As the leaves are changing, the nail polishes that line the shelves change color, too; deeper reds and plums fill in the spots where the corals and pinks of spring and summer used to reside. I find these deep colors to be absolutely irresistible, and while I am changing out my closets, I like to change my polish wardrobe as well.

I read in a magazine at the start of fall that the new trend was to wear these deep, dark colors on your fingernails and leave the sheer nudes to your toes. I've done just the reverse for many years, but this idea makes a lot of sense. Unless you're living somewhere very warm, your toes aren't seeing much daylight these days. You might as well paint them a nice, neutral shade that looks clean and manicured but that is really easy to maintain. The darker shades will show chips more easily, and who really wants to spend a lot of time thinking about their pedicure when it's basically hidden most of the time?

I chose Revlon's Colorstay Always On Nail Enamel (Walgreen's, $5.99) for my toes in Stay Neutral. I liked that the shade of pink was very close to my skin color, and I also liked that it has subtle sparkles in it to give it depth. I've used this on my toes twice now, and while I do really like the color, I am not in love with the enamel.

It dries really quickly, which may be a blessing for those who have skills with the nail polish. I, on the other hand, need a few seconds to work out the kinks in my application. With this polish, by the time you've moved on to the next nail, the previous one is half dry. Any attempts at fixing something will lead to obvious clumps and bumps that can't easily be ironed out. At the same time, it doesn't dry fully for quite some time, definitely greater than 20 minutes. You'll regret touching them even lightly at this point.

It does last for a long time, definitely longer than the 5 days promised on the bottle. The polish loses its shine quickly, so you'll want to reapply the supplied top coat regularly. Since their supplied top coat isn't as shiny as I would like, I recommend using Sally Hansen's Mega Shine Topcoat to refresh.

As disappointed as I am with Revlon's new nail enamel, I am absolutely in love with Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lycra Wear Nail Polish (Walgreen's, $2.99). The color I chose, Celebrity Bash, looks nearly black in the bottle, but goes on as a deep blood red.

I generally have a difficult time getting my nails to look as good as they do at the nail salon. Part of it is pure impatience, another large part is a general absence of hand/eye coordination. If you're like me, this polish is for you. It goes on so smoothly. It doesn't drip or clump when you're applying it. Even before I applied my top coat, the color had depth and was super shiny. This is one drugstore nailpolish that really rivals OPI for the great color and quality, all at a very reasonable price.

Other fall manicure tips:

With a color this dark, you've really got to trim your nails down so that the tip barely extends beyond the end of the finger. If you've got longer nail beds like I do, you might have to leave a little more length.

In order to prepare your nails, you'll need to do a little more now that you have in the summer months. When you're applying moisturizer to your hands at night, apply some to your fingernails and cuticles. It will keep your cuticles healthy in the cooler air, and keep your fingernails from splitting as well. Solar Oil is another great way to moisturize your cuticles and nails.

In the cooler and drier weather, it's also vital to use a base coat when you're applying a dark color to your nails. If your nails are parched, they will drink in the color and leave your nails looking yellow when the polish is removed. If possible, give your nails a couple of days of rest every 7-10 days so that the pigments from the nail polish have less time to do damage to your nails.

Revlon ColorStay Nail Enamel:

Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Polish: