Why It's Cool to Match Your Lips to Your Tips Again

Trends have a way of sneaking up on us decades later. Finger waves, cat eyes and bold brows have all come and gone... and come again. The latest beauty comeback kid? Matching lips and nails. The trend became popular in the '50s, when women matched their manicures to their perfect red or pink lips as a sign of sophistication. This year's runway shows proved to us that the look can still make a refined statement. 

At Jason Wu Spring 2012, makeup artist Diane Kendal for MAC opted for a bright coral lip complemented by an identical shade of lacquer. At Donna Karan Spring 2012, Charlotte Tilbury for MAC gave models a chocolate burgundy lip that matched their cocoa manicures by Deborah Lippmann. And the trend is still going strong for fall: The beauty look at Zac Posen’s Fall 2012 show was tied together by a bold red lip and a coordinating red manicure created by Kabuki for MAC. 

In a nod to the trend, both MAC and Butter London are debuting lip and nail color pairings that make coordinating your look easy.

Butter London's Lippy Collection launched this month and the brand is already Tweeting about an upcoming Fall collection. This season, the company chose five spring-worthy nail colors to pair with their new “lacquer-like" lip glosses. The collection includes: Primrose Hill Picnic, a fuchsia; Snog, a hot pink; Teddy Girl, a bubblegum pink; Trout Pout, a creamy peach; and Yummy Mummy, a medium beige-nude. Plus, true to the company's non-toxic philosophy (all their lacquers are 3-Free), the glosses are made without parabens, petroleum, phthalates, sulfates or bismuth. 

In May, MAC will launch the Fashion Sets collection, a line of lipstick, Lipglass and cream nail polishes featuring seven of the brand's top selling shades from around the world. The colors include Myth, a light nude; Snob, a neutral pink; Spice, a medium nude; Girl About Town, a bright blue fuchsia; Russian Red, a bold red; Rebel, a cream plum; and Chestnut (the number one selling lip pencil in the US!), a chocolate brown. While the Lipglass shades stay true to their famous formula, the lipsticks vary in finish: Myth, Snob, Spice, Rebel and Chestnut are satin-textured, Girl About Town is amplified and Russian Red is a matte. The Fashion Sets collection will be available online and at all MAC locations starting May 3.

Are you ready to add a touch of vintage glamour to your beauty routine, or do you prefer to mix and match shades?