Halloween at Your Fingertips

Halloween is right around the corner. You've got your costume sorted out and and your party plans, but what about the week up to the big night? Why not get into the spirit with one of these five adorable DIY manis.

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Boo! Show everyone at the office that you've got your eye on them with this cute creepy eye manicure. You only need black and white, which means it's classy + goes with everything!

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Candy! Get excited for bags of candy - that you probably bought to give to trick-or-treaters - with this easy candy corn mani. The best part? No calories!

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Monster! Create one! Who wouldn't love to rock this freakishly adorbs mani with Frankenstein? Make a bigger statement by only painting Frankie on your "power nail" and keeping the rest solid green or black.

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Just the tips! Love to rock a good French manicure? Scare-ify it by trading the white for orange and black. Chic + a little bit of eek. Give one of your nails something extra, like this spider and his web.

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Gore! If you like Halloween for the terrifying aspects, maybe you want to go full-on macabre with this easy blood-splatter mani. Goes great with your fancy zombie costume or Carrie or any number of other ideas.

How will you be dressing up this year? Will you create a matching manicure for it?

Going Out Nude

Watching the fun of New York (and Portland) Fashion Week, we noticed a big trend on the catwalk. Nudes were everywhere, and we're not talking about naked models. You might feel a bit out of your element when trying this "non-color", but nudes can be very complimentary in a variety of situations. Here's how you can incorporate them into your look.

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Natural Nails

We saw a really fun movement in manis this fall. Totally natural nails are back, as are neutral colors that match skin-tones. You can't go wrong with a nude polish, just like nude heels make a great addition to many outfits. Paint your nails with a clear coat or go for a tanner or ecru lacquer. If you think that a totally nude mani isn't interesting enough, add a pop to one of your nails or even go ombre. A big plus to these colors is you won't see chips or wear as easily.

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Nude Lips

A natural-looking lip is a fantastic beauty trick to bust out when you want to play up other features. Like the photo above, this works perfect with bold eye makeup, whether you want to use daring color or do a sultry smoky eye, a nude lip will help balance that out and draw the focus where you want it. Get sexy nude lips like Kim Kardashian's instead of looking like you died - because as easy as it sounds, it doesn't always work - check out this in-depth how-to from the hilarious ladies of WV Style Team.

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Bare Lids

With the retro looks of the cat eye and bouffants back in style, it's pretty much a given that other classic trends will come back, too. While everyone else is still overdosing on black eyeliner and dark eye shadows that can sometimes make them look raccoony, you can save time in the morning by going au naturel - in reality, you will want to put an eyelid primer on and at least a dusting of powder. You can add a light eye shadow to even out the look and then pair it with baby doll lashes a la Twiggy. Apply some lash primer (or foundation if you don't have any) to your lashes to create a base, then apply mascara liberally to the top and bottom lashes. Instant model!

Are you digging the nude looks on the runways this year or are you over it already?

Check Out Those Hot Buns!

Buns were really hot this summer and they aren't going to be going anywhere this fall. They are a great way to keep your hair out of the way, especially when you'll be transitioning to a bulkier wardrobe that may include scarves and sweaters. If you haven't mastered the bun yet, we found three great tutorials to help you learn to do some of the most coveted bun 'dos this season.

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The Messy Bun

Though there are plenty of ways to do this, and plenty really do look messy and not well put together, the best ones look structured and like you didn't put a lot of work into it. If you have 3-5 minutes in the morning, you can achieve the perfect messy bun without looking like those college students who roll out of bed, stick a pencil in their hair and show up to class in their PJs. We like this DIY vid from LeSassafras.

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The Ballet Bun

Those ballerinas always look so put together. Not only is the ballet bun a classic look, but it can be easy to do and makes you look totally professional. Wear with all your hair slicked back or with bangs. Three words: Compliments all day! We think this tutorial from beautydept is fantastic, because it shows you how to do it on your own head instead of someone else's.

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The Low Side-Bun

Are you seeing all your favorite celebrities rocking these everywhere from Starbucks to the red carpet? We sure are and can't get enough of it. Believe it or not, it's totally simple and there are so many different variations that it never gets boring. We love this step-by-step photo tutorial from PhotoChamber.com and this easy-to-follow video from the lovely ForeverYours0727.

Are you a fan of the bun? If so, what's your fave way to wear it?

Fall Nail Color Must-Haves

Well, it's official. Summer is gone and the rain has started. Time to start pulling out your boots and transitioning some of your make-up and beauty products to work for the changing weather and appear more seasonal. You may still be loving your bright manis, and that's cool, but Fashion Week has come and inspired all your favorite polish brands to come up with all new palettes. The new five must-have colors are here and you can get them now and be ahead of the curve this season.

Metro Chic

Smoky Purples

Every season has its neutral color and this is it for 2013. Almost every brand has their own version. Not quite purple and not quite nude, you’ll definitely want this neutral in your polish arsenal. 

Disco Inferno

Oil Slick

Metallics are here to stay this year and the hot one right now is silver with holographic colors, much like an oil slick. At first glace it's one color, but as your hands move, a rainbow of others appear. This is the perfect addition to your LBD.

Jezebel

Black Cherry
Also being called Oxblood, this deep, dark red is the new black, but more fun. Bright red may not work for all occasions and black isn't all that professional for work, so get the best of both worlds and paint your nails with this mysterious hue that reminds us a bit of Interview with a Vampire (and a little less Twilight-y).

Tribal Tattoo

Loden or Moss

Spring and Summer were full steam ahead for Pantone's emerald, but with the dreary weather, the color changes to match to a deeper and less obvious green. It calls to mind hiking in the forest and sweet little woodland creatures, no?

Scouse 

Blue Sparkles

Last season we were wishing for the beach with metallic mermaid shades, but fall kicks it up a notch with true glitter blues, because we have to have a great pop of color in our beauty bag. The great thing about this color trend is that you can go bright or dark, depending on your mood.

I think the gals around Melange will definitely be rocking a lot of Black Cherry on our fingers and toes. Which of these new colors is going to be added to your collection first?