by Shannon Farrell

It may be August, and summer may feel almost over, but there’s no need to pull out the browns and dark red nails for autumn just yet. Summer colors and trends still reign, so dash some pink on the toes, and a little bit of silver on the fingers. And going bold in late summer doesn’t have to be just about neon pinks and lime greens. Just choosing to mix and match colors can be enough to make your mark.

Pretty Edgy

Here’s how we mix and matched some of summer’s best colors.

Rock the Boat with Essie Summer 2010

Demure Vixen

Although all six colors from the collection can easily be mixed and matched, my favorites are Pretty Edgy, a girly soft green with a touch of shine and Demure Vixen, a light mauve with a surprisingly striking appeal to it. The match gives that vibrant glow that your skin gleans from a day at the beach. I prefer the green on my fingers and the mauve on the toes for the bolder mix and match. The green on the fingers gives that extra snap, being visible all day, while the mauve adds some subtlety. FYI: If you rock a gold bathing suit, it’s an absolute must.

Go Glam with Duri Spring/Summer 2010

Tabloid Rumors

Fashion Police

Although it’s not what you’d expect- gray ruled this summer. It’s a change from the traditional bright colors of summer and it has the added bonus of matching almost any nail color. Tabloid Rumors from Duri is your classic gray with a little bit of a sparkle glaze. Mix it up with Duri’s Fashion Police, a bright sky blue with a shimmering gloss, and you have the perfect match for a formal night out. The colors are simple but vibrant, yet won’t take away from your new sequin dress or snakeskin clutch.

Paint the City Red, wait…Orange with Hong Kong Collection by OPI

A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find

Dim Sum Plum

Pairing A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find, a classic vibrant orange with Dim Sum Plum, a shade of psychedelic purple creates a bold bending of the rules. Who said orange can’t match anything?

P.S. Want to take the trend even further? A new style I just came across is matching one of your fingernails with your toes. Take a look at Vanessa Hudgens’ look at the San Diego Comic-Con. When you find two colors that mix and match perfectly, why not take this extra step? It’s still summer- live a little.

Check out the robin's egg blue and gold glitter pairing on her nails

And the same gold glitter on her toes...so cute!

Growing up I remember helping my mom get ready for her holiday parties by packing her purse and helping with finishing touches as she rushed out the door with wet nails. This helped instill the importance of having beautiful nails to match each holiday outfits at a very early age.  So this holiday season experiment with your beauty routine and try some of my picks for top holiday nail colors.

Often overlooked is the importance of a base coat, but since you will undoubtedly be changing your nail polish regularly, it’s really important to use a good one. I love Barbor’s Calcium Base Coat because it smoothes ridges so nail polish goes on smoothly and prevents the nail color staining your nails.

In terms of polish, I’m obsessed with Deborah Lippmann polishes and as I scoured the website for my holiday picks I had to exercise a lot of self-restraint to narrow it down to only Wicked Game, Don’t Tell Mama and Ruby Red Slippers. Wicked Game is an iridescent lavender gray which is a beautiful mix that gives a nod to the gray nail polish trend but is still feminine. Don’t Tell Mama takes me back to the ‘90s and is an update on the former must have mint nails as it’s a shimmery mood rind blue/green. And of course, Ruby Red Slippers is inspired by Dorothy’s shoes and is a playful shimmering red with glitter.

Metallic polishes are also key for the holidays as they coordinate with a number of outfits. Sometimes you really can find the best stuff at the drugstore and I love Borghese Nail Lacquer Prima Platinum, which is a sleek silver infused with glitter to give you that little sparkle when the light catches. OPI’s holiday collection is also worthy of mentioning as is contains 12 beautiful holiday shades. A must have from this collection is All A-Bordeaux the Sled which is a deep red/burgundy that looks great on all skin types. And if you used to be into black polish but want something more festive, go for Sapphire in the Snow, a deep jewel toned violet-blue.

If look at me nails aren’t your style then try Fairy Lights by butter LONDON. Named after the British term for small white Christmas tree lights, it looks like you mixed your favorite pink with silver to create the perfect shimmery shade.

Another lesson my mom taught me was that chipped nails are never classy and considering I can’t run to the manicurist each time this happens (trust me, it’s often) I had to find another solution. My little secret this season will be Dashing Diva’s Metallic Design Nails on the Go which I trust because it’s made by the same people behind the Dashing Diva salons in NY. These are honestly a life saver and are the perfect recessionista solution.