Five Hot Nail Polish Trends for Fall 2013
Sep 26, 2013
If you don’t have a lot of money to spend on your fall wardrobe, a new nail polish color is a great, inexpensive way to brighten your look and sate your desire for something new. Here are five nail trends for fall that don’t involve painting patterns on or applying 3-D accents to your nails. Because who has time for that?
Oxblood isn’t just a trend for shoes and accessories, it’s also hot for nails. The shade above is La Moss from butterLONDON ($15), which was featured at Rachel Roy’s F/W 2013 show. It doesn’t get any deeper or darker than this vampy hue.
Looking for other oxblood options? RGB has an oxblood shade ($16) that is a more on the burgundy side with purple undertones.
Metallic. When I wear gold polish, I don’t want a foil finish, too much glitter or a polish that looks like unicorn urine. Glitzerland from OPI ($7) is a softer metallic with a pale gold finish that has a bit of sparkle.
Not feeling the gold? Metallics come in many hues. I would suggest a gorgeous pewter grey, like Orly Iron Butterfly ($7), or a autumnal copper, like Deborah Lippmann Superstar ($19).
Red is the quintessential nail polish color. There are so many shades to choose from, but my favorite is a classic, ravishing red. YSL makes this bold shade called Rouge N Pop Art ($25). Should you need something less expensive, some readers turned me on to OPI Red ($9). It’s a great lipstick red that’s vibrant, yet sophisticated.
Ash Purple is a combination of purple and grey that is seasonally appropriate without being dark. This shade is Marc Jacobs Delphine ($18) and it’s sublime. Need something less expensive? Try China Glaze Below Deck ($6) for a similar color at 1/3 the price.
Black is back. My favorite black is OPI Black Onyx ($8). The color is a strong black that’s dark without distracting undertones. The onyx shade also has a bit of gloss to it without being too shiny.
Also, this black gloss with black matte French manicure is still one of the favorite things that I have ever posted on the blog. Want a little sparkle in your black polish? Try JinSoon Obsidian Galaxy with Mica Flecks ($18).
Now, the question will be: Can I wear these colors to work? The answer to this question depends heavily on where you work. Most women will be able to wear the ashy purple and the classic red. Many will be able to wear the oxblood. Fewer will feel comfortable in the black or the gold, but that will depend on your individual work environment. And as I always say, if it makes you uncomfortable, go with your instinct and save it for the weekend.
My go-to fall color is OPI in You Don’t Know Jaques (on my nails right now!) and CND Shellac gel in Asphalt.
Vexed violet and sugared spice CND Shellac gel also look great!
Thoughts on some of these colors and their office appropriateness? I think the red would be the only one I would feel comfortable wearing to my business attire office (and we’re not particularly conservative). Am I just old fashioned?
My office is businesses attire if clients are in town or we’re on the Hill but business casual the rest of the time. I’d feel awkward wearing black, probably for the reasons Belle mentioned, but I feel like any other color is okay if your nails are short and natural looking. Unless of course your office has a strict dress code that specifically mentions nail color.
I think all except the gold are fine if your nails are short. I work on the Hill in a pretty laid back office (though I’m probably more conservative) and would only feel comfortable wearing the gold, even a subdued gold, during recess. I’ve seen black look sleek and professional, but I think it depends on skin tone and some people still associate it with goth or something they wore as teenagers, so I could see shying away from that one too.
I do not understand. I think red is just as inappropriate for work as neon orange (well, almost) and that a very dark color (though black can be a bit much) is totally appropriate. Am I way off-base here?
Red is the original nail polish color. Unless you work in an extremely conservative environment where all you should be wearing is pale pink, then red should be fine. A previous boss only allowed red and pink. It’s considered traditional. The same boss, like many people over the age of 45 (esp. men), felt that dark colors were for goths.