When it comes to season trends, I'm more of a classic style girl, so I often cringe at the idea of trying the up and coming must-haves of the season. (Although this year, they don't seem so bad!) But nail trends are different. Playing up the up and coming styles is a great way to stay trendy without going overboard or awkward, especially if the trends are loud and hard to pull off. It’s totally doable to make a loud nail work, no matter your age or style, but also note that trend doesn't necessarily mean loud.
Fall and Winter 2012 is full of easy-to-wear nail looks that are super fun to try. Here are some of the popping nails you can be sure to see all over this fall and winter. Pick a few to try out yourself.
Short and Square: Short square nails are what your nails should be this fall. We love this style because it’s easy to pull off, doesn’t break as easily as longer, rounded nails and it really does just look polished and professional. Even if you don't have time for the upkeep polished nails can cause, a squared-off nail with clear polish is worth the tiny bit of effort.
Navy, Grey and Wine: Navy blue polish has been a fall favorite for a few years now so you might already have one in your polish stash. (See 10 of our favorite navy polishes) But new to the scene is grey. This is our favorite fall nail trend. Paired with the shorter, squared nail, this is a look anyone can pull off and easily goes from day to night. These colors are great on most, if not all, skin tones. For long-lasting manicures, go for Shellac. (You can even do Shellac at home.)
Ombre Nails are hot, hot, hot! (As is Ombre hair) An Ombre polish is a gradual shift in colors. The top is typically darker than the rest of the nail. (example here) If you want to spend some time playing around with your polish, search Pintrest for a DIY Ombre nail tutorial. Just know that it takes practice, and lots of it! Trust us, we’ve tried a bunch of the tutorials and have yet to find the one that takes us to perfect Ombre nails without a mess, but you might have better luck. Ask your nail tech for Ombre polish at your next manicure and take mental notes to replicate it at home.Whites, creams, peaches: If you want to mix your dark hues with lighter ones, just like last year the whites, creams, peaches and beige's are your perfect pick. These polish colors aren’t as easy to wear as the blue and maroon, so if you’re unsure, go with the one that matches your skin tone, like peach or cream and skip the white, white.
Nail Art: Nail art is sticking around for the season. And believe it or not, nail art doesn’t have to mean gaudy. Delicate lace tips all the way to bold full nail patterns are popping up everywhere. (Here's a good guide of what we're not talking about when we say nail art.) Again, simply typing Nail Tutorials in Pintrest will keep you busy all day. Go for it! If the idea scares you, try a simple nail polish strip for an easy DIY nail art that doesn't even need to dry.
Jewel Tones: Put a pop in your wardrobe with a jewel tone polish. You have many options from each line to pick from. Some shimmer with high shine finish and some have added sparkle, but if you're a matte girl, you're in luck, too. There is a jewel shade for anyone.
Nail Trend We're Avoiding
We've tried embracing it. We've tried even liking, but we just can't and we just don't. You will not find us wearing Crackle nails this year, even if Dior tells us we should. We'll take a classic grey or wine any day over this mess.
