Blue is The New Black

Every season, fashion writers and critics announce that some other color is the "new black." And every season, Ms. New Beauty reads such proclamations in magazines and select fashion blogs and rolls her eyes and shakes her head. MNB has always considered the "new black" to be nothing but rubbish. No other color, shade, or hue will ever take its place. Black is neutral yet bold, classic but refreshing, sleek and sensual all at the same time. Nothing can be the new black because black never gets old. It's not trendy, it just is. Except when it comes to nail polish. Last fall, with CHANEL's one-two punch combination of Black Satin and Noir Ceramic polishes, black nails were the epitome of fall's trends. Every fashionista with money to spare raced to CHANEL counters to snap up the few remaining bottles. Ms. New Beauty herself even got into quite the eBay bidding war over a bottle of Noir Ceramic when her local Neiman's was sold out. But with all the fanfare, black nails soon ended up on everyone and just as quickly went the way of the rooster bangs and goopy lipgloss. With this fall, dark nails still fit the feel of the season just with a different, but no less edgy and fashionable, hue - Blue!

M.A.C. Nail Lacquer in Whirlwind

I'll readily admit that I fell hard for the black nail polish last year. It was such a new and thoughtful look, I had to have it. And, I did. For every night out, special event, or burrito run, Noir Ceramic was on my nails and it definitely made even my schlubbiest sweats feel chic. And, then it was over. By around February, I was just so tired of it and couldn't stand to see it anymore. Even now, I occasionally spy black nail polish on women and just think, "that's sooooo 2006!" But it was a wonderful look, which is why I am so glad to see black nail polish in its latest reincarnation, as a deep, inky, midnight on the ocean blue.

Photo Courtesy of All Lacquered Up

This polish is part of the limited edition Blue Storm collection and it is the perfect answer to this season's dark feel without feeling like you got in on it just a tad too late to still be stylish. At first glance, it does almost look like black polish because it is so dark. But then the light catches it and you can see the blue, the subtle hints of green, and just enough shimmer to keep it from looking flat. The color has so much depth. See. My only gripe about this polish is the handle on the bottle. It's the same size as the bottle which makes it a little unwieldy for someone who barely paints their own nails like me. I got the hang of it by just giving up on any attempts at precision and slapping the polish all over my nails knowing that I'd come back with a q-tip dipped in polish remover to clean up my mistakes.

Blue Storm is a limited edition collection and this polish is one of the standout pieces of the collection, so it's going fast. It's already sold out online but you can still get it at many M.A.C. counters.

$10, available where M.A.C. is sold.

Remember that nothing can ever take the place of black, but this season's dark blue will get the job done, and don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!