FASHION Magazine

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! »

Every week we take on your questions about makeup, skincare, hair and more and provide all the answers. This week, Beauty Fix is engaging in some colour theory. Stuck in a barely-there-pink nail polish rut? We have a colour that will inspire you to change it up at your next manicure. Bored of contouring with bronzer? We have a fix for that too. Read up for all these answers—and more! In need of a beauty fix yourself? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.

Read on for the full fix! »

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.”

As soon as our Carly Rae Jepsen cover was released, the compliments came flooding in. We have yet to see an instance where the “Call Me Maybe” singer doesn’t look stunning—from award shows to red carpet appearances she’s pretty much flawless—but fans old and new were unanimously in love with her hair and makeup from our October 2012 cover. As such, we spoke with Anna Nenoiu, the hair and makeup artist for the shoot, and got all the tips and tricks behind Carly Rae Jepsen’s look.

Find out how to do your hair like Carly Rae Jepsen »
Find out how to do your makeup like Carly Rae Jepsen »

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! »

Nail polish fanatics, this one is for you! If you’ve ever wondered who’s behind the incredible colours and clever names of OPI and Nicole by OPI nail polishes, it’s none other than Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, the brand’s executive vice president and artistic director. It would be easy to credit her and OPI with the ever-growing popularity of nail polish—since the ’80s Suzi Weiss-Fischmann has been the force behind every nail polish OPI has released, no matter the colour or collection. Love the metallic berry-red of “I’m Really Not a Waitress” or the perfect taupe of “You Don’t Know Jacques?” That was Suzi. Think that the forthcoming Modern Family collection with Nicole by OPI is beyond inventive? That’s Suzi again! So what does the woman who’s responsible for so many manicures around the world carry on a daily basis? We took a look inside Suzi Weiss-Fischmann’s Chanel purse to find out!

Go inside Suzi’s bag! »

Ever feel like you’re caught in a beauty loop? It can be as simple as trying to cover up stained nails with more stain-causing nail polish (yikes!) or as long-term as knowing that the onset of fall also means the start of at least six months of dry skin. This week we’re all about helping you break out of these bad beauty cycles: our Beauty Fix answers include how to avoid messing up your foundation when applying a dark eye shadow, tips for addressing uneven skin tone and everything you need to know about proper exfoliation.

Read on for the full fix! »

If Kelly Osbourne had her way, she’d like you to believe that each of her nails were covered in $25,000 worth of nail polish at last night’s Emmys. Before the award show went live she tweeted a picture of Azature’s Black Diamond nail polish with the subtle caption, “About to get a $250k manicure w nail polish made w blk diamonds made by @azature so excited & honored but absolutely shitting myself to have that much money on my nails!”

However, given that the jewelry company only produced one bottle of its $250,000 nail polish—a bottle that contains a hefty 267 carats of black diamonds—there was some confusion about what was really on Kelly Osbourne’s nails.

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.

Considering just how much Temperley London was worn by Kate Middleton during her recent Diamond Jubilee tour of Southeast Asia, the label was top of mind when it came time to seek out this week’s nail art inspiration. It also helps that Temperley London’s Fall 2012 collection opened with an exquisite embroidered dress (worn by former FASHION cover girl Anais Pouliot, no less) that was basically begging the nail art treatment. For this design you’ll need a handful of colourful nail polishes, as it’s all about the contrast between the light-taupe background and the floral detail work. (I almost wish there had been more need for the dark, hunter-green shade I used, which was one of the Nars Andy Warhol polishes. It will certainly make a reappearance!) So, grab a nail art brush and a dotting tool and read on to see how this floral Temperley London manicure is done!

Try the Temperley London floral nail art! »