The current passion for purple gives plenty of choice for nails without going garish.
Some of the best nail colours about are from the purple colour family, in everything from near noir shades through berry tones to the new soft pastel lilacs and greyish-blue and tending taupe tones.
These shades were among the top nail picks at New Zealand Fashion Week last month, both among guests at the nail bars on site and on models for the shows.
Visiting American designer Nicole Miller turned up at the venue without fanfare one evening and stopped off at Magic Tan & Beauty's stand, where she asked staff from the Auckland salon to paint her nails in the dark purple O.P.I shade Lincoln Park in the Dark. Salon director Petrina Martin said she showed typical Kiwi cheek in asking Miller if she could do her models' nails also and so two days later she was applying O.P.I's grey-taupe You Don't Know Jacques.
These two colours were popular choices on Martin's stand in the main exhibition hall as was Lucky Lavender and some pastel light shades.
Her team applied Lincoln Park on the models for Trelise Cooper's show, with chocolatey and taupe shades at Sera Lilly.
Down in the M.A.C-ghd lounge, invited guests could chose from Orly's nail colours and among the week's favourites was the lavender cream colour Lollipop.
Also popular was Gumdrop, a turquoise cream, the midnight blue La Playa and the brown-taupe Prince Charming.
In the Herald's Inkroom nails were done by Global Beauty using O.P.I, and chief manicurist Melanie Te Puni said deep purple William Tell Me About It and the summery warm orange cream Flit A Bit were favourites.
Aside from these shades other noticeable nails at Fashion Week included the bright red manicures for the Kathryn Wilson show, where the shoe designer chose the glossy classic that is Orly's Haute Red. To give good grip, Orly Bonder was applied as a base, with Orly Flash Drops used to speed up backstage drying time and add extra gloss.
Adrian Hailwood's show featured the frog green O.P.I shade Greenwich Village and the limey-yellow Fiercely Fiona from its Shrek Collection, with the gold metallic Glitzerland.
My advice is that exploring the current passion for purple gives plenty of choice without going garish.
Very dark shades look best on shorter nails and can draw unflattering attention to weathered hands, but with a smart manicure they're chic. If you fancy heading a bit inkier, then check out Estee Lauder's stunning new Blue Dahlia polish.
Chanel's colour of the season, which we've previously featured was the smoky purple mid-toned Paradox, and anything with similar grey or shot tones is right on trend - provided they suit your skin tone. Revlon's Grey Suede is a soft "off" neutral and Essie is doing some gentle mauves.
The lighter lilac shades are newest. They're a nice change from neutral nails, but still subdued enough not to be silly, especially if they have pinkish undertones.
These sorts of shades also work well with pale fabrics or muted florals, plus they're a strong yet delicate contrast with dark clothing.
We've pictured (from top down) some other new favourites: Revlon Nail Enamel in Lilac Pastelle, $16; Orly Sweet Collection in Lollipop $22.99; Zoya Reverie Professional Lacquer in Adina, $20; Yves St Laurent Long-Lasting Nail Lacquer in Mauve Silk, $50; Leighton Denny High Performance Nail Colour in The Heiress, $29 and Revitanail in Parisian Plum, $19.99.
Stockists: Brand counters in department stores and pharmacies. Orly, ph 0800 883 434. O.P.I and Leighton Denny (details see beautycare.co.nz) also from selected professional nail salons. Zoya from The Department Store, Takapuna and online at zoyabeauty.co.nz.
NB: Some prices may vary slightly from those given, due to stores' differing applications of the GST increase.
Win with Viva
The winners of our nail polish giveaway will be right on trend for spring, because we have 10 bottles of Orly's lavender polish Lollipop to give away in conjunction with fashion forward Magic Tan & Beauty. (See magictanandbeauty.co.nz) Each bottle of Lollipop (pictured in our polish selection at right) is valued at $22.95. To enter the draw email your name, address and phone number to vipviva@nzherald.co.nz with Orly Polish in the subject line by October 11.
