Nails

Chanel’s Bringing Vampy Back: Le Vernis Nail Colours for Fall 2009

July 28th, 2009 by Karen 38 Comments

chanel venice fall 2009 499 gondola le vernis nail colour
Swatch of Gondola

Don’t make me bust out my Cabbage Patch, Chanel. 🙂 Because I will!

Le Vernis Nail Colour in Gondola, one of two new Chanel shades for fall, puts my inner vamp on red alert. I haven’t felt this excited about a Chanel nail polish since last spring’s Vendetta (swoon!).

I’m gonna have to say Miss Coco got her groove back…

Gondola, $23

chanel venice fall 2009 499 gondola le vernis nail colour bottle

Gondola, along with her sister Intermezzo (more on her in a few), arrive as part of the Chanel Venice collection for fall.

A dark, plummy magenta with golden sparkles, Gondola applies smoothly, dries quickly and doesn’t leave streaks. LOVE! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

chanel venice fall 2009 501 intermezzo le vernis nail colour
Swatch of Intermezzo

Intermezzo, $23

Intermezzo may be the less flashy shade of the two for fall (she’s a quiet, shimmery white shade in the bottle), but she absolutely shines once you get her on your tips.

The color flashes from white to gray, pink and purple — kinda like a liquid version of MAC’s duochrome eyeshadow, Vex.

Intermezzo tended to streak a little on my nails, but it was nothing a good base coat (or third layer) couldn’t fix. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

chanel venice fall 2009 501 intermezzo le vernis nail colour bottle

After what I thought were a couple of ho-hum nail polish releases, it’s nice to see Chanel bust some serious moves for fall.

I really like these colors, but what do you think? Are they worth a $23 splurge?

So sleepy…

This afternoon I have to find El Hub’s birthday present. Wish me luck, and thanks for all the ideas. I saved the list and tucked it away for future reference. 🙂

How’s your Tuesday been? I stayed up late last night reading (almost done with the second Sookie Stackhouse book!) but sure paid the price for it today.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Two Ways to Win the Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color Collection

July 23rd, 2009 by Karen 247 Comments

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color all

San Francisco is famous for foggy summer days, especially through July and August. It’s part of the city’s charm, not knowing what to expect from the weather, and why visitors to SF should always dress prepared. 🙂

Sometimes, though, when it’s warm almost everywhere else in America, SF’s overcast days get *really old*.

Up here in Marin County this morning, about 10 miles north of the city, I woke up to one of those foggy summer days.

I decided to brighten my outlook with brightly colored nails — a crazy mix of colors from the new Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color collection ($6 each).

Here are seven of the collection’s eight shades (click here to see the eighth color, Digital, a shimmery cool pink).

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Hi Def

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color cyber
Cyber

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color lite
Lite

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color pixell
Pixell Pretty

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color three d
Three D

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Hi Res

sally hansen hd hi definition nail color blu
Blu

To make the vibrant, shimmery polishes in this collection, Sally says they used liquid crystals and pure pigments. The colors are supposed to be as clear and brilliant as high definition TV.

Looking at these colors, I can’t help but smile. The shades are like little bursts of bright color on my nails!

I think it’s time for a giveaway. 🙂

The prize

Five lucky ladies will win a set of Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Colors with all eight polishes (a $50 value).

The prize includes…

Hi Def: a shimmery green
Cyber: a shimmery purple
Lite: a shimmery yellow
Pixell Pretty: a shimmery teal
Three D: a shimmery orange
Hi Res: a shimmery red
Blue: a shimmery blue
Digital: a shimmery hot pink

How to enter…

Entering is easy. There are two different ways, and you can do both of them for two chances to win. 🙂

First, you can enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. In it, tell me what brightens your mood on a gloomy day.

Bright nail polishes, upbeat dance songs and Tabs are all things that cheer me up.

Second, enter by following me on Twitter and retweeting (RT) the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $50 in Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color. http://tinyurl.com/n78vxw

Recap…

Enter by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post, and don’t forget to use a valid email address so I can reach you if you win.
Follow me on Twitter and retweet the following message:

RT @karenmbb: RT to Win $50 in Sally Hansen HD Hi-Definition Nail Color. http://tinyurl.com/n78vxw

I’ll choose the five winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Saturday, July 25.

Kali tihi!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. To celebrate the launch of the HD Hi-Definition collection, Sally Hansen’s hosting an online sweepstakes with prizes like an HD TV, an iPod and a bunch of Sally Hansen goodies. Head over to the Sally Hansen website to enter.

The giveaway is now closed to new entries, and the winners are being contacted. 🙂 Good luck!

Lancome Indigo Paris Nail Polish Makes Me Blue

July 15th, 2009 by Karen 61 Comments

lancome declaring indigo le vernis indigo paris 2

Today procrastination hit me like Naomi Campbell’s cell phone! Instead of looking for a new freelance writing job, I painted my nails with Les Vernis nail polish in Indigo Paris ($18).

It’s a hypnotic shade (seriously, I can’t stop staring at my fingers) from Lancome’s Declaring Indigo Fall 2009 collection.

My fingertips look like I dipped ’em in dark blue calligraphy ink, and all I used were two thin coats (enough for opaque coverage).

lancome declaring indigo le vernis indigo paris

I wish it were cheaper (le sigh)…

Ooh! This is the color I want my fantasty 1979 El Camino painted in (to ghost ride my whip, ya’ll!).

Have you ever worn a blue nail polish before? I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I’m glad I gave it a try.

Early to bed

Come hell or high water, my cookies are hitting the hay (“haaaaay!”) early tonight. This staying up till 2 to watch True Blood is fun, but it renders me totally useless the next day.

What’s on your agenda tonight? Got any plans? I’m a little excited about going to bed early… Is that sad?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

MINX Nail Coverings: High Fashion for Nails

July 14th, 2009 by Karen 28 Comments

Today Johnie of The Beauty Junkie blog talks about a fun way to let your fingers do the talking.

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Have you heard of MINX nail coverings yet? I ask because they’ve taken the beauty world by storm.

I caught my first glimpse of MINX nails about 10 months ago in one of the many beauty magazines that gets delivered monthly to my mailbox (always such a good mail day when one of those arrives!). Rhianna was sporting them in silver chrome, and I was like, “WHERE do I get some of those?” Her nails looked amazing and done to perfection.

Back then MINX were brand spankin’ new, and nobody had heard of them before, including the people at most salons.

Since then things have changed.

Now, they regularly appear in magazines, being worn by more and more celebrities. Beyonce is a huge fan and gets caught wearing MINX a lot, and the product’s getting more press all the time.

My first MINX manicure

Salons all across America are getting into the trend, and I was finally able to get my first MINX manicure about a week ago.

I don’t live in a big city like Atlanta, New York City or anyplace like that, yet there are already two salons in my area offering MINX. If I can get my hands on them where I live — rather, get them on my hands — you probably can too.

So what the heck are MINX nail coverings?

Literally, they’re adhesive nail stickers available in a wide range of colors and patterns.

You can go with a seasonal look, a plain jane solid or just go crazy with something outrageous; they have it all.

The variety is what makes these the coolest nail art I’ve ever seen, and the selection continues to grow.

I was told by my salon tech that they can now even do custom MINX nail coverings. If, for example, there’s a particular pattern or print you love, you can send a sample to MINX to turn into your very own design. Pretty cool, huh?
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Nubar’s Going, Going Green in a Big Way

July 7th, 2009 by Karen 17 Comments

Today the lovely (and friendly) Kelly of Vampy Varnish shares a review of Nubar’s new collection of green nail polishes for summer.

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Nubar — if you haven’t heard of it yet, you’re about to! 🙂

Nubar has a huge array of nail polishes in various colors and finishes, everything from pale pink to orange to black, and finishes from creme to shimmer to glitter.

Beyond that, they’re also a responsible nail polish company, meaning that their polishes don’t contain the “Big 3” worst offending chemicals found in many brands of nail polish: DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde.

They’ve partnered with PETA and are now certified Vegan and Cruelty-Free, and their bottles will soon be branded with a logo to show their exciting new status.

To honor the accomplishment, Nubar has released the Going Green Collection of six, very different green polishes. For a lot of polish junkies, green is the *Holy Grail* of colors, and for a company to release six at once just blows the mind!!

The formula for this whole collection is really fabulous, as most Nubar’s tend to be. I didn’t have any streaking, bubbling, cuticle drag or any issues with these, and they were all done with two coats.

Reclaim

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Holographic greens aren’t very common, and Reclaim is a gorgeous one. The color is a sort of muted grass green, and as you can see the rainbow effect is downright amazing.

Wildlife

nubar-going-green-wildlife

Wildlife is a very interesting and strange color and, of course, turned out to be my favorite one!

It’s very hard to describe — like a khaki green duochrome that flashes gold and pink, depending on the lighting. It’s a shade you’ll either love or hate, and it’s definitely not for the color shy.
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21 Nail Polish Tips

July 4th, 2009 by Karen 18 Comments

21 Nail Polish Tips
Essie Canyon Coral

They say “it’s the little things,” and I think they’re right.

A fresh coat of nail polish always improves my outlook, no matter what’s bringing me down. An at-home manicure is an easy, affordable way to brighten even my dreariest days. When I’m feeling out of sorts, I’ll plop down on the floor in front of the TV to give myself a manicure.

Be good to yourself and your nails with the help of these 21 nail polish tips. 🙂

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like…

21 Drugstore Beauty Tips

21 Skin Care Tips

21 Makeup Tutorials

101 Hairstyle Tutorials

10 Fantastic Smokey Eye Tutorials

Whitening Yellow Nails: Prolonged use of dark nail polish colors can cause nails to turn yellow. By following the tips in this post, you can get your nails back to their natural color.

Fingernails FAQ, or Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Fingernails but Were Too Afraid To Ask: Did you know that nails are 10 times more porous than skin or that nails get thinner as we age?

Nutrition for Strong Nails: In this video nutrition expert Carla Kay dishes on what to eat for strong and healthy nails.

How to Avoid Bubbles in Your Nail Polish: All it takes is one little bubble to ruin a great manicure. Keep these tips in mind.

11 Tips for a Perfect Homemade Manicure: Get great looking paws with this awesome step-by-step.

5-Minute Nail Polish Routine: This isn’t a long blog post, but I think it’s an overview that hits the nail on the head (LOL!).

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Pretty in Pink: Make a Difference with OPI Bubble Bath

June 29th, 2009 by Karen 18 Comments

opi-bubble-bath-1

Two women I love — my mother-in-law and my good friend Mary Anne — are breast cancer survivors (click here for info on performing monthly breast self-exams), and I know that many of you have also been touched by cancer in one way or another.

With their Nail Lacquer in Bubble Bath ($7), OPI is trying to help women cope with changes in their appearance that can result from cancer treatment. Part of every sale goes toward Look Good…Feel Better, a national public service program with more than 50,000 participants each year.

Easy-to-wear color

opi-bubble-bath

Part of OPI’s Soft Shades Collection, Bubble Bath hides chips well, which is one reason I like it a lot. It applies as a non-streaky pale pink and dries quickly to a shiny finish.

Because it hides chips so well, I think it makes a great low-maintenance shade if you’re rough on your fingertips like I am (lots of typing).

Boosting self-esteem

Through the Look Good…Feel Better program women are able to take free workshops on makeup application, dealing with hair loss and taking care of nails both during and after cancer treatment.

Where to buy

Over 10,000 salons and beauty retailers nationwide will be selling OPI Bubble Bath this July and August, so look for displays featuring OPI Bubble Bath and information about Look Good…Feel Better. 🙂

Every bottle helps

OPI will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of every bottle of Bubble Bath Nail Lacquer, with a minimum contribution of $25,000.

I like the idea of something as seemingly insignificant as a little bottle of nail polish making a positive difference in someone else’s life.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. The fabulous Christina over at Dishiness has chosen to donate her hair in honor of Farrah Fawcett. The decision is between two worthy groups, Locks of Love or Pantene Beautiful Lengths, that make wigs for cancer patients. If you’ve ever donated your hair before or know of someone who has, please let Christina know.

China Glaze Retro Diva Nail Polishes for Fall 2009

June 19th, 2009 by Karen 42 Comments

china glaze retro diva all

I’m sitting here on the living room floor watching The Deep End on IFC and trying to decide on a polish to wear for my Friday night manicure. I’d like it to be something from China Glaze’s new Retro Diva collection.

Out next month, the collection features 12 groovy polishes (about $5/bottle) in shades of purple, burgundy, orange, red and taupe. China Glaze says the colors were inspired by platform shoes, hiphuggers and the rockin’ disco 1970s.