It’s that time of year, when we stop everything we’re doing and sink into the lies of Halloween. Not that you’re reading this and saying, “I’m so ready for winter now, I’m ready to pile my feet into socks and have an impromptu Shabbat dinner with my kids, I’m ready for it all!” That’s a bunch of hooey. There’s little more likely than a grey, wet stretch of sidewalk to put you in the mood for a few extra toenails with a pretty pink polish. That’s not true, but this balmy feeling has a few practical consequences: it’ll give you great body to stroke; it’ll give you great stress relief; and, best of all, it’s ideal for a relaxing midweek evening.

Before you can figure out how to do the new French manicure on your toenails, you have to peel away the bad old manicure, which is the new look for a reason. The clippers that used to come with the kits to get the old-fashioned nails off for just half an hour to get them below the fingertips have been replaced with french manicure options. It’s a technique that involves varying lengths of tip, letting color run down the nail so that you’re wearing a gradient effect as the tip shifts from pinkish (shiny) to nude (soft) to black.

The downside to this is that the nail polish has been damaged and if you apply too much, it can bleed or peel off completely, so before you go glam for Halloween, it’s a good idea to do a little research and review the risks beforehand.