nails inc

Neon or Nude? Let Your Nails Decide With the Nails Inc. Neon and Nude Collection

July 17th, 2012 by Karen 27 Comments

nails inc neons nudes

With fall fever in full effect wherever cosmetics are found, it’s easy to forget it’s still summer, LOL!

Well, Nails Inc. has six little reasons to remember. The trendy summer shades in their $25 Neon & Nude Collection set of six mini-nail polishes are ready for your nails now at Sephora stores and also online. 🙂

(And between you and me, they look just as adorable on nails as they do in the box.)

For these swatches, I’m wearing two layers of each of the nudes and three layers of the neons.

nails inc knotting hill gate
Knotting Hill Gate

nails inc portabello
Portobello

nails inc westbourne grove
Westbourne Grove
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A Thursday Beauty Break With Starbucks and Summer Makeup From Tokidoki, Korres, Smashbox, Laura Mercier and More

May 24th, 2012 by Karen 50 Comments

thursday beauty break chai latte

Tabs is quite the taskmaster, as you well know, but every once in a while, about as often as a solar eclipse, he takes pity on his lowly assistant and grants her (me) a break.

Today was one of those days. I was given a break from my official feline assistant duties and two hours of company sanctioned “me time,” or “meow time,” as Tabs likes to say.

He’s a big fan of meow time. 🙂

Behold the face of a kitty dictator!

Today, I decided to spend my meow time on a beauty break — ya know, some noms, a little window shopping and, of course, makeup.

Join me! It’ll be fun.

First order of business: Starbucks. Grab a seat, and I’ll get us some tasty beverages. Gotta fuel up before we browse.

Where should we start? How about Sephora? There’s one just down the street.

Don’t worry about spending money. We’re just going to look around. Promise.

Well…unless we come across a completely awesome life-changing color. In that case, all bets are off.

Lately at Sephora, I’ve been starting in the Tokidoki section. The cheerful packaging gets me every time, like this new limited edition Love From London Palette…

tokidoki love from london open

tokidoki love from london front

Isn’t it cute!? Eight eyeshadows, a bronzer and a keychain for $42. That’s not bad. And the pans look pretty big, too.

I like the mix of neutrals and blues — oh, but they swatch pretty sheer…

tokidoki love from london swatches

I think I might like it more for the cute factor than anything else. Let’s keep moving…

Ah, some new stuff from Korres!

korres cheek butter

The Cheek Butter cheek tints ($25 each), which are supposed to be hydrating and long-wearing, feel surprisingly thick and creamy.
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Random Acts of Beauty, December 2, 2011: One Girl. 24 Hours.

December 2nd, 2011 by Karen 21 Comments

How much beauty can one girl spot over the course of 24 hours?

The answer: a lot. 🙂

Like interesting typography that feeds my inner word nerd while it tickles my eyeballs.

December 1, 5:18 p.m. — I’m taking pictures of Benefit’s new boxed blush, but it’s slow going because I’m distracted by the interesting fonts on the box. The blush is called Hervana, a shimmery, peachy pinkish berry ($28).

Hervana doesn’t officially hit counters and stores until January, but if you’re not one for waitin’, set Siri to remind you on Monday, December 5, that Hervana will be available for early sale, one day only, at Benefit online.

December 1, 9:36 p.m. — I’m sitting on the couch and flipping through the DVR menu with the remote… I open the folder for Pop-Up Video to see if any new shows have been recorded (and they have!).

There’s only episode (shoot!), but it’s dedicated to Justin Timberlake videos (YES!).

Oh, yeah… Bring that sexy back, JT. Bring it right here. 🙂

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There’s Something Fishy About Nails Inc. Kensington Hand Cream, and It’s Not the Scent

August 13th, 2011 by Karen 14 Comments

One of these days I’m gonna start a bumper sticker line for beauty addicts. You’ll find it at Sephora in one of those wire kiosk things that twirl, and the stickers will say things like, “I’m lost without Shu,” and “I’m a ho for hand cream.”

Speaking of that, have you tried the new (well, new to us Yanks) Nails Inc. Kensington Conditioning Hand Cream ($18 for a 3.4-oz. tube)? I like it so much that when I switched purses for the eighth time in just as many days, I was sure to move the tube over with my essentials (wallet, keys, lipgloss, iPhone, emergency travel packet of Nutella).

The cream, which recently made the trip out here from London and now lives at Sephora stores, contains caviar extract, which is fancy for “fish egg juice.” 🙂

Ingredients: Aqua, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Butter), Triethanolamine, Dimethicone, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Caviar Extract, Soluble Collagen, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alcohol Imidazolidinyl Urea, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydroxyproline, Lecithin Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sorbitol , Tocopherol, Glyceryl Oleate, Butylparaben Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene.

I’m not sure what, if anything, the caviar is doing in there (I suspect it’s more of a red herring, haha!) but it sure sounds rich. The non-greasy cream also contains a few other compounds, unfortunately, like various parabens and dimethicone, that I’d just assume not see in the list of ingredients, but the product’s performance is its saving grace. It’s supposed to reduce the appearance of fine lines while firming the skin and boosting collagen production. I can’t attest to any of those claims yet, but I will say this: it’s mad crazy moisturizing!
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Full Coverage from Two Coats of Nails Inc. Polish

August 12th, 2011 by Karen 27 Comments

Have I ever mentioned my collection of refrigerator magnets?

I couldn’t decide what to paint my paws with last night, so I used my indecision as an opportunity to swatch five of the Nails Inc. polishes now on sale at Sephora.

If (and that’s a big if) I decide to look a little less crazy today and pick just one of these to paint all of my fingers with, which one should it be? Do any of them strike your fancy?

From the left that’s St. James, Camden, Fitzroy Square, Elizabeth Street and Hay Market ($9.50 each).

I’m thinking about going with Hay Market for my fingers and Camden atop Fitzroy Square on my toes…

Camden with Fitzroy
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From London to L.A.: Nails Inc. Nail Polishes Launching Today at Sephora

August 11th, 2011 by Karen 32 Comments

The British are coming! The British are coming!

YAY! 🙂

And they’ll be staying at Sephora while they’re here. Nails Inc., a cult favorite brand of nail polish colors, treatments and specialty top coats from across the pond, officially goes on sale today at Sephora stores and also online.

The brand’s been around since 1999, with products ranging from $9.50 – $25 each, and colors inspired by catwalks worldwide.

The 42 polishes in their color line are going for $9.50 each at Sephora — some with super glossy cream finishes, glittery finishes, and others with shimmery metallic finishes — and each one is named after an iconic London locale like bright sunflower yellow Carnaby Street, beet red Piccadilly Circus and bright geranium pink Brook Street.

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nails inc

December 1, 5:18 p.m. — I’m taking pictures of Benefit’s new boxed blush, but it’s slow going because I’m distracted by the interesting fonts on the box. The blush is called Hervana, a shimmery, peachy pinkish berry ($28).

December 1, 9:36 p.m. — I’m sitting on the couch and flipping through the DVR menu with the remote… I open the folder for Pop-Up Video to see if any new shows have been recorded (and they have!).