Throw away the sheer pinks of summer, because nails have gone noir for fall. Black is back, and this time, it’s reached the fingerstips thanks to celebs such as Lindsay Lohan and Charlize Theron. The juxtaposition of pretty and punk is what makes the look fresh, said Rachel Hayes, beauty director for Cosmopolitan magazine. She suggests wearing soft, wavy hair and glossy lips with the vamped-up look. “It’s like mixing naughty and nice,” she said. “I think it’s that contrast that gives it such wide appeal.” Clamor for the non-color has reached a peak with Chanel’s limited-edition Black Satin, which was introduced in August and has sold out multiple times since. “We have sold out of it three times. It’s just amazing,” said Trena Sepos, Chanel makeup artist at Saks Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh. “(Customers) want bottles upon bottles.” They might be stocking up to sell it on eBay, where bottles have been garnering almost $50. Sepos doesn’t know whether her counter will be getting more of the limited-edition polish, so eBay might be the best alternative. Chanel last created manic nail-polish frenzy in 1994, when it introduced Vamp, a deep wine-colored, almost black polish. Black Satin is set to take its place. “I really believe it’s going to be the Vamp of the 2000s,” Sepos said. In fact, sales of Vamp are up as a result of the Black Satin craze, she said. The trend isn’t limited to Chanel, either. Shadyside’s makeup mecca, Sephora, has had increased requests for all deep nail shades, according to manager Yvonne Namey. The requests for fall have been mostly dark reds and burgundies. “Anything like a deep wine color” is how Namey described the hue du jour. Finding a shade might not be problematic, but wearing it can be tricky. “The trendiest and sexiest way to wear it is on short nails with a kind of squaroval (square-oval hybrid) shape,” Hayes said. The look takes a steady hand and manicure stick dipped in remover, or a professional manicurist, she said. Hayes also had advice on color: “I think it’s more fresh to stick to a solid black instead of one with shimmer. A really rich, dark, true black.” Chipped nails are out of the question, and simple makeup elsewhere is key. “If you’re going to do a dark nail and dark lips, you’re going to do a lighter eye,” Namey said. Next up on the nail horizon will be opaque white for the holidays, Hayes said. Might want to start stocking up now, ladies. Additional Information:

Our favorites

If you weren’t lucky enough to get your nails on some Black Satin, here are substitutes that are easier to come by: Drugstore finds: Midnight Magic by Cover Girl, Black Satin by Rimmel, Always Ascher by Sally Hansen Beauty-supply store favorites: Wicked by Essie, Licorice by Essie, Voodoo by Creative Nail Design, Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI

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