As spring flowers bloom and the once-dreary skies and snow-covered expanses become a not-so-distant memory, nail polish colors also tend to experience a reawakening, moving from dramatic, indulgent, even gothic shades to exuberant brights, pretty pastels, and glistening metallics.
It’s scary to think about some of the toxins lurking inside many widely available nail polishes, most notably: formaldehyde, the very substance morticians used to embalm corpses, which is a known human carcinogen; toluene, which is listed in California’s Proposition 45 as being toxic and linked to birth defects, cancer, and infertility; dibutyl phtalate (DBP), a plasticizer and solvent used for dyes that, when absorbed through the skin, could disrupt endocrine activity and enhance other chemicals’ ability to morph into mutagens, potentially leading to everything from liver and kidney failure to infertility.
Next time you browse through Kylie Jenner’s Instagram feed, pay close attention to her manicures — from the Squareletto nail shape she’s popularized, which has the same tapered look of the Stiletto nail but features a square tip with slightly rounded edges, to the colors she favors (the girl clearly has a soft spot for teal and mint shades!).
If there’s one show during New York Fashion Week in which you’re guaranteed to see refreshingly over-the-top, unconventional, larger-than-life nails and show-stopping makeup, it’s Libertine.
Most of the nail looks seen during New York Fashion Week Fall 2016 thus far have been almost jarringly subdued given that the autumn and winter months are typically rife with decadent chocolate and creamy toffee hues, not to mention jewel-toned emerald and ruby shades, and bling-y accents.
Makeup artist Erin Parsons seems to have recalled Maria Von Trapp’s “Favorite Things” when creating the beauty look for the Jonathan Simkhai Fall 2016 show during New York Fashion Week — particularly the “snow flakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes” entry in her list.
The nail look created by Michelle Saunders for essie for the Rebecca Minkoff Fall/Winter 2016 show was characterized by a distinctively ’70s color scheme and a geometric motif that nodded to a retro era while staying grounded in contemporary terms.
Though we’ve seen some bold pouts during New York Fashion Week AW16 thus far, there’s also been a surprising number of minimalist beauty looks involving lips neutralized with concealer, cheeks and mouths given just a hint of pink or peach color (dabbed in for an even more subdued effect), eyelids left completely bare or dusted with ruddy earth tones or a lavender wash, and nails coated with sheer polishes.
The Rachel Antonoff FW16 collection was inspired by the spunky working women portrayed in film — from Melanie Griffith’s turn as an ambitious secretary with a ruthless, idea-stealing boss in Working Girl to Diane Keaton’s portrayal of a career-driven management consultant who leaves her fast-paced life after becoming the guardian to a deceased cousin’s infant child and reinvents herself as a mompreneur in Baby Boom.
A Tibetan proverb affirms, “Goodness speaks in a whisper; evil shouts.” Perhaps this was the mindset behind the creation of Zoya’s Transitional SS16 collection, an array of muted and creamy nail polishes that exude softness, innocence, and tranquility, but never scream for attention.
