Green is the New Black

Fall will be upon us any minute (I always consider the 1st of September fall, but I think it officially starts on the 21st) and even though I have always considered summer to be my true soul mate, there's something about the fall that I absolutely adore. Fall just feels so luxe to me somehow. Whether it's the rich, jewel-tone color palette, delicious fabrics like tweed and corduroy, or the slight, refreshing chill in the air, come September I always get excited about revamping my look. And one of my favorite instant fall beauty updates is swapping my sheer, summery polish for something a little more dramatic.

Nail trends have been bigger and bolder in recent years; I like to refer to it as the black polish phenomenon. The deep, bold polish trend all started with Chanel Black Satin and has morphed from black, to chocolate brown, to deep purple, to navy and now....to green. That's right, green is the newest IT polish color for fall. Whether it's a lighter seafoam a la Chanel Jade (launching in October), or a deeper forest hue like M.A.C Nail Lacquer in Beyond Jealous (part of M.A.C's new collaboration with famed manicurist Jin Soon Choi) be a little daring and give green a go. Just remember that when using edgy shades like this, it's best to keep nails short, filed into a soft round or squared off oval. Long, dagger-like nails coated in green may work in Rihanna's world, but trust me, it doesn't translate well for the rest of us.

If you just can't see yourself trying this trend another hot color for fall, that's a little easier for day to day wear is magenta. Check out two of the best shades in OPI Ate Berries in the Canaries, part of the new Coleccion de Espana or Revlon Plum Seduction. Magenta's a great transition shade when you're not completely ready to toss your summer brights and go the whole dark green hog, but you want something that doesn't scream, "Hey, I'm wearing the Essie '09 summer collection in October."