5 New Fall Manicure Trends Emerge at New York Fashion Week, Fall 2009

At 51 runway shows during New York’s Fall 2009 Fashion Week, CND’s star nail pros manicured the hottest models and created five new recession-friendly ways to have the latest looks at your fingertips.


Tickle the Ivories – Glimmering ivory and buttercup blond manicures debuted on the runways of Carolina Herrera and iconic American designers Jason Wu and Tommy Hilfiger. The look is opaque, not sheer, with hit of golden shimmer.


Dark is Classic – Ebonized jewel tones in sapphire and amethyst punctuated the seriously sexy styling at BCBG, Herve Leger and DKNY, while Milly and Luca Luca showed classic dark raisin manicures to complement their feminine collections. At Miss Sixty, pure black Voodoo polish was reserved for pedicures. At Diesel, Amanda Fontanarrosa mixed a custom shade of dark chocolate enamel to match the clothes.


40s Moon Manicure – The glamour and hope of post WWII returned to fashion in the form of bold beauty elements including matte red lips, pin curled hair, lined eyes and half moon manicures. Ruffian, inspired by a vintage Vogue cover, updated the moon manicure from Vogue’s coral to a deep blood red. At Thakoon, CND’s Wanda Ruiz took the look a step further with a French moon mani in beige and black. At FORM, the urban black uniforms were contrasted with 40s hair and makeup and black and white moon manicures. At ThreeAsFour, CND’s Roxanne Valinoti abstracted the manicure with black triangular moons on nude nails.


Greige & Dirty Pastels – The non-color of choice for fall is grey. At Kai Kuhne, Roxanne Valinoti designed a gradated manicure effect with greys shade evolving from pinky to thumb. CND’s Kristina Baune mixed custom shades of grey and mushroom for Karen Walker, Costello Tagliopietra, Matthew Williamson, Yigal Azrouel, and Malandrino.


Vintage Metallics – Nails are jewels not tools, treat them like the fashion accessory they are. At Marchesa, the look was a metallic charcoal veil to pick up on the delicate embroidery. Baby Phat manis were a universally flattering warm antique gold while Binetti showed distressed gold and silver on a black base.

GoIndulge.com is offering a free mixing bottle with the purchase of CND shades for custom blending. Use the coupon code FWRecipe.

New York Fashion Week: Reem Acra, Fall 2009

Backstage at the Fall 2009 Reem Acra collection (held at Reem's showroom),teams from Bumble and bumble and MAC were busy at work styling hair and crafting makeup to compliment the collection’s Grecian theme.

“The inspiration is goddess-like,“ said Polly Osmond, Key Makeup Artist of MAC.

“So the face is highlighted and shaded. We’re doing a greasy, taupe-y eye with highlights on the cheeks and a pale lip. The only specification Reem had for the makeup was to make the girls look beautiful. The entire look took about a half hour to conceive because it’s very simple and easy.”

To replicate the look, prep the face with MAC Face and Body Foundation. Then apply MAC Butter Nutty Shadestick to temples, bridge of the nose, and chin. Brush MAC Powder Blush in Taupe on eyelids and under eyes, MAC Nylon Eye Shadow in the inner corners of the eyes, and MAC Root Cream Colour Base under eyes. Layer MAC Gloss Texture on top of the Root Cream Colour Base - then curl lashes and coat with MAC Mascara X in Black.

Apply concealer to the lips then follow with the Root Cream Colour Base. Top with MAC Shy Girl Lipstick and MAC Boy Bait Lipglass. Finally, swipe some MAC Gloss Texture on the cheekbones.

When I approached Laurent Philippon, Lead Hairstylist for Bumble and bumble, he was scrambling because the electricity had gone out - which left him and his team without power for their styling tools. But he was so calm and gracious, and gave me his full attention for a quick interview.

“This is a red carpet kind of hairstyle. Reem wanted something quite sophisticated. It’s a side chignon with a really, really low side part. It frames the face and brings a geometrical shape to the hairstyle, but with softness as well. It’s a very clean and finished hairstyle but it’s not glued. I don’t want it to look glued. I still want it to feel like it’s hair. We’re drawing the part with a comb, then using Styling Lotion and drying hair really flat. And we’re putting it into a side ponytail - no backcombing involved. The twist is really about securing it with large pins. So it’s really tight, but it doesn’t look tight.”

Angi Wingle, and her team of Creative Nail Design technicians, put the finishing touches on models’ tips and toes. The nails were filed to a naturally rounded shape (to echo the bustlines of Reem’s draped gowns) and polished with a coat of Cocoa.

New York Fashion Week: Donna Karan, Fall 2009

Backstage at Donna Karan, I chatted up lead makeup artist, Charlotte Tilbury about the vision and aesthetic. “The look today at Donna Karan came to be because we were looking at these 1920's and 30's sepia-toned photographs, and I just loved that there was something modern about it. So we wanted to translate that to a modern Donna Karan girl," Charlotte explained. "We put gloss on the eye, which has a little bit of sepia and black in it, with flecks of gold through it. And it’s wet, so it’s a modern texture. It goes all the way up to the eyebrow and there’s no form to it…it’s just a great big shadow with a wet, modern texture. We’re brushing up the eyebrows. We’re highlighting the top of the cheekbones and the nose with an iridescent cream (Cream Colour Base in Pearl), which brings a wonderful light to the face. And we’re putting a little bit of a beige-y kind of lipstick (Half And Half Lipstick) - very neutral, quite light on the lips. And a tiny bit of the Reflects highlighter on the bow of the lips.”

I ran into my old pal Victor C, Senior Artist for MAC - who provided additional insight into the inspiration and products. "There is a mushroomy shade on the eyes, Cream Colour Base in Dusk. And on top of it, Charlotte put a gloss. The gloss is actually intended for the lips and it’s going to be coming out in a collection focusing on the color black. So this gloss has an emerald green pearl in it and it enhances the mushroom color of the Cream Colour Base. Dusk is kinda silvery and gives the illusion that there’s a shadow on the eye. I think it’s what’s kind of interesting about shadows is sometimes shadows are meant to enhance bone structure or bring out the prettiness. But in this case, the shadows are giving the face a more grown-up look. Not just on this show - there are a lot of shows that are using grays and mushroom tones. Not the blink blink, wink wink kind of pretty. It’s a lot more like the 1930’s Hollywood pictures where the girls might have been 21 years old, but they look really mature - like they’ve had life experience.”

Cream Colour Base in Dusk

Victor let me play around with and swatch the Bling black gloss from the upcoming black collection.

Victor continued, “We’re also doing really beautiful skin; skin that just shines with the light, no matter what direction you turn. It’s like, again, 1930's Hollywood headshots. On the lip, it’s lightly natural with a little bit of shimmer on the bow of the lip.”

When I asked Victor about trends for fall, he replied, "I see a lot of black being used. I'm calling it 'perfect penmanship.' I’m going to try to create that as a trend, myself, because a lot of the lines have been perfect and very graphic. Last season, the look was Kate Moss, rock and roll - like she slept in her makeup. Now it’s all about graphic precision, which I think is going to be an emerging trend."

I didn't get an opportunity to interview lead hairstylist Eugene Souleiman (working with Wella Professional). His styles were so intricate and laborious, he had absolutely no time for idle chit chat. The finished look was architectural and breathtaking. I've seen a lot of pretty hairdos at Fashion Week shows...but this was simply inspired. Each models' hair was adorned with over 100 u-shaped hair pins! Can you even believe such things are possible?

Finally, I spoke to Creative Nail Design's Lulu Cooper about nails. As she applied CND Serenity to one model's nails, she explained that it was chosen for its "clean, buff look." The nail shape was a slight almond. "Not too pointed and definitely not square," she said. "The square shape is for a younger girl. The almond-shaped nail is for a more mature, more sophisticated woman."

New York Fashion Week: Trip to the Creative Nail Design Studio

During New York Fashion Week, I visited the Creative Nail Design Studio to chat with the top nail pros about the nails they have created, in collaboration with the participating designers. CND nail technician Shelena Robinson was hard at work, crafting 40 sets of talons for the Baby Phat show. She meticulously layered Gold Chrome (to be released in Fall 2009) over Iced Capuccino. She told me that layering is one of the trends that CND is seeing for fall; it gives the nail a unique look, and is something women can easily do at home.

When I asked how long it takes to complete 40 sets of nails - like at Baby Phat - nail technician Kristina Baune explained that it takes 6-7 hours, especially with layered nail polish because the first color must completely dry before applying the second color. Otherwise, you run the risk of dragging and/or smearing.

Kristina said that the main nail color trend she predicts for fall is gray undertones. "Colors will be dirty and smoky, whether they be beige, pastels or reds. Gray isn't as hard to wear as black. It wears a little bit softer so it's not as dramatic when it gets all chipped up. It's great for every day. It's a great staple."

I concluded the interview by putting both technicians on the spot - asking them to name their favorite CND nail colors. Without really hesitating, Shelena put High Blue Dark, NFS and Decadence at the top of her list. Kristina's favorites include Blue Blood (discontinued), Hyde in the Dark and Red Baroness.

Last Fashion Week, the New York Times published The Unsung Heroes of Fashion Week, a fascinating slideshow that chronicles the work of CND artists. With a voiceover by Natasha Singer, the video captures the painstaking process these talented technicians underake to accessorize the nails at Fashion Week's hottest shows. If you're a nail phile, you really must take a look!

#NYFW

New York Fashion Week: Baby Phat, Fall 2009

For Baby Phat Fall 2009, Kimora Lee Simmons' muse was the First Lady. "The inspiration is very sexy, curly hair but the length is Michelle Obama," said Odile Gilbert, lead hairstylist. To achieve the look, models' hair was put in rollers, teased within an inch of its life and shellac-ed with hairspray. When I asked if big hair will be a trend for fall, Odile cheekily answered, "It’s always a trend."

"We’re inspired by Michelle Obama," said James Kaliardos, lead artist for MAC. "I mean, when else can you be inspired by a First Lady? I think she’s so inspiring and so great and so stylish. And she wears Isabella Toledo. Kimora wanted a soft, pretty, classic look. It’s like a soft, pretty peachy version. There’s a little glamour and a little glitter on the eyelid, which Michelle probably won’t do...so it’s a soft, pretty sculpted beautiful look. It’s not as over the top...last time it was Cher, and that’s like hyper glam. This is a little bit more pulled back, a little bit more sophisticated. We’re scuplting and shaping under the cheekbones and in the crease of the eyelid."

To create the Michelle-inspired makeup, makeup artists used Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation, gold eye shadow, Cremesheen Glass lipgloss in Partial Pink, Pink Swoon Powder Blush and Zoom Lash Mascara. Individual eyelashes were applied to create a feathery and soft effect, which is "less drag queeny than a full strip," James explained.

Angi Wingle from CND called the Baby Phat Fall 2009 nail look "All-American girl with edge." "The theme is the Great Depression," she said...so the nails had a pearlized metallic finish - which was achieved by layering Gold Chrome (to be released in Fall 2009) over Iced Capuccino. The nails were meant to look like jewelry..."to accent the collection, like buttons on a jacket."

#NYFW

Hand Sands

On the hunt for the secret to making your manicure and pedicure last during the beach season? Neri Ortega, nail expert of Butterfly Studio Salon, recommends the following for a long lasting, perfect manicure without chipping:

1. Following a hand massage, it is vital to clean the nail bed twice with acetone or acetone free nail polish remover to make sure that there are no emollients left on the nail- a clean, oil free nail bed is the most important part of a lasting manicure, as it creates a clean surface to begin on.

2. Continue with a protein based base coat- this is key in keeping polish from chipping. A strengthening treatment like OPI's Nail Envy, works wonderfully to keep nails strong, and polish from chipping.

3. Following the application of polish, a good basic top coat is needed. Neri recommends Essie, and prefers classic top coats over "quick dry" as she finds that quick dry top coats tend to peel faster.

4. Pushing back cuticles rather than cutting them will also help a manicure last longer. To keep nail polish looking shiny and new, and cuticles from looking dull and ashy, she recommends a good cuticle moisturizer like Solar Oil - the oil treatment will multi-task to keep your manicure going for extra days.

With tips this easy, the hardest part will be choosing your favorite color!

She Wore Blue Satin

When I heard that Chanel’s Blue Satin was the most coveted nail color for Spring 2008, I couldn’t run to the store quick enough, wrap my digits around a bottle, and bring it home with me. Normally, I would balk at paying $19 for nail polish. But when every magazine and website is promising it’s going to change my life, what’s a beauty junkie to do?

Blue Satin goes on smoothly, and the pigment is remarkably rich - so you only need one coat. In very bright light, the polish vacillates between sparkling sapphire and inky indigo. But most of the time, it just looks black. And not even a shimmery obsidian, either…just flat, matte black.


All I’ve read is rave reviews about this color…so I really wanted to buy into the buzz. Regrettably, I cannot. I expected the shade to pop more against my skin tone, which it didn’t in the slightest – and I’m convinced that it’s much more complimentary to paler complexions.

I’m going out on a limb – and you can take this review with a grain of salt – but I don’t think this lacquer lives up to the hype. In my humble opinion, the propaganda is outta control…some ebay sellers are charging $45 for a single bottle!

If Blue Satin cost half of its actual price, it might get more of an endorsement. But for my money, I’d rather buy three bottles of Essie, OPI, China Glaze, or Creative Nail Design.

I’ve got the blues.

Are You The Winner Of The Plexi Pop Giveaway?

Are you the winner of Spoiled Pretty's Plexi Pop Giveaway? You are if your name is Erin Mifflin.

Erin will receive CND’s Spring 2008 collection, Plexi Pop, before the polishes are available in stores; the collection will hit shelves in March.

Thanks to all of you who entered. Stay tuned, though – because our next giveaway is mere hours away.

Spoiled Pretty don’t mess around.

Spoiled Pretty's CND Spring 2008 Giveaway

Plexi Pop, the Spring 2008 color collection from Creative Nail Design, was inspired by colorful Lucite designs from modernist 60’s interiors. Bold in the bottle, while subtle on the nail - this collection includes:


Top Row: Retro White (bright white opaque crème), Turquoise Tint (aqua opalescent sheer), Nail Gloss (translucent medium pink sheer)
Bottom Row: Clearly Pink (translucent light pink sheer), Translucent Tangerine (coral shimmer sheer), Plexi Pink (vibrant pink opalescent sheer)

These shades debuted on runways during Spring 2008 Fashion Week in New York and London - including Badgley Mischka, BCBG, Carmen Marc Valvo, DKNY, L.A.M.B., Peter Som, and Rachel Roy.

You could wait until March, when the collection will be available in salons and beauty stores. Or you could enter the Spoiled Pretty’s Plexi Pop Giveaway (say that three time fast!) and win all six shades now!

To enter:
*Name one of my ‘Holy Grail’ nail products I included on the Spoiled Prettiest: Best of Beauty 2007 list. Here’s a hint: I wrote the review on New Year’s Eve.
*Send an email to spoiledprettycontests@gmail.com - and make sure to include the product name, your full name, and email address.

The contest ends at 9 pm EST on Sunday, January 20th. A winner will be chosen at random from among the entrants. On Monday, January 21st, I’ll announce the winner’s name. Please, only one comment per person; duplicate comments will not increase your chances of winning. Contest is open to U.S. & Canadian residents. Good luck!