I’ve already started to write a post where I gave some explanation for my absence over the last two months that will be up soon, so I won’t dwell on it here. In short, I just haven’t been able to organize myself enough to write and take pictures for a blog post. Ugh. Especially as of late, I’ve gotten into nail polish and now that fall is rapidly approaching, I thought I would share my picks for the upcoming season. I thought it would be especially interesting if I released it before I bought any fall shades, as it might encourage some of you to seek out shades that you already own before rushing into the latest collections. At least that’s my hope. This is a bit of a mix of traditional autumnal shades, what I see as trendy for the season and what I personally seem to enjoy wearing during the season.

Ciate Brocade Parade ($18): I’m always a fan of manicures that feel a bit more edgy and less traditionally girlie and sparkly in that sense but I feel that starting with fall, we move away from the softer glitters and accents and closer towards the tougher side. This is an expensive polish but it is a stunning glitter topper that is almost opaque in three coats. It’s an interesting tiny black circle glitter, larger hexagonal white glitter chunks and medium-sized asymmetrical silver glitter pieces. Because it dries textured, it is a fast drying shade but it’s easy to use and is not sparse. I applied three coats on its own on the nail wheel.

OPI Cajun Shrimp ($10-12): A bright red – especially one with orange-y coral undertones like this one – might not seem like a shade that screams fall, but I love the look of a bright red when the weather starts to get cooler and I’m all about comfy sweaters and scarves. It’s a nice transitional summer to fall shade in particular, sitting kind of in between a neon and a deep red or berry. I chose this one because the warm undertones are more flattering for me. There are two thin coats on the nail wheel and the application is effortless. Interestingly, Orly’s Fall collection has a similar shade.

Nails Inc Baker Street ($16): Although I have this polish in the traditional formula and not in the newer gel one, I had to include it nevertheless. It’s another less traditional shade for the fall. I would describe it as a slightly muted cobalt cream that instantly makes me feel more bold and stylish. The formula is a dream to work with, opaque in one to two coats and dries in a few minutes. There are two coats on the nail wheel. My only complaint is that it’s not super long wearing.

OPI Malaga Wine ($10-12): I’ll start this off by mentioning that this is a sort of placeholder shade, standing in for a chic oxblood or berry shade. I do really enjoy the easy 1-2 coat formula and self-leveling quality of this deeper berry hue but I don’t love it enough to wholeheartedly include it. I will be hunting down my essential colour in this category soon.

Zoya Arianna Pixie Dust ($12): This polish is a reddened berry textured take on the berry hue, with an interesting finish, a crelly base and a mixture of matte and holographic glitter. I love how fast it is as a manicure, how long it wears and how it’s a little bit different. There are two coats on the nail wheel.

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark ($10-12): This blackened plum cream polish is easily my most worn nail polish and favourite nail polish of all time. I’ve gone through countless minis and now have a large bottle that I adore. It has an easy self-leveling formula that is opaque in two thin coats and dries glossy. This kind of polished deep blackened hue was seen all over the runways for the season, too. Cream polishes in general are having a real moment trendwise – they are exclusively featured in OPI’s Washington along with a myriad of other collections. There are two thin coats on the nail wheel.

Zoya Payton ($11-12): Not only is the glass-fleck shimmer in this polish unique, the darkish plum colour feels appropriately autumnal with its vampy feel. It’s a holographic polish that will appeal to anyone but the best thing of all is its easy two thin-coat formula and that it removes as smoothly as a cream. It fits more into more of a traditional colour category but it’s trendy enough that Zoya released an entire six piece collection of jewel toned polishes in this finish.

Essie Chinchilly ($10-12): I’m going to warn you, I’m about to go a bit insane over these greige kind of shades for this shade and three that remain. I wear these greige kind of shades year round but in the autumn, there is something about them that feels strangely appropriate as we get into scarves, boots and sweaters and sophisticated. This cream polish is a medium taupe with slight purple undertones and has an amazing formula that is so close to being opaque in one coat – it needs two thin ones – and applies like a dream.

Essie Take It Outside ($10-12): This shade might not be as easily accessible as some of the other shades, as it came out in their Fall 2014 collection, but I assure you, it’s available online at a variety of places. The formula might be even better than Chinchilly somehow, being even closer to a one coat polish, despite being a lighter cement greige shade. I have two thin coats on the nail wheel but I know I could do one thick one. There are similar shades in both Essie and Orly’s fall collections but I doubt the formulas match this one.

Zoya Naturel Satin in Rowan ($12): I’m a big fan of textured polishes but I think I get the most into them in the fall because they feel just a little bit edgier, which is how I tend to like to feel in the fall. This one has a satin finish that leans in the middle of a matte and cream formula and dries very quickly. It’s a medium greige shade that is opaque in two thin coats and is fairly easy to work with. I love that it’s such a quick manicure as well.

Essie Cashmere Matte in Comfy in Cashmere ($10-12): This medium taupe shade hails from last years Cashmere Matte collection but seems to be still available and despite the formula not being the greatest – but it is workable, particularly in this shade – I adore this shade for its cool matte textured finish, with a blue iridescent lean that does not show up on camera. It chips quickly but I forgive it on account of its matte texture and unique shift. The shimmer comes out even more with top coat and it has better longevity that way, too. There are two coats on the nail wheel but I might have gotten by with one; the second was to even out my application. The polish is unique.

OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI ($10-12): This greyed-out pale neutral polish hails from last fall’s Venice collection but remains part of OPI’s permanent line. Despite being an off-white that leans half-way blue and half-way grey, it’s opaque with two medium thickness coats – although if you overwork it or do thinner coats, you’ll need three. It’s easy to work with and feels understated and autumnal with its muted out quality. These greyed out neutrals had a real moment last year but remain on trend, being featured heavily in Essie’s fall collection.

Have any favourite autumnal polishes to share?

Maggie, x.