Red Nail Polish

Whether you're one to follow trends or not, nails are the easiest way to jump on a new beauty look — and jump we do. But there's no denying that when all the trends (nail art, anyone?) die down, there are a few colours that every woman reverts to. Red is one of them. It's a true classic, one of those rare breeds that goes with everything and suits everyone. Here, we've pulled ten of the best red shades we could find. If you work in a conservative office environment, there's a raspberry-hued version for you. If you can go all out, why not go the sparkly crimson for a bit of fun? Or if you like to keep things simple, you can never go wrong with a bright, cherry red. Tip: keep your nails short. While we loved Ashley Madekwe's talons a few weeks ago, they might not be appreciated as much in the office. Click through for our picks!

Australia Day doesn't have to mean Southern Cross tattoos and the Aussie flag worn as a cape — it is possible to style it up right. Enter patriotic nail duos! If you want to keep your love for our sunburnt country a little low-key this week and right through into the weekend, why not go cobalt or navy blue with a red feature nail, or visa versa? Just remember to keep your talons short, neat and chic. Click through to see our favourite, perfect Australia Day nail polish pairs.

Red nail polish is about as classic as it comes. But when a little something extra special is added (read: nail art) you've just taken that crimson lacquer up several notches. From gold accents to bandana finishes, see five different ways to take red from ravishing to red-hot — courtesy of Jessica Biel, Ashley Madekwe, Zooey Deschanel, Ciara and Anne Hathaway.

Without a doubt, nail art was one of the biggest trends to hit the beauty scene this year. With celebrities like Jessica Biel, Zooey Deschanel and many more jumping on the bandwagon, we took their lead and had a ball experimenting with the latest colour, texture and effect combinations available. From learning how to get the ombré effect to dipping our nails in teeny, tiny caviar-like balls, we did it all. In these pictures from our Instagram account, you'll see every nail look we tried over the course of the year — try one tonight, or at least let them inspire you to do something different! Click through the gallery, and tell us which one is your favourite — you'll notice we quite enjoy a good, classic orange-red. . .

Ah, the power of a red lip or a classic red nail. The boys go wild for it, and the girls? They ask you what brand and shade name you're wearing. Why Valentino even ends its runway shows with a red piece, and as for red beauty tools? They're about as statement as you can get. Perhaps a bit posh, too. We're going back to basics today to bring you our favourite red prods, step in to get sexy.

This season we've seen an abundance of bold and bright nails, such as taxi-cab-yellow polishes. And while these bold and bright shades may be in high demand, classic red is still holding its own, especially when worn with its natural pairing, red lipstick. So when it comes to red on red, take a look at some different ways to wear it, from demure to cool and everything in between.

All eyes were on Kristen Stewart as she arrived at the Balenciaga A/W 2012 show in Paris yesterday wearing sexy leather pants. The Breaking Dawn star jetted into Paris earlier in the week and, as the latest signing for Balenciaga fragrances, was a hotly-anticipated guest at Paris Fashion Week. Having walked red carpets before sans polish, Kristen made sure she was front-row ready arriving with a classic red mani/pedi. Do you match your nail polish too?

No red carpet beauty look is complete without a manicure, and this year's Oscars provided us with more than a few differing polish shades. Nude nails were again a popular choice, adorning the hands of Michelle Williams, Ellie Kemper and Glenn Close, while Gwyneth Paltrow and Louise Roe both opted for variations of a soft pale pink. Deep, daring shades were the order of the day for Natalie Portman and Sandra Bullock, and Jennifer Lopez took a leaf out of Rihanna's book, choosing a metallic gold. Click through to see all the celebrity manicures.