish is opaque instead of sheer, which has been popular in previous spring lines.

OPI, another popular nail color brand, released two lines for its spring lineup – Katy Perry’s Collection and Texas-themed collection. For a more edgy look, Katy Perry’s four-color palette is inspired directly from her songs: Teenage Dream is a light pink glitter polish; Not Like the Movies is a funky silver color; Last Friday Night is a glitzy blue tone; and The One That Got Away is a deep shade of raspberry.

The line also comes with a unique topcoat polish called Black Shatter, which goes on over an already-dried lacquer. Wilana Lopez, a nail polish retail associate at G2O Spa and Salon on Newbury Street, said the polish looks black when applied, but after a few seconds it creates the illusion of a shattered window.

“Black Shatter is really popular. You can put it over any nail polish and it shatters,” she said.

Depaolo said she thinks Black Shatter is the must-have nail accessory to have this time of year.

“[Black Shatter] seems to be the most popular from the line,” Depaolo said. “My manager tried to order it from the company and it had been out of stock for weeks.”

OPI’s “Texas” Collection consists of a wide variety of colors, from sage green to bright orange. There is also a range of dark pinks, as well as two neutral tones and two sheer silver shades. All of the names have a western cowgirl theme with plays on words such as “Do you think I’m Tex-y,” “San Tan-tonio” and “Too Hot Pink to Hold ‘Em.”

Another popular nail trend for this spring is the “shellac” manicure, a hybrid of gel and nail lacquer that lasts up to 14 days. Created by Creative Nail Design (CND), shellac nail color is applied like a polish but dries like a gel. According to Beautyxpose.com, this type of manicure usually costs about 50 percent more than the cost of a regular manicure, depending on the salon, but it guarantees no chipping, smudging and zero dry-time, according to CND’s website. The colors range anywhere from a sheer white to a deep royal blue.

Shellac manicures are available at Lisa’s Nails on Newbury and Miniluxe, also located on Newbury between Gloucester and Hereford Street. They are also available at Bliss Salon, located at 100 Stuart St. at the W hotel, and at Giacomo Rondi salon at 539 Commonwealth Ave.

Although shellac manicures can be expensive, Kayla Capuano, a middler psychology major, said she thinks it is worth it because of how long it lasts.

“This is my new kick,” Capuano said. “It comes out flawless and it’s totally worth the money.”