i love everything about jessica alba here (from 2011) – the orange lip, the playful braids, the simple diamond studs, and holy lashes! but it’s that royal blue dress that’s got me so inspired. i had to work it into my routine immediately and i think i might have squealed after laying eyes on butter london’s scouse, a royal blue glitter. i can’t wait to get a fresh coat of paint on to my nails and sport the shade all season long.
here’s the thing about a textured nail: it’s very tough to screw up. smudges, streaks, and chips are far less obvious (read: invisible) when you’re sporting nails with the level of grit that opi’s liquid sand provides. i tested the purple polish when i was in a real rush to paint my nails on the way to a friend’s birthday party. i threw a magazine on my lap and quickly slapped two coats on while i caught up on the news. i was really surprised by how speedily it dried and how much i loved the finished look. yes, it’s edgy and far less glossy than i typically go for, but the fun factor and the ease of application (along with the near instant dry time) has me giving this one two very gritty, purple thumbs up.
you might remember miss caroline from this post from last april. much has changed in her world since we last saw her – she’s potty trained, she became a big sister, and she’s now in regular preschool. one thing that has not changed? her intense love for nail polish and painted nails. when i found out that caroline would be in town this week, i knew it would be the perfect chance to test clinique’s new ‘a different nail enamel for sensitive skin’ on her tiny fingertips. i went in armed with pinkini and we got down to business.
clinique’s enamel definitely doesn’t have the strong chemical smell that other bottles do and its formula is designed to be extra gentle for sensitive skin. (especially perfect for those under the tender age of three like my friend, above.) i was able to keep wiggly little caroline contained to get two coats on her and i was seriously impressed with how fast the lacquer dried – and thank goodness for that, because we had donuts to eat and patience is not our strong suit. when i asked caroline how her nails looked once they were dry, she looked up at me with a huge grin and said “pink!” i think we have a winner, here.
the new clinique nail polish collection comes in a ton of gorgeous glossy shades, including seven fabulous limited edition colors for summer 2013. bottles are $16 a piece and are sure to delight polish lovers of all ages.
shop clinique ‘a different nail enamel for sensitive skins’ ($16) >
i cannot get enough of the simple chicness of the white nail trend. yes, at first it reminded me of the days when i used to paint my nails in white out (yes, i was the girl painting her nails with white out during study hall…then drawing flowers on them with a sharpie. what can i say? it was the pre-teen nail art of the 90′s.), but i have overcome my own white nail prejudices and i’m totally loving the trend. there is something so impossibly elegant about the finished look and i’m extra excited to wear it when i’ve got a bit more a sunkissed glow going. thankfully the brands are on board, and you can score white nail polish at both the department store and the drugstore:
essie marshmallow, $8
revlon spirit (on my nails, above), $4.79
deborah lippmann, $17
will you try it?
i’m the birthday girl!
to kick off the celebrations, i gave myself a manicure in my signature pink, zoya’s (appropriately named) lara. i’m getting pret-ty good at the diy manicure if i do say so myself, and i attribute my high shine and long-wearing paint jobs to the combination of butter london’s nail foundation (seriously gives the absolute perfect matte base for polish) and opi’s start to finish (leaves a gel-like mirror shine). it takes four coats total and the results are well worth it.
now that my nails are done, i’m off to do a little wine tasting and design hunting with my mister, wrapping up the day with a margarita happy hour followed by dinner with our favorite couple. tomorrow, i’m continuing the celebrations at brunch with my two blogging besties, casie and meg (whose big 3-0 was yesterday). let’s get this party started :)
hope you beauties have a perfect weekend!
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i say it all the time, but i love brands that do one thing really well. they know who they are and they have a focused expertise in one area that usually means every single one of their products is of the utmost quality. for hands and nails, that brand is julep. if you’ve been reading this blog for a long while, you might remember this post. well, let’s just say they’ve come a long way. the brand has expanded to include over 150 shades of their signature polish and they’ve launched a monthly box subscription program called maven. while i will always look to julep as the cutting edge in color, it’s their innovative and advanced treatments that keep me coming back for more.
mighty nail and cuticle serum, $28 – just like the best serum does for your skin, this treatment improves the health and appearance of nails when applied at their roots (your cuticles)
oxygen nail treatment, $18 – this is your foundation. dubbed “nail makeup” oxygen hides little imperfections, provides a subtle gloss, and works to improve the strength and smoothness of your nail beds.
hand and cuticle stick, $22 – leaves hands silky soft without making them greasy, all in one twist up stick
freedom polymer top coat, $18 – a mini force field, this quick dry, gel like top coat extends the life of your mani yet comes off with any polish remover
have you tried any of these treatments? think you’ll add one to your mani mix?
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how incredible is this marbled manicure? essie created the look for rebecca minkoff’s fall runway show and i am entranced. not only does the look combine some of my favorite essie shades, but it’s a grouping that i would have never put together. the finished look is a five-color swirl – a mix of chic and edgy that supremely matches minkoff’s rocker vibe. rumor has it that the collection was inspired by the night sky and i think that these intergalactic nails are spot on, don’t you?
to get the look, apply each shade to the nail in small dots and then swirl the colors together with a thin paint brush (or nail art tool if you happen to have one handy!). seal it off with a top coat and strut your stuff.
colors include as gold as it gets, penny talk, go overboard, blue rhapsody and aruba blue.
(photo by kate headley)
here’s the thing about nails. just like skin, they behave completely differently in the winter than they do any other time of year. mine get hard and brittle withy dry, unruly cuticles. it ain’t pretty, people. i was having this conversation with the butter london girls in nyc and they loaded me up with products to combat my problems, along with a new nude from their spring ‘starkers’ collection. here’s the combination that’s been working wonders on my frozen fingertips:
melt away cuticle eliminator breaks down and softens the stray skin around my nails and makes removal a cinch. after two minutes, you can push them down with an orange stick or even a cuticle stone eraser to eliminate the need to cut them.
horse power nail fertilizer can be used as a stand-alone strengthener, as a base coat, and a top coat. this 3-in-one works overtime to repair damaged nails and the results are quite impressive. like your best repairing skin cream or hair treatment, horse power improves the look and feel of your nails, especially important in the harsh weather.
the girls prescribed shandy (a light, apricot creme) as my go-to nude. it showcases my skin tone in a soft, understated yet sophisticated way. (fun fact: it’s named after a beverage that’s equal parts beer and sprite…yum?)
finally, they tucked handbag holiday into my pocket. they urged me to apply it nightly and enjoy the hydrating, intensely nourishing benefits. i’ve also been using it over my finished manicure for extra shine and a little “slip” that means i can spend less time sitting and waiting for my nails to dry.
what do you think of these manicure miracles? think you’ll give any of them a try this winter? (or even this weekend for those of you trapped inside during this crazy northeast blizzard? stay safe, beauties!)
i know i’m not the only one seeing green.
ever since pantone named emerald the color of the year for 2013, greens have been everywhere from teals and kellies to jades and shamrocks. i love the way that kermit’s favorite color has been popping up in fashion, but working this hue into your beauty routine can be a bit trickier. polish is an obvious choice (the best, in my opinion!), so here are six ways to get your nails on trend:
forever 21 nail polish in teal, $2.80
sonia kashuk nail colour in emerald city, $4.79
revlon nail enamel in posh, $4.99
butter london 3 free nail lacquer in thames, $15
julep nail vernis in emilie, $14
essie nail polish in going incognito, $8
will your nails be going green this season? which shade is your fav?
all nail polishes are not created equal.
and trust me when i tell you that these lacquers? are the stuff that at-home manicure dreams are made of.
i am admittedly atrocious at painting my own nails, but either my skills have heightened dramatically overnight or there’s a tiny bit of magic in these bitty bottles. the combination of a smooth shiny polish and the i-can’t-put-my-finger-on-why-it’s-perfect brush make for a flawless finish. the product is super easy to brush on and mistakes cleaned up in a cinch without staining my fair skin.
one of the things i liked best is that my nails were ready to run out the door after just one coat of cherry on top. the nail color is so pigmented and the formula so great that my fingers were looking party-ready in two minutes flat.
(i did add a second coat for shine and opted for an accent nail using my private palace – tis the season, after all!)
they dried lickety split and have been wearing well for the last couple of days with no topcoat needed and no chips to speak of. i am really impressed by the quality of these polishes at such a steal-worthy price.
you can check out julieg nail color by jesse’s girl cosmetics ($3.99 each) at select rite aid stores or online.
