What I do is compromise. I get a very light beige-pink, and a sort of ivory, but in sheer "French manicure" formulations, and do a thin coat of each.
The result is very subtle, just a little lighter than my nails are with no polish, but without really changing the "tone" drastically.
So, if your nails are naturally pink, instead of a beige, you would get a pale pink, and instead of an ivory, something more like a cream, or even a white with just a kiss of pink, the sheerness is the key, if you want to avoid that big opaque statement, but just want to make your nails look a bit paler than they are!
