FASHION Magazine

Get ready to say hello to two faces that you will be seeing a lot of in the coming months. Cover Girl has announced a new addition to their ever-growing list of spokesmodels and this time it’s a two-fer: Australian DJ sister duo Nervo has just been signed to represent the global beauty brand in promotional and digital campaigns.

With this announcement, it seems that Cover Girl is making a calculated move away from adding well-known faces to their roster and instead focusing on up-and-coming talent. The Nervo girls may not have the same name recognition as the brand’s other ambassadors (which includes Taylor Swift, Queen Latifah and Sofia Vergara, to name a few) but that’s likely about to change. Aside from releasing their own music, Nervo has worked with top talent like Miley Cyrus, Kylie Minogue and The Pussycat Dolls and they have a DJ residency in Las Vegas. Nervo also toured with Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj on the Femme Fatale tour.

The clock is ticking, and if you’re still scrambling to create a Halloween costume it may be time to switch efforts over to your nails. Halloween nail art is an ideal, last-minute way to dress up for this candy-filled holiday and there are plenty of options that take almost no time or effort to do. (Seriously!) First option: do-it-yourself decals. Sally Hansen has a complete series of Halloween-themed Salon Effects nail polish strips, meaning in less than ten minutes your fingers can go from plain to patterned. For those who are more comfortable with nail art, dress up each nail with a Day of the Dead skull, Jack-O-Lantern face or black cat. This week Nail Corner combined Halloween decals with nail art for a somewhat spooky and definitely festive manicure.

See how this Halloween nail art is done! »

See more of the nail art from Ashtiani Spring 2013 »

Last season I had the chance to work backstage during Toronto Fashion Week with the team from Tips Nail Bar. This season, the tables were turned: Essie invited me to experience what it’s like to be a model (er, nail-wise, that is) by getting the look for Ashtiani Spring 2013 applied on my own nails. Rita Remark, the lead Essie nail artist for World MasterCard Fashion Week, was leading the charge backstage, working with the team from Pinky’s Nails to design and apply creative manicures for seven shows throughout the week. (That’s more than 850 nails that need to be prepped and painted beforehand!)

See all the backstage pics from Chloé Comme Parris Spring 2013 »

It was dewy skin like we’ve never seen before for Chloé Comme Parris Spring 2013, where the theme was California’s Venice Beach and models looked like they’d just emerged from the water. “It’s all about layering different kinds of textures to create this really beautiful, metallic skin,” explained M.A.C makeup key Melissa Gibson. To start, she used M.A.C Cosmetics Mineralize Charged Water Face and Body Lotion ($40, maccosmetics.com) followed by Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer ($22, maccosmetics.com)—though dabbed only where necessary. The almost supernatural glow, however, came courtesy of Mineralize Skinfinish in “Soft and Gentle” ($34, maccosmetics.com) which Gibson generously applied with a brush “literally all over the face.”

From the Luoboutin heels that Carly Rae Jepsen is wearing on the cover of our October issue to all the animal print accessories that got a spot in our Fall/Winter 2012 trends guide, there’s never been a better time to paint leopard-print spots on your nails. It’s a fan favourite for nail art that can done in endless colour combinations—but we think it looks best in the classic shades of tawny-brown, copper and black. The muted colours of a leopard-print manicure is also a clever way to sneak some nail art into otherwise formal occasions. (Say, for instance, a family-filled Thanksgiving dinner?) Above all else, leopard-print spots are easy to master: all you need is a dotting tool!

See how easy leopard-print nail art is! »

Outer space has inspired many a manicure, from the classic moon manicure (okay, it may be named for the moon of your nails and not the moon in the sky, but still!) to glittering galaxy-style nail art. Last fall Jeremy Laing had many a moon print in his collection and this season it seems Carolina Herrera is taking inspiration from astronomy. Two pieces in particular seemed to capture the crater-filled, swirling surface of the moon and it’s this print that served as the basis for today’s nail art. (Also, I’m not the only one completely enamoured with the images of Mars that the Curiosity Rover has been sending back to Earth, right? Outer space is on-trend!) To get the surface of the moon on your nails, you’ll need two shades of mushroom-purple nail polish, a silver-purple glitter and a few dotting tools. Don’t worry, this manicure is easier than rocket science.

See how the surface of the moon manicure is done! »

Katy Perry was in Tokyo yesterday for the Japanese premiere of her film Part of Me and while there she decided to indulge in some incredible nail art. In a very ’90s nostalgia move, Katy Perry had the faces of nine characters from the cult MTV animated series Daria painted on her nails. This unexpected manicure got us thinking of what other ’90s icons we’d like to see Katy Perry try:

1. The ultimate boy band rivalry: Backstreet Boys on one hand and *NSYNC on the other. Conveniently these groups had five members apiece, so there’s no need to fight over whether Justin or Nick get top placement.

Despite Lena Dunham and Zooey Deschanel talking and tweeting about coordinating their nail art for the 2012 Emmys, it seems the two didn’t actually follow through with their matching manicure plans. Even though Lena Dunham kept her Emmy awards nails simple, she did stay on trend with her colour choice, opting for Deborah Lippmann’s natual-looking “Fashion” nail polish. The taupe shade complemented her Prada gown and kept the focus on her makeup. And we have to say: Lena Dunham does a dramatic blue smoky eye well. (It’s very Chanel Couture Spring 2012, no?)

Zooey Deschanel did, however, show up on the red carpet with an impressive sparkly nail art design, complete with glittering mini TVs on her thumbs and Swarovski crystals overtop a pale orange polish across all other fingers.

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.

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! »

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! »

See all the Olympic nail art! »

You’d have to be living under a rock to have not noticed the skyrocket rise in nail art popularity over the past few years. While Katy Perry and Rihanna were among the first celebrities to champion the trend, it’s has since snowballed into a genuine phenomenon, even engulfing this summer’s Olympic games in London.