To get the look of intricate nail art without using a brush (or polish for that matter!), look no further than Minx, a line of foil-like stickers that adhere directly to your nails. At Calla Collection, Minx created a custom print to match a swatch of fabric from one of the looks in the show. While this particular splattered print isn't available, Minx has a selection of similar designs you can try. Then, all you have to do is smooth the stickers onto your nails and file away the excess.
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Metallic Shine
Difficulty Level: 2
From the clothes to the accessories to the nails, gleaming metallic hues were all over the fall runways. At Behnaz Sarafpour, CND's Roxanne Valinoti used gold and silver polish (called Gold Chrome and Silver Chrome) to give the models a "high-tech, feminine" feel. "It looks so special, but it's easy to do," she says. Use two coats of a metallic polish and top it off with a shiny topcoat.
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Double Reverse French
Difficulty Level: 6
Nude nails are going to be extremely popular come fall, but backstage at Rebecca Minkoff, Haven Spa's nail team put a fresh spin on the trend. "We wanted the look to be neutral but also fun and different," said Anne Lazovik, general manager at Haven. "So we painted a double stripe along the top of a taupe manicure." They used Essie Jazz as the base and then Midnight Cami and Wrapped in Rubies on the tips. To do this at home, Lazovik suggests painting a wide stripe first then layering a thinner stripe just on the edge. But be warned: "Creating two perfectly straight and identical stripes isn't easy," says Lazovik.
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Black Ombre
Difficulty Level: 5
To create an ombre manicure like the one we spotted backstage at Erickson Beamon, all you need are two bottles of polish (one color, one black), a makeup sponge, and topcoat. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics created this look for Beauty.com using the colors Vintage (a deep red), Blackboard (a deep green) and Tarred (a pure black). Start by painting two coats of whichever color you choose, and sponge on the black, concentrating the polish towards the tips. Then, before it dries, apply the topcoat and use the brush to pull the colors across the nail, blending them together.
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Cute Polka Dots
Difficulty Level: 3
It's no secret that Kate Spade loves speckled prints, so of course she sent models down the runway with polka-dot nails, which matched some of the looks in the collection. Deborah Lippmann created the adorable mani using Fade to Black as the base and I'm Not Innocent (a pale peach) for the spots. The best part? She painted freehand using a regular nail-polish brush. Each dot was a slightly different size and shape for a whimsical result. "If you want to do nail art, this is the easiest do-it-yourself," says Lippmann.
It's no secret that over the last few years nail art has gone mainstream. What started as a niche look that most of us couldn't pull off has evolved into something so popular that women of every age -- even dedicated Mademoiselle-wearers -- are giving it a go. And really, what's classier than chic nail designs?
Like so many trends, this one began at Fashion Week, and it continues to gain momentum and evolve backstage. Virtually every polish line (think Essie, Creative Nail Design, and Deborah Lippmann) is now represented on the runway. The artists work with designers to create unique nail styles to complement the collections -- and a lot of the manis receive as much attention as the clothes.
Backstage at the shows, the scene is usually beauty mayhem with hair extensions flying, glitter powder in the air, and row after row of press-on and acrylic nails. But the most recent Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week was a little different: A lot of the nail art was done by hand, and many of the looks were original and attainable.
While we wouldn't call the latest trends easy, they definitely require fewer tools and less time than you might imagine. You just need to stock up on polish, steady your hand, and grab some toothpicks to make a go of it. Whether you're an expert looking for inspiration or a beginner just wanting to mix up your mani, here are 10 nail art ideas you'll want to try now.
