If you want to nail your fall look, go beyond your wardrobe. The deep, rich colors that make the autumn fashion palette pop call for corresponding nail polish shades, as well as textures that complement this fall’s hard-edged styles. Jan Arnold, co-founder and style director of Creative Nail Design, offers these tips to achieve this season’s bold looks.
1. Be daring and dark.
Sheer neutral nails and French manicures are so last season. This year’s colors “are what you see when you look in shadowy places,” says Arnold, who creates colors and styles for many top fashion designers. “Everything is deep and dark — and even a little dirty. The hottest color for fall is a murky, dark teal that goes very well with all the menswear-inspired looks.” If you want something a little more classic, the second-hottest color this season is “power-surge red,” says Arnold. And the third must-have nail color? Silver. “We call it the ‘space cocoon look,’” says Arnold. “Many designers are using a very pale, almost ethereal color — like white silver — for fall. It’s a white with a little bit of shimmer.”
2. Add texture.
Yes, you still want the finish on your nails to be smooth and smudge-free. But Arnold says a texturized polish can add a touch of grit — the right kind — to a tough fall look. “Include a mineral wash in your manicure. These are clear coats that have metallic shimmer in them; we use particles of mica,” says Arnold. “You do a coat of a dark shade, then a coat of the sparkle, and follow up with a matte top coat to give it a grainy effect.”
3. Go with an almond shape.
Square-shaped nail tips are out, out, out. File your nails to an ultra-feminine almond shape that ends with a gracefully pointed tip. “It does for the hand what a heel does for the leg — it adds length and chicness,” says Arnold.
4. Shine it on.
Good news for everyone who loves the glam look of glistening wet nails: New polish formulas allow for a super-glossy finish that stays long after your nails are dry. “We have a beautiful new polish gel fusion which lasts a good two weeks but never starts to look old or dull,” says Arnold. “And it comes off easily too, which is really
