FASHION Magazine

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! »

Of all the delicate pastels having a moment this season, cool mint is the one keeping us captivated long after Easter has passed.

Get the mint (chocolate?) scoop »

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! »

The Hudson’s Bay Company stripes are certainly an iconic piece of Canadiana—going beyond the traditional Bay blanket, they can now be found on everything from cameras to bathing suits. Spotting the stripes in TV shows, movies or magazine shoots may as well be our other official national sport! As such, why not add a little yellow, blue and green to your red and white for this weekend’s Canada Day festivities? This colourful manicure will look nautical at the cottage, on-trend at the beach and totally playful for park picnics. (Plus, it will fit right in if you’re partaking in this weekend’s Pride parade!) Bring on the stripes!

Find out how to do the HBC striped manicure »

The single-nail style of gradient manicure has been making the rounds on nail blogs recently—thanks in part to its simple application method (I swear!) and its endless colour possibilities. It’s also a favourite of L.A.-based nail artist Madeline Poole, whose cheery sunset-ish designs will convince anyone to make this her next manicure. And when it comes to translating spring’s underwater trend into nail art, what could be better than a deep blue to foamy white gradient? Peter Pilotto’s aquatic print—as well as the illustration that accompanied it in our March issue—served as the perfect Nail Corner inspiration. Time to break out a makeup sponge and find out how to do this manicure!

Go under the sea with this gradient mani! »

Cotton candy colours and oversized lace flowers were all over Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2012 collection, as well as many a trend report. But unlike other delicate prints, Louis Vuitton’s take on femininity seems almost animated: pale shades of saccharine colours get a bit of bounce with large lace eyelets. As inspiration for Nail Corner, the pastels were right in line with many new nail polish shades—it was definitely hard to choose just five colours to use!

See the pastel Louis Vuitton lace manicure! »

Aside from the excitement of the movie itself, obviously the best thing from The Hunger Games are the crazy manicures that Effie Trinket wears throughout. Unfortunately, only of a few are available to view close up (come on, Lions Gate Films, give fans a full gallery of nail art screen grabs!) but to our delight, one of the more intricate designs was shared by Elizabeth Banks—who of course, played the role of Effie. These Hunger Games nails include the soon-to-be-everywhere trend of caviar manicures—that is, manis with tiny beads that add playful texture—and thus, inspiration for this week’s Nail Corner was born!

Read on and find out how to do nails like Effie! »

This week’s Nail Corner steals inspiration straight from the pages of our Spring trend report: a delightful mixed-prints look from Carven’s Spring 2012 collection. The bright-pink and lime-meets-chartreuse chevron pattern has a hand-woven quality to it, with soft lines and organic shapes. When translated to a manicure, the prints vary on each nail, allowing them to mix across each finger.

Check out the mixed prints mani! »

Floral prints were in full bloom in our spring trend report and given that we seem to be experiencing the balmiest March weather on record, a floral manicure was a natural choice for this week’s Nail Corner. From Marni and Mary Katrantzou to Erdem and Prabal Gurung, flowers were bright and best done in matchy-matchy all-over arrangements. And, because we’re right in the middle of Toronto Fashion Week, it seemed appropriate to seek inspiration from one of our favourite TFW Spring 2012 shows: Denis Gagnon.

Read on and feel the flower power! »

It took less than a split second for me to fall in love with the manicures at Rachel Antonoff’s Fall 2012 presentation. CND tweeted a close-up of the design—which was created to mimic the printed flowers found throughout the collection—and I was hooked. It looks like a cross between a hibiscus and a lotus: wide petals that extend up from the moon of your nail and into a bright-red background. And once you sort out what colours to use it’s an extremely fun design to paint.

See the Rachel Antonoff floral moon mani! »

There’s nothing better than a holiday to inspire a great manicure—and for us, Valentine’s Day sits at the top of the list. After all, pink and red are the most popular polish colours available. From tiny hearts to handwritten love letters, we have five manicures to share that are sure to, at the very least, inspire a night in with your true love: nail polish.

Let’s get romantic! See the manicures »

I don’t like to wear much makeup but it’s been hinted to me that I look tired. What can I wear to perk up my face without compromising my natural self?
“No makeup” makeup was a major trend on the Spring runways: Proenza Schouler, Chloé, and Burberry Prorsum all had it, to just name a few. A clean face is the most natural looking, though entirely nude isn’t necessarily the most flattering (or professional!) look for work or an evening out. We love the clean, dewy skin that makeup artist Pat McGrath created for Stella McCartney and it only takes three products to recreate.