(image source: Sephora.com)

OK, so NY Fashion Week for Spring '09 is over. I don't know about you, but talking about Spring in September gives me a headache. Can we now talk Fall, since the leaves are starting to turn and the air may actually cool off sometime soon? Specifically, I wanna talk about Fall nail polish trends. Why? Because this season is a great leap forward in the polish arena. Let me explain...

Most of the time, when Fall rolls around, beauty fiends start itching for something to break the monotony of the bright summer shades they have used for the past few months. As the sun begins to set earlier, we start reaching for darker or more muted colors. The traditional? Nudes, reds, berries, plums and bronzes. This year, however, we have other options to shake things up!

Again this Autumn many of us will be grabbing our "vampies." The deepest, darkest shades of burgundy, bronze, red, and berry suit numerous skin tones and give a gravitas to the Fall trends we're pulling on with our boots. This trend from the last few years has caught on with a fire, and many folks like myself have been itchy for these polishes for weeks! And the best news is, they work great with the dark lip trend most of us will be trying in the next few months.

Want to know what else you need to grab off of the shelves to rock Fall nail trends? Keep reading...

Some trend forcasters have announced the end of navy blue and black polishes. They really should have asked "the people" for their opinions, first, 'cause you'll have to wrestle these colors out of some gals' death clutches! You can also add navy's edgier sisters aubergine, deep purple, and eggplant to the Autumn roster, too (a favorite trend of mine!).

A smart trend forecaster would search online communities to see what's going to be hot. If you were online last Winter and Spring you would have heard polish junkies going nuts for greys. Since they weren't available through any of the polish lines, the fanatics were "frankening" their own. (Frankening - like Frankenstein - is mixing your own shade of nail polish from other store-bought shades.) When I first heard this rush to grey, I thought "HUH!? Why on earth would I want grey nails!?" but now... I'm desperate for the stuff. Gorgeous dove greys look fabulous on cool-skinned gals, but don't think grey stops there! Greys blend with taupe, mauve and putty in some of the newest polish shades... and if those don't suit, glide over to your laboratory and franken your own!

Above: OPI for Sephora - Run  With It! , Metro Chic, and Call Your Mother. These are slightly more grey than the swatches appear here.

Below: Butter LONDON - Fash Pack and Chimney Sweep.

Other surprise hits this fall are greens and the aforementioned purples. I haven't quite mustered up the nerve for a full-on green fingernail, but I will soon 'cause I have my eyes on one from Rescue Beauty Lounge. I'm not the only one freaking out over this amazing shade, called No More War (below, left). Other polishes that disprove Kermit's theory  that it ain't easy being green are, from left and after No More War: Misa's Toxic Seduction, China Glaze's Gussed Up Green.

What could be better for Fall '08 than the perfect marriage of blues and greens: TEAL. That's right, you heard me. Teal. This is one trend I can't wait to rock, and I have my eye on the perfect shade: Rescue Beauty Lounge's Teal (below).

Now I know some of these shades sound crazy or non-work-appropriate, but I've found them to be much more adaptable than they appeared at first blush. One of the tricks to rocking these trends at work is to keep the nails short. Also, look for muted versions of some of these shades. Like purple? Check out the muted purple hybrid below, Rescue Beauty Lounge's Bruised. Unusual, but unless your job is super-conservative you may be able to pull it off. A sparkly, bold berry nail may be too much for the board room, but a deep bronze shimmer on a well-kept short nail is certainly appropriate!

Oh, and even more good news! One trend that is dead is the chipped mani. Girls - if your polish is a wreck, take 5 minutes and take the daggone varnish off! You look tragic. (I'm talking to you, Paris and Lindsay!)

My picks for cool-toned skins:

• Butter London - Fash Pack (putty meets mushroom)
• Butter London - Thames (soft blue-green with gold shimmer)
• China Glaze - Midnight Ride (deep purple)
• Misa Toxic Seduction (deep blue green)
• OPI - Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not (royal purple)
• OPI - Parlez Vous OPI? (smoky violet)
• OPI for Sephora - Call Your Mother (lavender putty)
• OPI for Sephora - Metro Chic (dark smoke)
• OPI for Sephora - Run  With It!  (shimmering dove grey)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Bruised (muted brown-plum)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Film Noir (black orchid)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Grunge (moody pinkish grey with a pinch of pink)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Moulin Rouge (black cherries in dark chocolate)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Recycle (deep black emerald green)

My picks for warm-toned skins:

• Butter London - Chimney Sweep (slightly metallic charcoal grey)
• China Glaze - Branding Iron (brown red)
• China Glaze - Side Saddle (complex bronze)
• China Glaze -  Wagon Trail (black with gold fleck - looks olive)
• Misa - Dying Love (the darkest charcoal grey)
• Misa - Love Bite (vampy deep wine)
• OPI - We'll Always Have Paris (rich coffee)
• OPI - You Don't Know Jacques (trendy taupe)
• OPI for Sephora - I'm With Brad (shimmering wine over dark coffee)
• OPI for Sephora - Metro Chic (dark smoke)
• OPI for Sephora - Run  With It!  (shimmering dove grey)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Atame (deep dried cherry red)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Au Chocolat (molten Godiva)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - Moulin Rouge (black cherries in dark chocolate)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge - No More War (olive green)