Donovan
released Season of the Witch in 1966, a song built on a
single restless riff and the feeling that something is about to
happen just outside the frame. Autumn manicures have arrived this
year in roughly the same mood. The soft milky nudes that carried
everyone through the summer have been packed away, and in their
place sits a shortlist of three shades that would look entirely at
home under candlelight. Black, burgundy and a deep muddy brown,
applied glossy and worn without apology.
Black and Burgundy, the Coven Classics
Black lacquer carries a
reputation it has never quite deserved, since the shade reads as
expensive rather than aggressive once the application is clean.
Keep the nail short and squared, apply three thin coats rather than
two thick ones, and finish with a high-shine topcoat so the surface
behaves like patent leather. Anything streaky ruins the effect
immediately, which is the only genuine risk here. Burgundy performs
the more sophisticated trick. The right one shifts as the light
does, reading brick in daylight and something closer to aubergine
after dark, and fashion has been chasing that quality since
Chanel introduced Rouge Noir in 1994 and watched
waiting lists form around the world. Wear it on a longer almond
shape and it acquires an unmistakable air of somebody who has read
the whole book rather than the summary.
Chanel, Le Vernis Nail Colour in Rouge Noir, $ 34
Essie, Nail Polish in Licorice, $ 10
Mud Brown, the Quiet Menace
The third shade is where
the season actually gets interesting. Mud brown
sits between chocolate and khaki, murky enough to look accidental
and considered enough to prove it was anything but, and it has the
useful property of flattering warm and cool undertones with equal
generosity. It also pairs with the season’s
palette better than either of its companions, sitting
neatly against camel coats, olive knitwear and every wash of denim.
Finish decides everything for this one. A glossy
topcoat keeps it luxurious, while a matte finish pushes
the whole thing toward something more unsettling and considerably
more fun. Those wanting to commit fully can run all three shades
across ten nails, choosing a different color for each hand or
alternating fingers, which is precisely the sort of gesture the
season invites. Subtlety has its months, and this is not one of
them.
