FASHION Magazine

Oxblood is certainly the colour of the season and from what we’ve seen so far at New York Fashion Week it’s still going strong for Spring 2013. And, like many colour/fashion/beauty trends it’s a shade that’s been in the spotlight before. Deep red lipstick definitely had its moment in the mid-’90s (hello, Drew Barrymore!) and I distinctly remember being obsessed with a special edition bottle of Wet n Wild nail polish that was a rich oxblood shade.

While the trend so far at New York Fashion Week has been minimal makeup that wasn’t the case at Peter Som. For starters, rainbow-hued extensions (dyed the day prior by colourist Aura Freidman) were tucked randomly in hair, styled by Eugene Souleiman. On the face, Tom Pecheux also wanted randomness and he used his finger tips to apply colour on the eyes, with the goal of looking like a child’s painting. Finally, you know how we feel about French manicures at FASHION. (If not, let me bring you up to speed: ewww!) But when done right (i.e., no acrylics and no white, squared off tips) we can get behind the style. A perfect exception-making example: the creamy orange and mint combo that used two out of the three shades from Zoya’s custom nail polish range for Peter Som.

Read on for more backstage beauty at New York Fashion Week »

The Toronto Film Festival is almost upon us, meaning much of the city is in a state of primping and prepping, as one of the best thing about TIFF is that there’s always the chance you’ll find yourself on a red carpet or at a party with A-list stars. Of course, a little bit of wishful thinking can help secure even the most stringent of invites—so why not show how party-ready you are with a sparkling manicure? Featuring a chunky, multi-coloured glitter OPI nail polish and show-stopping Make Up For Ever gemstones, there’s enough bling in this manicure to last the entire festival.

Find out how to do this manicure! »

If you browse through our Fall/Winter trend report, you’ll happen to see a lot of green—from Kenzo and Milly to Chanel and Elie Saab, shades of emerald, forest and jade dominated the runways. It’s also just as popular in fall nail polish collections, with both OPI and Essie including so-dark-it’s-almost-black shades of green. In keeping with the trend of all-over jewel tones, this manicure pairs two green polishes for a monochromatic moon manicure.

Find out how to do the monochromatic moon mani! »

Sequins, gemstones and bedazzled extras made many an appearance in our Fall 2012 trend report, from accessories to eyebrows. And while we might be waiting for it to get a little cooler before we start donning rich jewel tones, metallic makeup is ideal for an early transition—especially when it’s on your nails. Taking a cue from the sequined sunset on a pair of Roger Vivier boots, this week’s manicure is a glitzy gradient of blues, purples, coppers and gold.

Find out how to do this glitzy gradient manicure! »

Well friends, it might be time to admit that we’re into the last lazy hazy crazy days of summer. Fashion is totally focused on fall trends and summer sales are everywhere. But if you can’t decide which of your favourite Spring 2012 pieces are worth an end-of-season splurge, why not test them out on your nails? This week Nail Corner does a medley manicure that takes inspiration from iconic items by Marc by Marc Jacobs, Jeremy Scott, Alexander Wang and Proenza Schouler. Bring on the bows and cactus prints!

Find out how to do this manicure! »

In the continued tradition of Beyoncé‘s tumblr making us feel simultaneously in awe and beyond envious of her life is her most recent picture post of some pretty incredible nail art. Bey’s always been into elaborate manicures but this really does top everything she’s done before: there are mini prints of her and Jay Z‘s faces!

The Olympics are impressive for a variety of all reasons, but most of all for being the one event to turn even the most athletically disinclined into feverish sporting enthusiasts. Athletes replace celebrities in gossip circles, stringent co-workers suddenly have secret browser windows open to watch the games and, best of all, even Kate Middleton is involved! So once you’re done wrapping yourself up in Team Canada gear get your nails into the game with an Olympic-themed manicure.

See how it’s done! »

Created by arts organization No.9 and Toronto-based artists Jennifer Marman and Daniel Borins, Art Train Conductor No.9 is more than just a wrapped GO train—and it’s also the first time I’ve felt envious of commuters! (If you are a Toronto-area commuter, the train is currently running on the Lakeshore line, but is moving to Barrie as of July 31.) The whole design is beyond visually stunning: from blown-out multi-coloured pixels to bold zig-zags of black and white, there’s a lot going on. So when translating the train into nail art, the biggest obstacle was figuring out which elements to use and which to ignore. After drafting a few different ideas, I decided the best route was to focus on using similar colours and mimicking just a few repeating shapes. The result is a graphic set of striped nails that could serve as a great distraction during any commute home.

Love this look? Here’s how to do it »

With the weather hitting sweltering, record-breaking highs this week, it’s all about seeking relief from the heat in as many creative ways as possible. While a manicure isn’t likely to make you feel any cooler (tempertature-wise, that is!) there’s no denying that even superficial ways of tricking the mind to think about winter can help. So this week, put away your beachy pinks and oranges and turn toward frostbitten colours instead. Chanel‘s new shivering blue shade of nail polish is a great place to start, and the set from their Fall 2012 show provides further direction: the Superman Fortress of Solitude-esque ice crystals inspire an easy bit of nail art.

Ready to cool down? Find out how to do this manicure! »

There’s something about Resort collections that make them seem more dreamy than the rest. Perhaps it’s the whole “envisioning each item in its natural habitat”—you know, a private vila in the Mediterranean or on a yacht somewhere only the very rich or the very royal can sail to. Or perhaps it’s just because super pretty dresses are so common in Resort collections, such as the multi-coloured lace numbers designed by Valentino. The pastel patchwork of flowers—which come in both gown and short frock format—might be intended for winter months, but work just as well as a mid-summer manicure.

Ready to do some resort on your nails? Read on! »

After seeing Dior‘s spectacular Couture show earlier this week, one thing (aside from the collection, that is) stood out: the brightly hued lashes on each model. Created by makeup artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath, hot pink, cobalt blue and lime green eyeliner was applied over silver shadow, with matching mascara to make the neon colours stand out even more. Basically, it was impossible not to turn back to Sally Singer’s eyeball manicure for Nail Corner inspiration. This design may have more of a cartoonish than couture feel, but it’s one way you can get away with neon eyelashes for everyday wear.

Couldn’t you see Katy Perry in this mani? Find out how to do it before she does! »