FASHION Magazine

You’re making your way down your prom checklist and you realize something is missing: Your nails! You want to do something special, but without spending a lot of money. (After all, why blow your budget now when we’ve shown you how to style a complete prom look for less than $500 and do your own hair?)Thankfully, creating an impressive manicure is easier than ever, thanks to the abundance of nail art products, bloggers and ideas. Bring on the nail tutorials! All you need is an afternoon to practice your painting skills, a couple bottles of your favourite nail polish colours and some inspiration—may we suggest taking a cue from your prom dress, shoes or even your date? From polka dots and florals to glittery patterns and Jackson Pollock-inspired splatters, we’ve found 18 of the best nail tutorials out there that are perfect for prom. Scroll down to see them all and get ready to receive more compliments on your nails than ever before!

When Kelly Osbourne wore a sample of Azature’s $250,000 Black Diamond nail polish to the Emmy Awards last fall, reaction was split between jealousy and outrage. While the manicure was stunning, she was accused by many of exaggerating the actual cost. The lone bottle of $250,000 nail polish, which contains 267 carats of black diamonds, is still on display at Selfridges in London.

With a quarter of a million dollars price tag, it’s no surprise that the sole bottle of Black Diamond nail polish has yet to be purchased. However, in an effort to bring the luxe look to the masses, Azature removed a few zeros and released a $25 version last fall. The significantly cheaper Azature Black Diamond nail polish contains one real black pave diamond and coats nails with a black, glittery shine that resembles the sparkly $250,000 diamond look.

Every week our Beauty Fix columnist takes on your questions about makeup, skincare, hair and more. Have a beauty question we haven’t answered? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.

Are there any products out there that actually do get rid of cellulite? Or even the appearance of it?
This is a very common question that I’m certain many women want to know the answer to, especially this time of year. To put it simply, there is no technical way to get rid of cellulite. There are products and methods that can reduce the appearance of cellulite, but nothing will magically make cellulite disappear. I know, I know, that’s a lot of real talk to take in. That being said, working to reduce the appearance of cellulite is always worth a shot, right? Start in the shower by using Bliss FatGirlSlim Soap ($22, sephora.com), which is a nubby soap bar that contains caffeine, peppermint and grapefruit extracts to stimulate circulation and jojoba beads to exfoliate skin. Follow up with Clarins High Definition Body Lift ($68, sephora.com), a body treatment lotion that contains caffeine and patent-pending breakthrough ingredients Celosia Cristata Extract and Aquatic Mint Extract, which are plant extracts that target fatty tissue from developing cellulite in the first place. Ultimately, stimulation of the area is essential to tackling cellulite woes.

See the entire Pierre Hardy for Nars makeup collection »

Makeup collectors, get ready: Next month the Pierre Hardy for Nars collection is hitting counters and it’s sure to inspire a need-it-all hoarding frenzy. Inspired by Pierre Hardy’s shoes for summer 2013, the 14-piece makeup collection includes six nail polish duo sets and two brightly-coloured blushes. And as if you needed further incentive to purchase, the nail polishes come packaged in adorable, miniature dust bags and Pierre Hardy shoeboxes. The blushes, on the other hand, make use of Hardy’s signature cube print. “Rotonde” is a tiger lilly-orange blush while “Boys Don’t Cry” is a poppy pink grapefruit shade—and both are accented with a shimmering gold overlay of the geometric design.

See the complete Revlon Nude Expressions collection »

Amidst the neon nail polishes, textured manicures and creative nail art, sometimes all we want is a simple, polished manicure. Enter the new nail polish collection from Revlon that is giving us exactly that. The iconic beauty brand has just launched Nude Expressions, a collection of eight neutral nail polishes. The shades are designed to match many skin tones for a minimalist style that is right on trend with the 1990s beauty look of the moment.

Modeled by actress and Revlon representative Olivia Wilde, the limited edition polishes include shades such as “Cool Beige” and “Natural Tan.” Both light and dark hues are included, and they vary from pink to yellow undertones—making the colours seem more like foundation or concealer than a typical nail polish range. Indeed, the “mannequin hands” look is back.

Read all the backstage tips from Peter Som Spring 2013 »

More was more on Peter Som’s Spring 2013 runway when it came to beauty. Bright orange eyelids were mixed with washed out pastel hair extensions, resulting in the ultimate cool-girl vibe for spring.

The Peter Som beauty team—led by Wella Professionals global creative director Eugene Souleiman and makeup artist Tom Pecheux—matched the collection’s watercolour-print boardshorts and billowy floral dresses with bright pops of colour. However, the models’ natural skin tone played a key role in the look. “There is no blush, no highlighter—no need,” said Pecheux, noting that all the models were returning from summer vacation with flawless, toned skin. As our spring trends guide reported, skincare products play a major role when it comes to the “natural” skin look. Pecheux used hydrating gel, foundation and a translucent powder to ensure complexions looked fresh.

See the entire OPI Bond Girls nail polish collection »

OPI is releasing a nail polish collection inspired by the iconic Bond girls from the past 50 years of James Bond films. Hot on the heels of their successful James Bond SkyFall collection last year, the latest OPI James Bond collaboration includes six new textured nail shades for each of Bond’s most memorable female characters.

Titled Bond Girls, the new collection features six uniquely textured Liquid Sand nail polishes that have a shimmery-yet-matte finish. True to the Bond girls’ high-fashion image, the glittery hues of pink, gold, turquoise and purple are eye-catching and glamourous. Fans of textured nail art will love the sparkly 3-D feeling of Liquid Sand polish—which is quickly becoming a mainstay in OPI collections. With strict instructions not to use a top coat, the nail polish leaves a pebbled finish fitting the allure surrounding the Bond girls, as well as the ongoing trend of textured nail art.

Gel manicures have become quite popular in the last few years, most of all thanks to their ability to last a long time without chipping. Although gel nail polish can be difficult to remove (FYI, read our tips on how to remove gel nail polish at home here), many of us have embraced gel manis as an easier alternative to traditional nail polish. However, according to a new study from the Skin Cancer Foundation, there may be more serious reasons to reconsider our dedication to the gel manicure.

As nail techs and anyone who’s tried out a gel manicure will know, UV-emitting devices are used to seal the polish to the nail. But how safe is it? In a statement released by the Skin Care Foundation, Vice President Elizabeth K. Hale confirmed what many already suspected: UV-emitting nail lamps are carcinogenic to humans. Although Hale describes the skin cancer risk for gel manicures as “very low,” it is not insignificant enough to ignore. The statement indicates that the risk is greatest for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the second most common skin cancer. “SCC is mainly caused by chronic UV exposure and is very common on the hands and around the fingernails,” Hale said.

If you’re a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, her appearance and win at last night’s Academy Awards was the epitome of JLaws amazingness. (And if you still need convincing that she’s the best, watch her post-Oscars win interview. If you don’t have a mega crush on within the first 60 seconds, please see a doctor to check your pulse.) While Lawrence has had both red carpet hits and misses over the past year, from the dress to her hair and makeup, last night’s look was completely flawless. As such, it makes sense that you’d want to know all the secrets to Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar style.

First up: Hair. Dove celebrity stylist Mark Townsend was the man behind Jennifer Lawrence’s Academy Awards hair and clearly he’s on team Jlaws: “Jennifer Lawrence is a dream to work with, she is so unbelievably fun and inspiring,” he said of the experience.

The punk rock-inspired beauty look at the Marc Jacobs Fall 2013 show had many elements worth obsessing over. Models all wore cropped, shaggy wigs which were done as homage to Joan Jett (remember when Kristen Stewart had the same hair?), covered in so much hairspray that they looked authentically rock show sweaty. The makeup—which cited Marianne Faithful as muse—was equally gritty, with heavily-lined eyes that had “cool girl” style. “The eye is smoky, but round and defined and we created really matte, perfect skin,” explained lead makeup artist François Nars of the look.

However, it was the nails at Marc Jacobs Fall 2013 (it always comes back to the nails, doesn’t it?) that had everyone excited.

See all 5 CND Shellac spring 2013 colours! »

CND Shellac, the iconic nail salon service product line, has announced their new spring 2013 collection. Titled Sweet Dreams, the collection includes five new shades of Shellac that celebrate the joy and romance of spring. With names like “Grapefruit Sparkle” and “Lilac Longing,” the five colours are pastel shades of pink, blue, purple and green; each with a softness that is perfect for springtime.

Shellac—which is pretty much the most ubiquitous brand in the gel nail polish game—is applied like regular nail polish, but because it’s cured under UV lights it can last up to two weeks without chipping. Shellac is also easy to remove without damaging the nail, which is important for those of us who like to frequently change our manicures. And what’s exciting about the CND Shellac spring collection is that these new shades can be worn on their own or, like most Shellac polishes, layered to create unique combinations of something new.

See all the backstage pictures from Chanel Couture Spring 2013 »

Even from the front row it might have looked like elaborate eyeshadow, but models on the Chanel Couture Spring 2013 runway had their eyes decorated with custom fabric cut-outs. Made from the same fabric used in the headpieces, two different snowflake-shaped pieces were affixed around the outer corner of the eye to enhance the otherwise all-black makeup. The result is a fluttering, feathered look that’s so pretty we’re ready to start snipping out pieces of tulle for our own eyes. (After all, if you tried to duplicate this with makeup alone, smudges would certainly soon follow—making these appliques all the more genius!)

As for the non-arts and crafts portion of the beauty look at Chanel, Peter Philips began by prepping the skin with Hydra Beauty Serum.