New season INSPIRATION

From bold, animal prints to soft wool texture, there was inspiration to suit every nail client on the AW18 catwalks. Translate the trends into wearable looks with this season’s new colour collections

AW18 Nail Trends

BEDAZZLED

The more the merrier was the motto for the coming season when it came to embellishment – and not just in the jewellery. Fashion houses such as The Blonds and Sophia Webster made it clear that the best place for gems to shine is on your fingertips. Not an inch was wasted as both designers chose to embellish their models’ nails with adornments such as gold spikes, red gems and Swarovski crystals.

At the Mulberry show, session tech Michelle Class also used the nails as an accessory with a much more subtle nude base colour, which drew the focus to the Swarovskiemblazoned accent nails for a more wearable look.

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While the embellishment in your nail art might come from decals, there are plenty of new AW18 shades to get your creative juices flowing, from pale tones to use as a base that will make the sparkles pop, to new chunky glitters for this season’s simplest way to shine.

LCN‘s AW18 line is Fall Oh Me, a six-strong collection designed to get nails selfie-ready. The standout sparkling shade is chunky gold glitter Nail Post. Daily Story also packs gold glitter into a black base for high contrast, while Glam Light offers up a high-shine purple shimmer. Three sophisticated red-brown shades complete the line.

Trade: £2.70 per polish; £13.65 per Recolution Advanced gel-polish. 01273 837302 (BCI) beautyconcepts.co.uk

LIVE THE WILD LIFE

Animalistic inspiration brought the AW18 catwalks to life as bold patterns replaced the fur fetishes of previous years. No beast was left untouched as leopard, snakeskin and even zebra made an appearance on the catwalks. Tom Ford, Max Mara and Givenchy were among the designers going wild for animal print.

The look was adapted for the nails at Jeremy Scott. The quirky designer put a cool, techno twist on the leopard print look. Using Essie, session tech Miss Pop worked with bold colours on a transparent nail to bring the classic pattern into the 21st century, showing that the look really can be personalised for any client.

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Whether you’re looking to recreate animal prints in your clients’ nail art, or simply to complement their bold fashion choices with a safari-inspired colour, these collections have your go-to shades.

The African Safari collection, available in Gelish gel polish or Morgan Taylor polish, has a shade to suit any print. From the pewter Are You Lion to Me, to the warm nude Neutral by Nature, all six shades draw inspiration from the sweeping landscape of a safari and vibrant graphic prints from African culture.

Trade £19.99 per Gelish gel polish; £4.95 per Morgan Taylor polish. 01708 465900 (Nail Harmony for Gelish) nailharmonyuk.co.uk 020 8238 6300 (Louella Belle for Morgan Taylor) louellabelle.co.uk

Gellux’s AW18 collection is called Walk on the Wild Side and features eight colours in both muted natural tones and brighter shades inspired by exotic climates. Standout shades include the hot purple Cheeky Monkey, gold glitter Serengeti Sunrise, and bright coral Toucan Tango.

Trade £11.95 020 7739 2858 (Salon System) salonsystem.com

Available in Shellac and Vinylux, CND’s Wild Earth is inspired by the textures, colour palette and landscapes of nature. The six new shades include raw, earthy hues and bright pops of colour. Experiment with deep cobalt Blue Moon, dusky purple Dreamcatcher or terracotta Spear.

Trade: £12.45 per Shellac, £4.25 per Vinylux colour 0333 000 7000 (Sweet Squared) sweetsquared.com

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Recreate yarn texture on the nails using a builder gel or acrylic, or, for a twist, experiment by embedding fibres. To finish the look, or complement your clients’ snuggliest sweaters, try these subtle shades.

Orly’s AW18 line The New Neutral comprises six sophisticated tones to see you through the cold season. Cashmere Crisis is a beautiful soft grey crème, while Snuggle Up is a soft pink that will match any tones your client wears. Other key shades include olive, pewter, brick red and earthy rose.

Trade: £5.50 per polish; £12.95 per Gel FX gel-polish 01827 280080 (Grafton International) graftons.co.uk

Jessica has two AW18 collections. Autumn Romance, in six shades of Jessica polish, and Rendezvous, available in three shades of Phenom long-wear polish. The Phemon shades – a slate grey, deep aubergine and russet red – offer a classic autumnal palette, while Autumn Romance features standout shades Morning Haze, a misty grey shimmer, and Mauve-Lous Nights, a soft purple crème.

Trade: £5.50 per polish; £6.75 per Phenom colour 0345 217 1360 (Gerrard International) gerrardinternational.com

CUTICLE COLOUR POP

As ever, Moschino delivered fun and quirkiness to the catwalk with its bright, bold pieces inspired by Jackie O. The retro yet futuristic theme was reflected in the nails, which carried a colourful cuticle design, in a new variation of the reverse-French style.

The bold combination of pinks and reds are perfect for those clients not quite ready to let go of summer, although the simple yet chic style means it can easily be adapted to different colour variations.

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Anything goes for the cuticle colour pop trend. Try clashing colours or pairing one of the new season’s brights with a cool, classic nude. Steer clear of the dusky tones for this look and experiment with one of the new, bolder collections.

You can always rely on OPI to bring the brights, whatever the season, and the AW18 Peru collection is no exception. Designed in collaboration with Peruvian fashion model Juana Burga, the collection comprises 12 strong shades. Make cuticles come alive with the vivid purple Grandma Kissed a Gaucho; hot pink Suzi Will Quechua Later; or turquoise Alpaca My Bags.

Trade: £5.25 per lacquer, £6.50 per Infinite Shine, £16.95 per gel 01923 240010 opiuk.com

Artistic Nail Design’s new Caution: Extremely Hot collection features six bold shades that will give the cuticle colour-pop trend an autumnal edge. Try the coral crème Too Much Sauce; green iridescent crème Wok & Roll Baby; or Serving Up Sass, a navy crème. For the first time, all six shades are available in Artistic’s Perfect Dip powders too.

Trade: 16.95 per gel; £5.95 per lacquer 020 8238 6300 (Louella Belle) louellabelle.co.uk