Nailed It: Your Best Holiday Nails Ever

This season’s holiday nails are all about glitter, glam and modern new shades that take you from office to party (and back) all in one deft (brush) stroke.

Dip your toes in Christian Louboutin’s newest shade, Miss Mars from The Noirs collection. Gluten-free and crafted without formaldehyde, the highly pigmented, super glossy formula gives—in just two coats!—the effect of 20 layers of traditional lacquer. $65, holtrenfrew.comButter London built its cult following on its cheeky Brit-inspired nail range (Pink Knickers, Ta-ta!, Her Majesty’s Red). Its no-nonsense Nail Scrubbers come in 10 individually wrapped wipes that feature a quick 2-in-1 prep and lacquer remover to erase yesterday’s mani to make way for today’s new colour. $12, beautymark.ca Essie’s Global Colour Director—Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff—launches her Winter 2016 six-shade palette that channels mod 1960s London. Get ready to party in frosts, creams and shimmers like Ready to Boa, Party on a Platform, Oh Behave!, Getting Groovy, Satin Sister and Go with the Flowy. $10, shoppersdrugmart.caThere are hints of poppy and coral in RMS’s Killer Red, but the vegan nail polish, launched by Vancouverite Rose-Marie Swift, still looks opaque and glossy with its chemical-free, cruelty-free formula. $19, kissandmakeupstore.comPress-on nails have come a long way from their earlier faux counterparts. To wit: the Fanciful Kiss Gel Fantasy Nail Kit, a sparkling, glitter-perfect manicure that stays firmly in place for the festive circuit (tip: affix it with Precision Nail Glue instead of the sticky backs that come standard with the pack). $11, londondrugs.comThe CND Vinylux Sparkle and Shine New Year’s Eve limited edition set features Dark Diamonds—a silver glitter polish with a glossy, dark black base—and top coat all in a metallic bag for one-stop holiday-party-prep shop. $25. onyxaestheticsstudio.ca 
Sally Hansen’s Global Colour Ambassador, Madeline Poole, recently teamed up with Stella McCartney for a sneak peek at Spring/Summer 2017. Along with playful patterns that echo McCartney’s designs, Poole painted models’ nails with Shell We Dance, a natural-tinted shade that instantly creates an understated, elegant runway look. The all-in-one formula includes a base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, colour, top coat, chip resistance and gel shine finish—all packed into one little bottle. $10, shoppersdrugmart.ca Keep holiday sparkle in place with NYX’s new Glitter primer, a light, creamy formula designed to work with 12 different glitter shades ranging from ruby red to yellow gold. $9, londondrugs.comSouth Korean beauty juggernaut The Faceshop offers a quick-fix for dry, winter-ravaged nails: slip your fingers into the Milk Calcium Nail Pack mask, which—like its face-sheet cousin—moisturizes and strengthens rough surfaces within minutes. $2, thefaceshop.caThe Ruby Pink gel coat by Perfect Formula is a protein-rich nail treatment made with a splash of colour and optical brightener meant to bring out the nail bed’s natural pink hue while making the whites of the nails look whiter. Instantaneously, nails look fresh, clean and healthy—as if they just had a French manicure. $38, sephora.ca Revlon’s new ColorStay Gel Envy Diamond top coat leaves a sparkly diamond-like finish that’s shatterproof and chip-resistant. Designed to work with Gel Envy colours (in 38 different shades), it can also be paired with other nail enamels since it’s made without the usual chemical suspects (formaldehyde, toluene, camphor, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate/DBP). $9, realcanadiansuperstore.caGo lightly with holly and OPI’s Holiday 2016 Breakfast at Tiffany’s collection. With a touch of silver, Girls Love Pearls in Infinite Shine lends a classic touch to any little black dress. $18, thebay.com 

Never miss a thing with our VanMag Newsletter!