NYFW Tip Alert: Get Alexander Wang’s Cool Girl Matte Nails
Matte nails have been a small passing fad we’ve seen come and go over the past decade or so, but Alexander Wang just put them back on the map with pale pink manicures designed to resemble pink chalk. The shade coordinates perfectly with some of the garments in Wang’s fall 2016 collection. You’ll have to wait a while to get your hands on the garments, but you can try the manicure right away with polish that’s already in stores. Essie’s celebrity nail expert Michelle Saunders created the look with one coat of Fiji ($9), one coat of Tuck it in My Tux ($9), and a layer of Matte About You topcoat ($9).
Saunders says matte manicures can work for any season or occasion, but the freshest way to wear it is over an unexpected color. “You see it sometimes over neutrals or nudes, but try to put it over a red or put it over something that you wouldn’t normally think would be cool, and all of a sudden it feels modern, it feels fresh, and it feels very Alexander Wang.” And as we all know, once Wang does it, cool girls everywhere will want it, too.
Pink matte nails hit the runway with matching sweaters and dresses at Alexander Wang. (Photo: Getty Images)
So why matte? “When you think of things that are very modern and streamlined and cool, they’re really not shiny — think of cement or leather, it’s very flat. I think that’s what [Wang] always wants to bring to his collection in terms of beauty,” says Saunders. She says it also gives the effect of a days-old manicure that’s lost its luster. “Have you ever had a nail color on for a long time? That’s what he wanted. To be very lived in.”
The Essie nail polish look backstage at Alexander Wang. (Photo: Instagram)
While using a matte topcoat is an easy way to change up your nail look, it does have one drawback. “Matte can pick up little imperfections of the nail, so we’re applying the Ridge Filling Base Coat ($9) and that gives it a really nice smooth foundation for any time you use Matte. It’s one of my favorite base coats of all time. I always have it in my kit.” Other matte topcoats worth trying are Jin Soon Matte Maker ($18), Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat Nail Treatment ($6), and China Glaze Matte Magic ($8).
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