We've officially found our first nail obsession of NYFW and it's a gem of a mani: Turquoise tips at Gretchen Jones. The former Project Runway winner debuted her fall '12 collection on Wednesday and it was rife with inspiration from the designer's Southwestern roots, described as a "'90s grunge reinterpretation of classic '40s feminity," with patterns of snakeskin, ikat, and dark florals throughout.

Ever since Black Swan exposed us to the nightmarish undercurrent of the world of ballet, we've been a little freaked out. Won't someone please bring us back to the dreamy world of dance that we remember from our kindergarten days? Apparently, OPI read our minds, and they're coming to the rescue!

They've partnered up with the New York City Ballet for the spring, and the colors in the collection are as soft and gentle as the opening strains of Tchaikovsky's Pas de Deux. For those readers with an office environment that's not so pro-polish, this group of sheer neutrals (and one twinkler!) will keep you cube-friendly . Click through to see why we're almost inspired to bust out our leg warmers.

New York City Ballet by OPI, $8.50 each, available in April at OPI

Photos: Sara Mearns in Peter Martins’ Swan Lake, Photo by Paul Kolnik; Courtesy of OPI

Backstage at Fashion Week just got a zillion times more awesome: For the first time ever, MAC will be doing nails! MAC senior artist Keri Blair, whose expert makeup skills have graced the faces of countless models backstage, is taking her creativity to the nails by custom designing the looks at some of the hottest shows of the season: Zac Posen, Ruffian, Nicholas K., Ohne Titel, and ICB by Prabal Gurung. In addition, she'll also be working closely with nail guru Honey at the Proenza Schouler show to select shades from MAC's forthcoming Nail Lacquer palette (we'll get to that in a minute).

Iconic 5th Avenue fixture Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa has moved its NYC Flagship location down the block to 663 Fifth Avenue, and believe us, it’s pretty fab. The new destination has gotten a serious upgrade from the former – as soon as you walk in, you’ll forget the old “ladies-who-lunch” vibe and gladly give in to the zen chic atmosphere. There’s a huge menu of spa and salon services to choose from, including eyelash extensions and microdermabrasion. You can hang out in the swanky “Relaxation Library” post-beautification if you’re not ready to return to the madness of Manhattan right after your treatment, or rehydrate at the café – essential after a massage!

With Fashion Week on everyone’s brain here in the city, we were excited to hear that Red Door will be creating looks seen on the runway – in addition to the triple threat of hair, makeup and nails at Brandon Sun, they’ll be creating hair trends at Emerson and The Red Dress. Leading the hair team will be Zahir Ziani, national creative director and master stylist, and we were pumped to get chance to chat with him to hear his plans to bring in clients. “It was hard,” he admitted, “because we were not known for hair, but the first step was to change the location.” Ziani now has 22 hair stations (and they’re adding more!) at his disposal, and hopes to draw a younger following to the spa. “If you see pictures of my work, you will say, ‘oh, who did that?’ When you find out it was Red Door, you will come.” We can't help but be charmed by a Frenchman — can you blame us? If you still need another reason to give in to the mane master, we hear Ziani, whose styles are "trendy, but always wearable," also gives a killer blowout – Gisele is a fan.

What do you think? Ready to check out Red Door or is it still a stuffy scene?

Red Door Spa, 663 Fifth Avenue (between 52nd and 53rd streets); 212-546-0200.

Photo: Via BOLD PR

Okay, we're not embarrassed to say that we go weak in the knees for that shaggy, grown-out hair that hipster men can cultivate so well. After years of the "metro" aesthetic, shows like Bored to Death, and all things Williamsburg seeping into the national consciousness, men's hair, in general, is longer. So long, in fact, that it necessitates some means of getting it out of your smokin'-hipster-man face. Hot weather, functionality, and FDA health codes all contribute to rise of a new and slightly confusion trend: the man-bun.

After all, no one wants to pull out a long blond hair from their vegan organic burdock-root-and-shiitake soup, because that’s nasty, no matter how gorgeous the hair-shedder is.

So, what’s the consensus on man-buns? We have to say, we're torn: On the one hand, Olivier Theyskens pulls the high-on-the-head bun off better than most of the chicks we know. On the other hand: If we see one more bun comprised of hipster dreadlocks, we are going to have to resist the urge to buy a razor and slice it off. But enough about us? What are your thoughts on the trend? Weigh in in the comments.

And in the meantime, we just have to hope that the boys don’t figure out that irresistible beauty secret of high bun = no shower. (New York Times)



Photo: Via New York Times

If you live or work in NYC — or just happen to be passing through — you know the joys of crowded commutes, high-stress work environments, and less-than-figure-friendly meals on the go. What you need to combat all of that is a little namaste in your life — some physical, spiritual, and emotional renewal that makes you feel OM-azing (if only for 90 minutes). Luckily, here in the Big Apple, there are nearly as many yoga studios as there are hot-dog vendors, no matter the 'hood. Whether you want to do some Bakasana in Brooklyn or get your Utkatasana on Uptown, just consider us your NYC gurus. We've found all the right spots to recharge your chi, perfect your most pretzel-like poses, and downward dog your way to a healthier, more peaceful mind. You can thank us later for that rockin' bod, too.

Additional yoga research by Desiree Paix

Wowza. Snooki tweeted a photo of herself without the tanner, false eyelashes, nude lipstick, and pounds of bronzer, and we have to say that the fresh-faced reality star is an absolute knock-out (same went for Sammi's makeunder — JWOWW, we're expecting yours next). Though we harbored suspicions that Snooki had actually lasered on a permanent smoky eye and cheekbone contours and might actually look like Steve Buscemi underneath it all, her tweet proves us wrong. We'll say it — Snooki, you're a babe! Click through for two more photos of a bare-faced Snooki.

Unless you're bi-coastal, a perpetual spray-tanner, or just happen to have hit the good-genes jackpot (damn you!), chances are, in the winter, you're paler than usual. Instead of trying to fight nature, we think it best to embrace the look with a strong makeup P.O.V. The answer? Just the right lipstick. So, we've narrowed down the best hues of the season to four go-to color categories that anyone can pull off. Oh, and we've also snagged major makeup artist Paula Dorf to give us a paint-by-numbers breakdown. From warm-'n'-toasty neutrals to gothically purple tones, these trends let you pump up the glam and update your cold-weather look without breaking the bank. The best part about showing your lips some fun, colorful love is that it'll even make your all-black puffer coat look chic…well, maybe.



We say: We've been seeing this deep purple color popping up in the office and all over town, and when done right, it can be a total makeup home run. Don't shy away from the dramatic look — it just might be the "new you."

Paula's tips: "For this trend, I’d recommend a lip gloss for a sexy, dramatic look. The gloss will look healthy if you use a semi-transparent shade, rather than a traditional matte lipstick, which can make you look like you have bruised lips. The purple shade generally looks better with a paler skin tone (verses a summertime glow), but you’ll want to wear a little color on your cheeks in a medium brown or pink shade, and a nice, classic eye. It may be fun to really play up your lashes, but I’d avoid a deep, smoky eye – as that could make you look like a vampire."

Above, from left: YSL Gloss Pur in #6 Pure Plum, $23, available at Yves Saint Laurent; Lipstick Queen Chinatown Pencil in Mystery, $20, available at Lipstick Queen; Givenchy Gloss Interdit Ultra-Shiny Color Plumping Effect in Velvet Purple, $26.50, available at Sephora.

Photos: (Homepage) Via Maria Valentino/MCV Photo; (Above) Via Yves Saint Laurent, Lipstick Queen, Sephora.

There are quite a few phrases ("everyone wants to get into the act," "monkey see, monkey do," "nailed it!") that came to mind when we heard about The Ace Hotel's upcoming nail polish collab. The hipster mainstay has teamed up with Uslu Airlines (that's the first we're hearing of them, too — don't worry) to create a gray shade reminiscent of the hotel's interior decor. To be fair, we heart gunmetal and this one's cool, as is the striped nail file that comes with the polish. We're just a little baffled about how they made the leap from management to manicures. Either way, you can bet your bottom dollar this color will be booked solid sold out soon. (Racked)

Ace X Uslu Airlines Nail Kit, $19, available at Ace Hotel Online Shop.

Photo: Via Ace Hotel

Mittens or no mittens, cracked hands and gnarly cuticles are an (almost) unavoidable result of the cold. And believe us, we get that sleeping with Glamour Gloves on is not only a pain in the butt, but it's also less than glamorous. So, in order to help soothe your paws when they need it most, we've rounded up the best moisturizing, cuticle-taming, and nail-thickening products around. We guarantee that picking up just one of these creams will put the "cure" in your manicure without the need for an appointment. Just pick and choose your faves to give each of your digits a reason to do the happy dance.

If you don't already have enough ideas on your nail-art bucket list (or even if you do), check out Free People's new nail-art vid, exclusively released to R29. Free your inner artist and get creative on your digits! These designs are sure to unleash a desert landscape or Aztec pattern just waiting to be painted. All you need are some bold colors (we like the video's red, yellow, turquoise, and black motif), nail polish remover, and some toothpicks. Now keep those hands steady and let your imagination run wild.

Hair extensions can be a wonderful thing — in moderation. They're definitely great if you need a little extra volume, or want to add some extra-length when your stylist gets a little scissor-happy. But the key to extensions is that they should look natural — ideally, you don't want anyone else to know they're there.

Unfortunately, SO.CAP.USA (the leader in hair extensions, naturally) didn't quite get the memo when they were designing their new line of add-on locks, called SHE. Although they've used "hand-selected, 100% European-type human hair" and employed a team of "specialized research chemists, engineers, and hair extensionists" to create their strands, we're thinking they strayed a little too far from "au natural" and ended up in major WTF territory.

While we're not entirely sure what "European-type" means, or why chemists and hair extentionists (is that a real job?) were necessary for this endeavor, we do know that we find the gray extensions pretty chic, and that there are definitely people over the age of 15 who can rock some jewel-toned strands — not many people, mind you, but still, some.

Sadly, some of their other extension offerings can only be classified as, well, unfortunate. Did a Scarlet Macaw explode on one model's head? Is the other model trying to smuggle a cocker spaniel into the country? So many questions, so few answers. Look, we're all for experimenting with different colors, textures, and lengths, when it comes to hair, but we also don't want our locks to bear any passing resemblance to anything from the animal kingdom. But maybe that's just us?



Photos: Courtesy of 5WPR