Now that Autumn is in full swing, I’ve put away my more vibrant nail colours and started my A/W nail box. 3D and creative nails are gorgeous to look at and I admire anyone who has the ability to do it. For me, I prefer more of a basic look, mainly because that’s the extent of my nail painting skills . 🙂 The catwalk shows for A/W 2013 showcased some gorgeous back to basic looks along and some Gothic girl glamour.The main colours I’ve aspired to this season are extremely wearable for everyone.
Bewitching black:
Inglot Black Nail Enamel (shade 953). Price €12/£10.
Black nail polish was a keen favourite seen across tonnes of catwalk shows from New York to Paris. For example, Oscar De La Renta, Kaelan and Nicole Miller all embraced this colour and added their own twist. Some chose a matte texture, others embraced a more black metallic vibe. Here I’ve kept it simple. I received this Inglot nail varnish as a gift for my birthday. It has a really nice brush so it makes it easy to apply without making a mess. I even wore this look to the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards last week. You will need two coats to give a salon finished look to your nails, which I really liked about it. I find this shade really completes an outfit and it looks great especially with an LBD. 🙂 For a cheaper alternative try Essence’s ‘Colour & Go’ in black (shade 28) for €1.50/£1. Its perfect for a quick D.I.Y paint job before you head out for a night on the tiles and dries really quick too.
Very Berry:
Rimmel London, Salon Pro Lycra ( Celebrity Bash shade 391). Price €5.30/£4.50
Berry and oxblood shades are one of this seasons key colours. It was seen at shows such as Wes Gordon, Dannijo, Burberry and Zac Posen. This Rimmel London colour is really versatile. Apply one shade for more of a berry look or if you want more of a deeper oxblood feel add two or three coats. In the photo above I applied two layers. The added lycra ingredients gives a strong gel like feeling to your nails too. Again a cheaper version would be Catrice’s ‘Caught On The Red Carpet’ (shade 17) for €2.99/£1.99. To create a real vibrant evening look go for a matching lipstick which is really on trend at the moment.
Au natural :
Bourjois – So Laque Rose Lounge (shade 28), Blanc Glamour (shade 91) and So Perfect Top Coat
( All Bourjois). Price €14/ £12.
In my opinion a natural look will always be in fashion, its clean and chic and this year designers think so too. Derek Lam, J.Mendel, Alexander Wang and Helmut Lang embrace nude shades. When I’m working on shoots I tend to stick with a French polish as it always looks fresh. I picked up this manicure set in Boots a few weeks ago for €14/£12 which I thought was good value because to buy them individually is about €7/£5 each. Apply the white coat first. The brush has a slanted end which helps create a neat line quite easily. Follow with the ‘So Laque Rose Lounge’ shade, which you can also wear on its own without the white French tip. Finish with the Bourjois top coat. Together you will get around 2-3 days before you notice any chipping. I haven’t come across a cheaper alternative as this is quite reasonably priced anyway, but if I do I will let you all know. 🙂 Lou.xx
