So you have the perfect look picked out for New Year’s Eve: the dress, the shoes, the hair, the makeup all done and set in stone. What’s missing? Those little piggies. Having a manicure to match brings your entire outfit together and gives your look some extra pizzazz while you’re dancing the night away. After scouring the planet for the hottest nail color trends, I’ve picked out some trendy nail colors that’ll make you sizzle and ready for the big 2010 kick off.

Silver and gold are always a trend for the holidays and celebrating New Year’s Eve, but who wants to be repetitive? Opi’s Holiday Wishes line has the perfect pairing of this season’s hottest colors and glitter to give your fingers a stunning glow. This collection has 6 “wish-upon-a-star reds” and 6 “most-wanted-for” dark and neutral tones. To keep my outfit current, I’ve chosen to go with Shim-Merry Chic. It has the perfect bronzy-gold color with a dash of gold flecks in it to be the perfect color to compliment my skin, outfit and hands without going overboard. For a darker color, Holiday glow or Merry Midnight are exquisite choices as well.

Matte colors have been a nail color trend for 2009 and we’ve seen it on celebrities and friends alike. Experimenting with this trend, I’ve found that these matte colors have to be dead on and applied very well otherwise it can get a little sloppy. Trying out a few colors like jade green, bubblegum pink, dark emerald and navy, I found that the colors that looked good on my nails were the darker shades.  A great line of colors to try for your New Year’s party is Zoya’s MatteVelvet Winter Collection. I absolutely LOVE all three of these colors and Savita looks exceptional with mostly every skin tone. Veruschka is also another gem to try and the darker green is elegant and festive.

If you’re looking for a more natural look for the big countdown, colors like nude and taupe would be a good choice. SpaRitual’s Forbidden Fall/Winter collection has gorgeous colors like Mystic and Inner Sanctum to give your fingers a classic, simple look. Another way to go is choosing a lighter color that has an iridescent look. She’s A River and It’s Raining Men are also good colors from SpaRitual.

2010 is only hours away, so make sure that you make the night one to remember and give your fingers some extra love. Remember, one key thing that people look at are your hands, and they always tell your age. If keeping them cute isn’t reason enough, keep your mitts youthful and give them some extra love and care. Most importantly, after making your extremities beautiful: Have fun its New Year’s!

Source: Flickr User Carbonated

Happy celebrating!

Love getting Manicures & Pedicures? Well listen up! Here are some nail care tips and nail color trends for this fall from celebrity manicurist Michelle Saunders. She has travelled the world to work with clients such as Kate Beckinsale, Pamela Anderson, Kim Cattral (for the “Sex in the City” movie), Eva Longoria Parker, and Megan Fox just to name a few.  Michelle is not only manicurist to the stars but also one of our own Beautyfix panelists.  Here are her tips and tricks to great nail care.

BF: How should members go about finding a good manicurist and nail salon in their area?
MS: What we do at my salon is work on a referral basis. We do not pay for advertisement…it’s all word of mouth. I recommend that Beautyfix members do their research. They should talk to people in their community and get a referral that way. The questions to ask are “Did the manicurist communicate well with you?”, “Did he or she seem to care about your needs?’ and “Did you feel educated by their recommendations?” It is also important to find out find out how long their manicures last. The life of a manicure is a sign of how much experience a manicurist has and the quality of the products used. The higher the quality and the more experience the longer a manicure will last. A manicure & pedicure should last at least 5 days. Once you get a referral call the salon and find out how they sanitize their implements and pedicure bowls. All salons must follow state board regulations and all items that cannot be sanitized must be thrown away. All salons are also required by the state to keep a pedicure log that records the cleaning schedule of each station.

BF: What are the nail color trends for Fall 2009?
MS: Matte nail polish. Matte nail polish has no shine to it. This is very trendy and hip and includes shades from white to gray. All popular polish brands have a matte line coming out this fall. Another trend to follow is jewel tones such as purple, maroon, and deep reds. These colors are in line with what we are currently seeing in the upcoming fashions for fall. I also recommend reading the September issue of Marie Claire. There is a great article in there about fall nail color trends.

BF: What are some of the most common nail concerns you have seen among your clients? How have they treated these conditions?
MS: One of the most common concerns is dryness.  This usually occurs from using low quality nail products. To avoid dryness use a high quality rehydrating base coat. Lippmann Nail collection has a great one.  Also use cuticle oil every day. My favorite is SpaRitual’s Cuti-Coctail nail & cuticle oil. It smells delicious. You should always use cuticle oil after washing your hands. What I tell people is “You would never shampoo your hair without using conditioner afterwards so the same goes for your nails.”  Another common concern I’ve seen is brittle nails that split.  Most people suffer from this because they work with their hands. This condition can also be attributed to genetics. You should always wear gloves and take your time when working with your hands. I also recommend getting a shiny buff manicure no more than once a week.  Nails are made up of layers of keratin. When you buff your nails, it fuses those layers together making them stronger. In addition, you can combat brittle nails by taking dietary supplements such as Omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin D and magnesium. The fish oil makes your nails flexible and calcium, vitamin D and magnesium make your nails stronger.

BF: Any tips or tricks for a DIY pedicure at home?
MS: You should always start your pedicure after a shower or bath. That is when skin is at its softest. This is when you should use a foot file. Immediately hydrate afterward with a very thick dry skin cream such as Handprint Hydrating Hand Salve by SpaRitual.  The next step is to remove existing nail polish and then cut toe nails and file. After filing remove any oils from the nail bed with nail polish remover.  Then polish with nail color. Color will stay on longer if you use a base and top coat and finish with a drop of cuticle oil. Cuticle oil helps dry nail polish and it provides moisture all day. I personally believe that cuticles should be trimmed by a professional and should not be trimmed at home.

BF: What’s one nail color every woman should own and why?
MS: Sheer pink. It is flattering on almost every skin tone. I like SpaRitual’s Airhead -  it’s the perfect pink.

About Michelle:
San Francisco native and Los Angeles-based manicurist Michelle Saunders has developed a gentle yet thorough approach to manicuring with over ten years of experience in high-end nail care. Michelle’s personalized approach to
service began with her training as a manicurist for Chanel Boutiques in the San Francisco Bay area. Over the next 10 years, Michelle refined her techniques and ultimately owned a successful, appointment-only nail salon in
San Francisco, California. Her work can be seen in magazines, commercials, movies, and on the red carpet. Michelle’s work has been seen in the magazines Vogue, Interview, Flaunt, W, Maxim and on the red carpet for clients Kate Beckinsale and Eva Longoria Parker, and on the hands of elegant red-nailed Kim Cattral for the “Sex in the City Movie”. Click here to learn more about Michelle.

What’s your favorite nail polish color?