The bright side

THE NEW NEUTRAL

On the catwalk: Well-groomed, barely-there nails featuring a round shape were ubiquitous at the SS19 fashion shows. Celebrity and session manicurist Marie-Louise Coster, who worked both the London and Paris shows, reveals: “There were a lot of clean, natural, well-manicured nails on show, especially for the likes of Hermès, Ralph & Russo and Jasper Conran, and also on a special Victoria Beckham trunk show I did.”

When neutral nails did feature colour, muted, earthy tones were used, all with an on-trend matte finish. “Nudes, beiges and neutral colours are trending once again,” agrees Samantha Birkett-Leigh, CND education ambassador and session tech who worked on the nails for the Mary Katrantzou SS19 show.

At the Eudon Choi show, nails were fashioned by Pebbles Aikens at The Wall Group using Jessica polishes in the tanned nude Natural Splendor, the olive Bobo Chic and in Simply Sexy, a cool nude crème. Elsewhere at David Koma, Cherrie Snow, head of nails for Jessica, along with the Jessica Hands on Team, used Custom Colour in Tease with a No Shine Matte Finish top coat.

To complement Palmer Harding’s collection focused on lively, graphic structures, nail tech Sabrina Gayle also used a warm, nude shade, this time from Artistic Nail Design. She says: “We started by filing nails to a short and round shape and then applied Artistic Colour Revolution in Cafe Latte – it has this gorgeous, creamy coffee finish which looked super elegant and chic against the colours of the clothing. This shade is perfect for all skin tones too.”

In the salon: Though it’s an easy trend to translate, to recreate this look, clients need healthy nails. “This pared-back look is often hard to achieve as there is no hiding anything,” says Coster. “The nail shape for the season is going to be rounded, and when opting for a natural shade, it is so important to ensure that the cuticles are well cared for, the nails are immaculately clean underneath the free edge, and that you choose a colour that works with the skin tone of the client.”

This trend need not be boring, according to Julie-Anne Larivière, nail expert at Salon System. “A new kind of neutral will be very on-trend this season. Colours like pale peach, caramel and coffee will take the front row as opposed to the usual nude shades,” she comments.

SHADES OF CORAL

On the catwalk: Lauded as “an animated, life-affirming shade of orange, with golden undertones,” Living Coral is Pantone’s designated on-trend colour for 2019.

This summery tone added splashes of colour to both clothing and accessories on the Temperley, Prabal Gurung and Gucci catwalks. Matching this sunny hue, pretty coral nails in various shades were evident throughout SS19 fashion weeks. Most noticeable at Temperley, mouth-watering talons were imagined by Cherrie Snow using Jessica polish in Juicy Melon. Celebrity nail artist Jenni Draper predicts that, for clients, “Corals will be the big colour player this season”. She adds, “Nail colours will be uplifting and empowering; reddish corals, sunny yellows and rich royal blues that provide confidence and spirit.”

In the salon: While the various corals seen in the professional SS19 launches will make clients’ nails a talking point when used alone, coral shades are also a great base for salon nail art, says Bio Sculpture’s expert Hayley Lomas. “Following on from the Pantone colour of the year, this summer’s nails will be all about bold, vibrant colours to give your manicure a playful expression. Whether your client is opting for a natural tone or a bold, vibrant colour, add nail art for a finishing touch that will brighten anyone’s day.”

PRETTY PASTELS WITH A TWIST

On the catwalk: Ice cream colours that evoke a promise of sunshine were seen at Stella McCartney SS19, while frills, flounces, pastels, veils, rosettes and feathers graced the Marc Jacobs collection. Session and celebrity nail tech Lucy Tucker believes that a softer palette will be huge on nails this season: “I predict that we’re going to be using lots of pastel colours, especially those with a matte finish,” she says. However, she says these will be given a modern slant. “This pastel look could involve mixing up two colours on one nail,” says Tucker. “Coloured tips are making a comeback, a French with a twist.”

Inspired by the ocean and its surrounding colours, the SS19 Fyodor Golan collection featured an aquatic theme with pearly sea-inspired textures. To balance this, Sabrina Gayle painted pastel, matte colours on models’ nails.

“Fyodor’s ensembles were detailed with pearls, holographic discs and textures so we decided to keep the nail looking natural and organic. I used two shades to create the nail, Satin Frost, an iridescent lilac blue, and Love, a milky pink, by Artistic Nail Design. Even at the lamboyant Julien MacDonald show, Karen Louise, head nail technician for Orly, used a pastel pink on models’ toes and a metallic rose-gold polish on fingers.

In the salon: For a pastel take on the classic French mani, use varnishes in the same shade range with the lighter as the base and the deeper on the tips. “To recreate the look, you can use any pastel colours applied with a matte top coat, or buff the nail slightly on top once top coat has been applied,” suggests Tucker. “Instead of the client having her usual white French tip applied, she could try a pastel tip on every nail or just one signature nail.”

BRIGHT AND BOLD

On the catwalk: Amid the abundant corals, pastels and neutrals, neon colours and outlandish nail art made a splash at several shows. Representing Salon System, Karen Louise says: “2019 will see the comeback of bold and creative nail art. Think strong designs with colours that will really pop against each other and a high shine.” One standout look was the two-tone nails with a nude base and an oversized red dot at the tip created by Marie Louise Coster for Yuhan Wang. The CND Design Lab used just under four flitres of CND Brisa Clear Gel to make the nails for Mary Katrantzou’s show with Birkett- Leigh creating a “blown glass nail” with a delicate silver tape that floated to the tip. Meanwhile, to match Manish Arora’s SS19 collection of clothes in bright, bold hues, more than 20 bright shades from the CND Vinylux collection were painted onto nails. Similarly, the geometric prints, blazers, frilled dresses and poodle skirts in shades of blue, navy, white and deep red in Katie Ann McGuigan’s SS19 collection inspired Pebbles Aikens to choose various vibrant polishes from Morgan Taylor in shades of blue, pink and green for models’ nails.

In the salon: “I think the two-tone nail look will be the easiest catwalk trend of the season to adapt to the high street and salon market,” says Costa. “For Yuhan Wang, the dot could easily have been at the base, it could have been a continuing stripe around the complete edge and sides of the nail. So, go for any design you like that involves two colours. Ensure you have good-quality brushes and dotting tools to give a first-class finish.”