I'll admit it. I once kept up with the Kardashians.

The bouncy waves, expert smoky eyes, and streak-free spray tan were all the rage in my hometown of Glendale, California (yes, where the sisters reside). So when they once famously commented that manicures and pedicures should always match, I ditched my second bottle of polish and spent years with a set of 20 perfectly matched tips. Until now.

"I think the matching thing is kind of, yawn—boring," manicurist Elle told me (good thing it was a phone interview and she couldn't see me). Here's how the nail expert, who tends to the hands and feet of Jennifer Lopez, convinced me to ditch Kardashian perfection and opt for complementary colors instead:

It makes a statement.

"Nail polish is an accessory, a way to pop in another statement piece," says Elle, who loves taking inspiration from fashion designers like Missoni and Pucci. "Pair kelly green with petal pink and you've got Lilly Pulitzer."

It's nail-art lite.

Experimenting with color is a great alternative to the wilder forms of nail art. "I don't want to see daisies on a 40-year-old woman in the office," says Elle. "But complementary colors looks great."

It's more sophisticated.

So you want to wear electric purple or aqua blue polish to the office? Keep it on your toes and you can get away with more vibrant and wild colors, Elle says—then try a soft lilac or a soft milky blue on hands for an updated version of the ombré trend.

Elle does admit that there are some instances in which the Kardashians are (gasp) right. "If you're wearing a pattern or a lot of accessories, it might be better to keep it more simple," Elle says. But if there's one thing that should never match, it's length. "Please, please, please keep them short. Long toenails will never be cute. Ever."