New Nail Polish for Summer 2013

April 30, 2013 | By

Polish fanatics, this is your summer.

The best brands in the biz (plus some welcome newcomers) are really pulling out all the stops. Here are the colors you’ll see everyone wearing this season:

1. The Boutique Brand: Jin Soon

Whether it’s a rich lapis or an electric robin’s egg blue, Jin Soon’s new collection has the perfect shade.

4. The Drugstore Brand: Orly

This Mash Up collection out in May is not for wallflowers. To mix things up, try painting your entire nail in Pretty-Ugly (the teal shade) and stripe half of it length-wise with a coat of Sparkling Garbage, the glittery green shade, on top.

 3. The Collaboration: Essie for Ralph Lauren

This Essie and Ralph Lauren Big Pony Set has everything a girl could want. Two versions of the brand’s feminine, fresh Big Pony RL Blue fragrance (an eau de toilette and body spray) and a flirty neon Essie polish. Comes in 4 coordinated neon colors.

4. The Newbie: Floss Gloss

Two California girls created this line of killer nail colors. Floss Gloss will bring you back to the ’90s with its fun (but surprisingly wearable) colors.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Hair & Nails Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Two New Nail Polish Finds (+ a Sale!)

March 7, 2013 | By

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure – All Fired Up

I’m a DIY mani type of girl, and my latest nail polish crush is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. The formula promises “a base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, salon-inspired color, top coat, chip-resistance and a gel finish all in 1 bottle.” In other words, the polish contains a little bit of everything you want for nail health — and super shine.

I tried All Fired Up, a hot orange-based red. The thick, flat brush made it easy to apply, and it dried quickly to a super-shiny finish. BUT, full disclosure, I still used my holy grail Seche Vite top coat over it, because that stuff is just liquid gold and I can’t skip it, even if Sally Hansen claims it’s not needed. By the way, have any of you tried the Complete Salon Manicure polish without a top coat? If so, let me know what you thought!

Mineral Fusion Radiant Amber and Grotto

In other nail news, I was at my local Whole Foods in the beauty section, and noticed an incredible nail polish display. I had never seen so many cool colors at once, let alone in the middle of a health food store. Turns out, it was Mineral Fusion.

The polishes are formaldehyde, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate-free. The colors are amazing — everything from classic ballet pink to bright creamy yellow and tons of shimmery shades, too. If you’re ready to stock up on Mineral Fusion products, today is the day, because the site is giving you 25% off all products, plus free shipping with any order of $50 or more! Click here to shop.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Hair & Nails Tagged With: , , , , ,

We Tried It: An At-Home Gel Manicure

February 11, 2013 | By

So… how’d we do?

When we put together the prizes for our epic January A Better You giveaway, the entire office was excited over the NaiLuv gel nail kit. After all, we love nail polish, we love gel manicures, and we love the idea of doing it all at home.

Since I do my own nails 99.9% of the time, I immediately had to go get one of these kits myself. Which I did. And last night I had a free hour and decided to bunker down in my bathroom (under the fluorescent lights, you see) to try it. The results? Awesome!

I knew from selecting this kit as a giveaway prize last month that it scored rave reviews from fans online. But I fully expected the UV light (included!) to not fully cure the gel, or that it wouldn’t set right, or that something bad would happen. Well, it didn’t.

The kit is extremely easy to use and contains everything you need. Editor’s Tip: Look on the box when you buy, as it will say which NaiLuv lacquer color it comes with, and they’re all different. Mine came with Pucker Up, a creamy semi-sheer ballet pink.

The process was pretty simple: Use the buffer to remove shine and “rough up” the surface of nails (to help the gel adhere) then thoroughly wash and dry them. Apply the bonder, then the base coat, then cure your nails in the dryer. Apply the lacquer, cure again, and repeat if you want a second coat. Then apply the top coat, cure again, and use a cotton ball soaked in the included cleaner to wipe your nails at the end. This removes certain “tacky” additives and leaves your nails slick and shiny, like this:

I think my gel manicure came out perfectly (if I do say so myself). Now it’s time to see how long it lasts. We’ll keep you posted.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Hair & Nails Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Nail Polish Porn: NYFW and Beyond

February 8, 2013 | By

Fashion Week is in full swing, and before models even hit the runways, future beauty trends are being set backstage by some of the industry’s most creative hair, nail, and makeup pros. Be ahead of the game and see the nail trends that caught our eye this week!

1. BCBG: Semi-Matte Black

Courtesy of OPI

Models at the BCBG Fashion Week show wore OPI Black Onyx, topped with OPI Matte Nail Envy for a texture in between matte and glossy.

2. Candela: Warm Nude

Courtesy of OPI

Models at the Candela NY Fashion Week presentation wore OPI Don’t Pretzel My Buttons, a warm nude.

3. Illamasqua: Speckled Varnish

Courtesy of Illamasqua

As part of their new Spring lineup, Illamasqua launched these speckled polished paying homage to eggshells.

4. Houghton: Lace Nails

Courtesy of OPI

Models at the Houghton NY Fashion Week presentation wore OPI nail lacquer in Samoan Sand, topped with the same lace shown in the clothing collection.

5. Jenni Kayne: Bright Coral

Courtesy of OPI

Not to be deterred by the snowstorm in NYC, models at the Jenni Kayne presentation brightened things up in OPI MonSooner or Later.

6. Rebecca Minkoff: Swirled Metallics

Courtesy of Essie

The models at Rebecca Minkoff’s show had psychadelic nails, thanks to a mix of these Essie shades.

7. LIBERTINE: Rainbow Gems

Courtesy of butter LONDON

The  manicurist created a new golden hued polish with butter LONDON, Marbs, which will be sold Summer 2013 (stay tuned!). She covered the polish with the same crystals that appeared in the designer’s clothing collection.

8. ICB by Prabal Gurung: Matte Steel

Courtesy of butter LONDON

Chimney Sweep lacquer by butter LONDON gave nails an edgy silver-gray look, especially after it was topped with the brand’s Matte Finish Top Coat.

9. KAELEN: Black French

Courtesy of butter LONDON

Models played the part of the “cool girls” in school with a less-than-traditional French manicure:The base was butter LONDON lacquer in Union Jack Black (mattified with the brand’s Matte Finish Top Coat), with a glossy tip courtesy of P.D. Quick Top Coat.

10. Joanna Mastroianni: Silver Sheen

Courtesy of OPI

OPI nail pros layered OPI polish in Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous over My Private Jet for a high-sheen graphite shade.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Hair & Nails Tagged With: , , , , , ,

My 5 Beauty Favorites: Annie McCullough

February 7, 2013 | By

Annie McCullough is the new Vice President of Sales for SpaRitual, a brand of vegan beauty products known for their killer nail polish colors. In the past, she was the General Manager of Decleor USA and Director of Business Development at Aveda, so this is one beauty businesswoman who knows her way around the product counter.

Here, we asked her to share her 5 favorites. She what this beauty exec says she can’t live without.

1. SpaRitual Hand Serum: This is a great moisturizer, and absorbs into the skin beautifully, I travel a lot and the environment on an airplane is so dehydrating, it’s the perfect moisturizer when I’m on the go.

2. Steam Hair Oil 3: My favorite treatment for my hair. I apply before going to bed, shampoo in the morning and it leaves my easy to manage with a silky, shiny finish.

3. Kuene Design Line Colored Hair Shampoo: This is my once a month secret for removing brassy tones from color-treated blonde hair.

4. Babor Derma Cellular Ultimate Derma Optimizer Serum: My favorite luxurious and effective facial moisturizer that I can customize with boosters based on my skin’s changing needs.

5. SpaRitual Cuti-Cocktail Cuticle & Nail Oil: I love the fresh aroma, and it’s the final step in my evening regime. I massage it into my cuticles nightly to prevent dry cuticles and promote healthy nail growth.

Filed Under: Beauty & Style, Cosmetics, Hair & Nails Tagged With: , , ,