Essie at fashion show

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Nails turned punk at London Fashion Week. Annette Hanford reports Worn down and chipped nails do not normally go hand-in-hand with the glamorous world of fashion, nor are they usually associated with Essie and the team at Perfect Nails. However, a chance catwalk collaboration at London Fashion Week saw models adorning distinctly distressed nails at the Aganovich show. PIC: JENNY PAINTS A MODEL'S NAILS The show’s stylist called upon Essie nail tech Jenny Longworth to create a look to complement the underlying rebellious nature of the clothing. With anarchist and urban warrior vibes, a distressed look was used to give a metaphorical two-fingered salute, associated with the punk era.With three hours to complete 14 models, Jenny chose Essie because of the wide range of colours and fast-drying formulas – a necessity in such a fast-paced environment. “The look we finally went for on the nails was a distressed, worn down, and chipped finish on the polish. This was achieved using Essie’s Wild Thing, a vibrant fuchsia red with an intense glitter sparkle,” commented Jenny, who was assisted by Zarra Skeete and Emily Bolton. PIC: TEAM ESSIE The final look was achieved with minimal prep to the models’ nails. This included removing any polish from previous shows, shaping finger nails to a soft oval, buffing and using a babywipe to remove any dust. Handy, according to Jenny, when there are no sinks. “Nails were then painted using base coat to prevent staining and two coats of Wild Thing. No topcoat was used as the look was to be distressed and a high-gloss finish was not required,” said Jenny. PIC: MODEL BEHAVIOUR Polish was then left to dry for a while, before it was gently worn away with a metal cuticle pusher. “This left us with a realistic, week-old chipped nail, and not just as if it had been purposely smudged.” Essie products also found their way into the goody bags for the front-row fashionistas.