Nailed at New York Fashion Week SS16
By: Halle Butler
Straight from a nail stylist backstage, here are three top trends in nail art to keep you polished all season, from subtle naturals to bold brights.
Naked
Celebrity nail stylist Julie Kandalec was inspired by the mother of pearl and shell accents of the Altuzarra collection, so she styled a subtle shimmery nude look by layering two Essie colors
The look: One coat of Like Linen by Essie, but not on the entire nail. Avoiding the moon shape of the nail at the cuticle, we created a negative-space half moon with this color. Then, we applied one sheer coat of Au Naturale by Essie over the entire nail, leaving a very subtle moon.
Jason Wu also followed suit in the natural nail look, collaborating with Deborah Lippmann and her Naked color, which is meant to be universally flattering and effortless.
Tip: To make the Altuzarra look a bit easier to execute, you can paint Like Linen in a straight line, leaving the negative space at the cuticle straight across, rather than in a moon shape.
To add more contrast to this look, you can paint two coats of Like Linen rather than one, before applying the Au Naturale. Make sure your nails are nice and clean when pursuing a natural look, these colors don’t show chips, but they do show everything else!
Sunset Ombre
Rebecca Minkoff, fashion designer and Essie’s Global Color Designer, crafted 3 looks and had fans vote on the one to be used for the final show. The winning nail look “Lucite Sunset” is inspired by the Lucite heels from the season’s collection and was executed by Michelle Saunders.
The Look: It’s an ombre of multiple Essie colors: Tarte Deco, Marshmallow, Beach Bum Blu and Midnight Cami sponged on, with a coat of Spaghetti Strap painted over to soften the look and give a sunset haze.
Tip: To make the colors blend more, use a makeup sponge to apply the colors on, working one nail at a time and paint Spaghetti Strap on right away while the other colors aren’t completely dry yet – they’ll fade into each other giving a more organic gradient, and that perfect sunset feel.
Organized Chaos
Inspired by German artist Blinky Palermo, the Libertine collection matched their bold clothing styles with nail colors and prints using CND Shellac and Vinylux.
The Look: Using precise prints like color blocking and checkerboard patterns with loud and proud colors such as yellow, blue, green, orange, and pink, the designer created an “organized chaos” of style.
Tip: If you’re looking to stand out using these bold brights, make sure to pick opaque colors. When layering colors for a design, always put the lighter or less opaque color down first, then layer on the darker or more pigmented color for the best colors possible. When attempting a clean graphic design, sometimes using tape for clean lines is even more difficult than just hand-painting it.
Sources: BPCM PR, nailsmag.com, Essie
