CND

Earlier this week the Skin Cancer Foundation issued a statement about the safety of UV gel manicures. Essentially they said the procedure--which involves sticking your hands under a UV light to set the polish--has a low, yet "not insignificant" risk for skin cancer, and recommended applying sunscreen before you get one of these manis. Up until this point, there had been inconclusive safety evidence for the procedure, but now that an official medical organization has weighed in, how (if at all) is the nail industry going to change its practices?

Hair and makeup artists got very creative on the spring 2013 runways this month.

Nude faces (well, except for blue and pink eyes) and nude nails generally ruled the runways for spring 2013, but luckily there is always a faction of designers doing nail art--and Spring 2013 is no exception. While the neons of yore were nowhere in evidence, you can get still get some nail thrills. This season, nail art ran the gamut from subtle sparkles to triple-layered with pearls in between. We loved them all.

People have been predicting the death of nail art (at least on runways) for a few seasons now, and this is the first time we've been worried it may ac

What we actually want to wear on our nails and what we just like to look at on other people's nails are two very different things sometimes. The nail artistry at this week's New York fashion week actually veered both ways for us this season. While nudes are still a thing, and orangey poppy reds (see Jason Wu) had a strong showing, there were a few surprises, too. Manicurist Jin Soon Choi told us backstage at Alexander Wang to watch for super dark colors (not very spring-like) mixed with brights--for example a mixed mani/pedi. She also said that bright colors with a 70s feeling like purple and turquoise would be big come spring. The established designers went fairly minimal with makeup and nails this season, but we love that indie designers (and Betsey Johnson, of course!) are still taking nail risks.

Nothing gets us more excited than new nail colors. Luckily, nail companies are keeping us on our colorfully painted toes with frequent fresh offerings. Now that the weather is changing, we’re ready to trade our beloved Essie “Merino Cool” for some new shades. Click through for the latest offerings from OPI, RGB, and the long-awaited CND Shellac additions.