Must Have Manicures This Season

Step out of the box with these two trends in talons:

The Moon Manicure
Step 1. Start with an opaque white lacquer (try Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail color in Whirlwind White ) and apply one coat over the entire nail and wait for it to completely dry.

Step 2. Using a semicircular French-manicure stencil sticker (try Orly French Manicure Tip Guides), block off the bottom third of your nail.

Step 3. Paint two coats of black (try Essie nail polish in Licorice) from the stencil to the tip of the nail. Once it dries, peel off the sticker and finish with a shine-enhancing top coat over the entire nail.

The Ombre Manicure
Subtle shade-shifting gives hands a cool and pretty effect. The best part? All you need are two shades to create your own custom ombre sensation.
Step 1. What you'll need: a deep purple polish (try OPI nail lacquer in Give Me Moor), a creamy white polish (like OPI nail lacquer in Alpine Snow), five clean pots (or disposable plates), and toothpicks to mix.

Step 2. Pour out four dime-size blobs of the dark purple, and add small increments of white to each one, creating a gradation of hues.

Step 3. Beginning with the original shade on your pinkie, paint each nail a different color.

Have fun with it and try different colors and graduate them also.

Socks With Sandals?

I'm NOT referring to your grandma and her Birkenstocks either. Yes it's true, socks and sandals are allowed this season....and not too many rules apply. Switch it up and get original, just check out some of these styles:

...but please no socks and flip-flops.

Strong Shoulders

Reincarnating the 80's trend of "shoulder pads", this Fall has us seeing BIG again. Bigger, broader shoulders are in and we're not talking about men.

As expected, fashion trends inevitability return but with a new flare. The shoulders we're seeing on the runway are more sophisticated with ruffles, satin trim and even leather-clad.

These pieces can be paired with another hot trend, skinny pants - also seen in the same textures.

"No-Chip" Manicure Revolution

OK, so I'm not the average consumer complaining that my manicure doesn't last any longer than five days (if I'm lucky)...I'm a licensed nail technician, therefore I'm real lucky if I can get my polish to look decent for ONE DAY!

Constantly having my hands and nails succumb to the hazards of my profession ie: acetone, gels, acrylics, water, etc...it's no wonder why I don't polish my nails AT ALL. So if there was a miracle polish that never chipped, it would be an answer to my prayers...OK, I really didn't pray for a miracle, no-chip polish but you get my point.

Then a co-worker of mine introduced me to the 'no-chip" manicure, she had recently received one and was raving about it. Next thing I know, my boss has a class scheduled for all nail techs to learn this new concept. I was ecstatic! I love learning new techniques and we all need to learn to grow, right?

Here it goes: OPI has a new "soak-off gel lacquer" in, currently, 26 of their hottest and most popular shades...Lincoln Park After Dark, Russian Navy (my personal fav) I'm Not Really A Waitress, Bubble Bath, Pompeii Purple and so on... So when you apply polish there's a base coat, two coats of color, followed by your top coat - same concept here except each layer is cured by an ultraviolet light, which forms a lasting bond with the nail that won’t chip. Plus, “they can actually help some women grow their nails, by providing a protective cover,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, cofounder of O.P.I....I love Suzi :-)

It's been a week since my "no-chip" manicure (guess what color I chose first) and besides outgrowth at the cuticle, it looks just as fresh as if I just walked out of the salon. Now you're wondering about removal, right? Well, that's a simple and painless process too: just a light filing of the top layer, then a soak in acetone for 15 minutes and voilà, you're ready to pick out a new shade!

One definition of revolution means a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something...it's time we "revolutionize" our way of thinking, of what a traditional manicure should be...toss out the notion that it can only last a few days, there's a new Mayor in town and her term is indefinite...

...Welcome to no-chip happiness, Ladies!