Personalized Tips: Nail It Like a Falling Leaf
Some days, dressing up feels as taxing as paying bills, applying mascara has the sting of morning-after sunlight, and venturing outdoors takes second to scrutinizing the latest T Swift hit piece. Hello chilly season!
This is when nails tap life into us.
Not bare nails. No, we must announce ourselves to the new time of year.
The vibrant and emotional colors of Fall and Winter tap, tap, tap through the crispy and glacial air. These next few months are defined by staying in with a snuggle of warm cider or hot chocolate in our hands. More than optically pleasing, lacquered nails communicate personality, mood and style.
The Magazine hand-selected 6 dosha reinforcing nail colors for Fall and Winter. Adding strategically chosen colors to your cold season routine can be as boosting as nail-enhancing B7 and cysteine gummies. In addition to double coats of Louboutin Rouge or Chanel Vamp, nail condition reveals constitutional makeup. We are keeping talons short and sweet this Flu-x-Covid season. No matter the personal energy, this length is cleaner both aesthetically and hygienically.
The $cience
Due to differing physical and physiological characteristics, each dosha has defining qualities to their nails. Are you a hardy, malnourished or shabby creature?
Pitta nails are flexible and rosy. The high acidity produced by Pitta tends to form harder nails. Keratin crosslinks are tighter and cysteine higher, so popular strengthening supplements are not usually required. The downside is that bruised or red lines can develop. If these do not subside on their own through outgrowth, talk to a healthcare professional about abnormal clotting or melanocyte production.
Vata nails are delicate and apt to retain post-lacquer staining. Brittle nails arise from aging, dehydration and undernourishment- characteristics of this constitution. Lipid depletion increases with aging processes and brittleness increases with inflammatory conditions (e.g. psoriasis). Both are a result of water loss. Habits attributed to nervous tension like biting nails or tapping on hard surfaces antagonize healthy keratin formation in the nail plate and matrix. Gently buff out the stains before applying a new coat. Ridge-filling base coats smooth application and final result. Apply coconut or marula oils for cuticle health instead of clipping.
Kapha nails are white and tend to grow in a square-shape. Sometimes a benign, though unappealing, parrot beak forms. This is merely a morphological alteration in which overgrowth occurs of upward curving nails. Sclerosis, or thickening of tissue, may exacerbate the excessive curling. Keep it in check with regular trimmings either on your own or by a specialist.
(Figure 1) The Magazine hand-selected 6 dosha reinforcing nail colors for Fall and Winter. Chanel Pirate, Chanel Rouge Noir, Hermès Orange Boîte, Off--White Dots, Chanel Insomniaque and Jin Soon Auspicious are examples of the red, burgundy, orange, hot pink, white and grey on our list (CW L-R).
Polish It Up
The colors for Fall and Winter are orange, grey metallic, white, burgundy, hot pink and red (Figure 1). Like our archived permutations article (read here), these have more than enough combinations until Spring.
Red and orange make classic statements on their own. Matte or brilliant rouge add an extra flavor to Pitta’s focused rotation.
For the other hues, instead of an exact match mani-pedi, use colors that complement one another. Play with different textures of grey- metallic, matte and cream. These stun with red, orange and burgundy.
Variations of grey in hue, texture and finish allow emotions to come alive throughout Fall and Winter. (L-R) Jin Soon Grace ($18), Jin Soon Auspicious ($18), Essie What The Tech ($10), Essie Gadget Free ($10).
Orange pairs well with metallic and matte concrete. (CW L-R) Essie What The Tech ($10), Jin Soon Auspicious ($18), Hermès Orange Boîte ($60).
Accessory colors gold, burnt sienna and blue add spirit, warmth and wit.
Chanel red and gold can't wait for party season. [Chanel Phénix ($32)]
Flat sparkles. Save this for holiday season or drop it with the leaves?
Orange and gold take a turn from black and gold. These can be layered.
Quintessential Autumn in Sienna. Chanel Fabuliste ($32), Hermès Orange Boîte
Use a trio of colors for designs, alternative French manicures or stacking. Hermès Bleu Agate ($60), Off--White Dots, Jin Soon Grace ($18)
Metallic grey and matte red or orange are favorable Kapha combinations. Concrete and smokey metallics stabilize the levity of scarlet-based colors.
Pearlescent charcoal [Essie What The Tech ($10)] and matte red [Louboutin Rouge Matte ($50)] make a lovely match for Pitta and Kapha.
Grey and red are classic. The play between matte and cream make it more interesting. (Louboutin Rouge Matte and Jin Soon Grace)
Flat grey and hot pink perk up any gloomy day.
Burgundy and matte hot pink or white compliment Vata energies. Off-White’s polish in Dots smoothes out nail surfaces.
Wine and white adds polish to Vata's entire look.
Adding hot pink revs up creativity.
Bottom Line
Some nail polishes, despite their price tag, are contemptible. Newer formulas have traded longevity for organic. The more plant-based vernis, the more likely it is to peel and chip like old lead paint. Forestalling techniques include skipping the nail soak and applying a reliable top coat from moon to edge.
A life-long tip: Let nails rest from polishing sessions. Talons are living growing things that are direct reflections of our inner health of body and mind. Superficial splitting of nails have been noted to coincide with non-stop polish sessions on unclean nails. Wash hands during flu/COVID season with a gentle soap (I like Oribe) and apply moisturizer (Oribe, Chanel or Trader Joe’s).
Deeper health issues that may affect visible nail health are anemia, diabetes and thyroid conditions. Speak with your doctor about appropriate treatment and apply varnish after nails heal.
