RED, The It Color of Fall 2008

"RED IS THE BASIS FOR MAKE-UP, IT IS THE LIPS, THE NAILS. RED IS A NOBEL COLOR, A COLOR OF PRECIOUS STONES- THE RUBY- AND IT IS A DANGEROUS COLOR; SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH DANGER. RED IS RELIGIOUS, AND IT IS BLOOD, AND IT IS ROYAL, IT IS PHEDRA, AND A MULTITUDE OF HEROINES. RED LIGHT AND RED COMBAT, RED IS COMBAT BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH." -YSL

This little bootie, the Serena by Jeffery Campbell, is a perfect accent to the rich dark colors of the season. Pair them with a little black dress and opaque black tights.

Red nails are classic and forever chic. I fell in love with Essie's Fall 2008 collection which features shades of deep merlot, rich reds and luxe berries. If you're only going to get one, make sure it's "Forever Young" a bright rich red which you'll wear on your nails this season and your toes during Spring 09.

A red lip can be a very dangerous thing. It's seductive, sexy and sophisticated all at the same time. I create my red lip using Vincent Longo lip vinyl in Fellini Red. It's shiny so the red lip looks modern and hip.

The Neon Nail Polish Collection By Essie

I love these neon nail lacquers by Essie because they add so much fun to your usual pedi. They look great on all skin tones especially a great summer tan. My favorite? "Short Shorts" the shocking neon pink. Get your Essie Neon mini collection here from Nordstrom.

Nail Color Tips and Trends for Spring and Summer

Natural long nails painted with Nubar in "Pink Elegance"

The "rules" of fashion are not what they were 20 years ago, and neither are the rules for nail polish. At the present time, as long as a manicure is well-groomed and not tattered and worn, just about all colors are appropriate year round. Some colors are more seasonal than others. I myself don't use a calendar to decide on a nail color, I go with what my craving is at that particular moment. For example, dark browns tend to be put on the shelf once signs of Spring start showing. Dark browns are especially nice in the summer on well-tanned tips and toes. Focus on your skin tone to choose the most suitable color for you.

The collections that have come out for Spring have been mixed. Some companies are going all pale (Essie and Orly) while other companies are full of neons, holographic, and drab colors (China Glaze). OPI's collections usually are a mix of light and dark colors be it their Spring/Summer collections or Fall/Winter collections. Supplemental collections are more popular than ever. It seems like every month something new is coming out! China Glaze just released three collections and are already planning three more for summer. The same goes for OPI. A French manicure is always appropriate and timeless. I am not a fan of pales so I go with medium colors. Medium colors are also good for camouflaging nails that become stained. Whimsical (different color on each nail etc.) manicures are appropriate in the right setting, as well. The dark navy blue trend is still going strong with the darker purples being pulled into the craze.

Nail and Cuticle Care Tips:

Good health and cuticle care are essential to long and strong nail growth. My favorite cuticle drenching oil is Nubar Cucumber Cuticle Oil. To remove cuticles, Blue Cross Cuticle Remover is an amazing product you can try that gets rid of unwanted skin, gently. If you are in a hurry and need to get rid of cuticles at lightening speed, try Poshe AHA Cuticle Care Revitalizer.

Nail Polish Application Tips:

Start off with a nail hardener such as China Glaze Calcium Gel Fortifier or Salley Hansen Triple Strong Advanced Nail Fortifier. You can also use a ridge filler to fill in ridges and strengthen nails even more. After these two products, its time for your base coat. My favorite base coat product is Color Club Milky White Base Coat.

Next comes the lacquer: I am a habitual three-coater. Most people just do two but with my job requiring 8-10 hours a day on the computer I find three coats reduces chippage. With the first coat, I also make a horizontal swipe of the nail brush across the tip of my nail which reduces shrinkage when the polish dries. I don't concern myself too much if any gets on the top side of the nail as I have two more coats to smooth it out.

Finally, the top coat: The best of the best in my opinion is Seche Vite. It is available at retail but a bit pricey. Online retailers sell it considerably cheaper. Again because of all the typing I have to do, I use two layers. Seche Vite provides a really nice wet look and when dry is slick to the touch.

For those times when I need a polish change but don't have the time to do one, I use a sparkly top coat as a refresher which extends my manicure another day or two. My favorite for this is Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in the shade of Diamonds #5.

Here are a few examples of what that looks like:

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamonds #3 over CND Hot Pop Blue

Chanel Peptie over Nars After Dark

Online retailers that don't require a license:
http://www.transdesign.com/

http://www.head2toebeauty.com/

http://www.8ty8beauty.com/

Travel tips: I recently experimented with my manicure when I went to Las Vegas. Knowing I would not be able to redo my manicure, I picked a medium red with shimmer which is a timeless color and strangely versatile. I added an extra layer of base coat between the 1st and 2nd layers of lacquer and an extra layer of top coat. This makes the polish on the nail a little thicker but I had no problems with chippage and my nails looked just as good when I got home as when I left. I was unable to do a polish change for five days. The downside is the thicker the polish, the longer it takes to get off.

Nail Lacquer colors that I recommend for Spring and Summer:

1. CND "Studio 54"

2. Color Club "Blue Light"

3. Finger Paints "Make a Scene"

4. CND "Hot Pop Orange"

5. China Glaze "Linger"

All images used with permission and curtesy of Carla Gaughan on Flickr.

- Carla Gaughan

Pedicure Perfect With Essie

So now that you've gotten your Jimmy Choo's out, it's time to get a perfect pedicure. Spring pedicures call for airy whites, sheer pinks and ultra violets, the specialty of the sexy, girly and romantic Essie nail lacquers. I am going mad for their new Spring collection which includes my new must have shade, High Maintenance (an "innocent" sheer pale pink). I'm also a big fan of Body Language (the new neutral: a little grey, a little pink, a lot of style). Don't you just love their titles, they sound as if they're juicy chick lit novels. The rest of the collection is also fabulous and will complete your summer goddess look so make sure you check them out at your salon or spa. http://www.essieshop.com/