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The best nail inspiration doesn’t always come from Instagram or a Pinterest board. Sometimes you don’t really know what colour you want on your nails until it’s right in front of your face, specifically, on someone else’s freshly polished finger.
At this season’s New York Fashion Week, it was one hit after another. Every model had a different shade of nail polish on, each colour more interesting, nuanced and unexpected than the next. Ahead, we’ll break down the top colour trends and give the exact polishes you can buy for your at-home collection — or request at your next manicure.
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Frosted Blue
Backstage at the Sandy Liang catwalk show, we saw tubes of Supergoop! sunscreen (SPF eyeshadow and tinted lip balm, too), and carefully selected bottles of OPI nail polish. One of the standout shades that Holly Falcone (the show’s lead nail artist) was most excited about was this new shade called Verified, a bright cream blue that Falcone says gives “princess” energy. To add delicate shimmer to the blue base, she used a pearlescent top coat, specifically OPI Glazed N’ Amused, £14.90. A frosted blue polish, like OPI Jewel Be Bold Collection Nail Lacquer, £14.90, or Barry M Cosmetics Under The Sea Nail Paint in Butterflyfish, £4.75, would work as well.
Butter Yellow
Butter yellow is a springtime neutral. The key, according to Falcone, is to find a polish that is soft and cream-coloured as opposed to a bright yellow. At NYFW, the shade de jour was OPI Buttafly, £14.90. You can get a similar look using Gucci 218 Cecilia Ivory, £24. If you’d rather spend less, try Essie Originla Nail Polish in Summer Soulstice, £8.99.
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Raisin
The manicure that caused the most commotion — everyone wanted it — was actually a slept-on OPI shade called You Don’t Know Jacques, £14.30. It’s the most unassuming of the bunch. In the bottle it looks brown, but when it’s painted on the nails the purple undertones appear and you get this dimensional raisin tone. Here, Falcone just used one shade of You Don’t Know Jacques. For other options, try Orly Double Espresso Breathable Nail Polish, £13.50, or Palette Noisette Nail Paint, £8.
Silver Chrome
If you’re a press-on nails person, the trend we’re all buying into is silver chrome. At the Bronx and Banco show, the nails quickly became the standout accessory of the event. Try Glaize When In Chrome Stick On Gels, £15 or Meamora Nail On Colour M Vanilla Glazed Nails, £10.50.
Sapphire
It’s not black, it’s sapphire — which is what you can tell people when they compliment your manicure. It’s no surprise to see black nail polish at Fashion Week — it’s a classic — but the specific black-adjacent tone that’s trending at the moment is a blue that’s so dark it could pass for black, unless you get up close and notice the jewel tones. The shade seen here is OPI Light My Sapphire. We’d also recommend Hermés Nail Polish in Bleu Encre, £45, Nailberry in Number 69, £16.50, a deep blue-grey, or Palette Blue Lagoon Nail Paint, £8.
