essie Fall 2011

I originally saw these at Cosmoprof North America - Las Vegas but now they are available!

Please enjoy the following press release from essie!

"Fall is the perfect time to reinvent the classics."  Sensuous. Desirable. Refined. This is the season of understated luxury that exudes a quietly smoldering allure.  The look is powerful, bold and perfectly accessorized.  Daring in its elegance and simplicity, it's a style that blends timeless sophistication with contemporary cool.


This collection is designed for the woman who has an innate sense of how to put a look together with great accessories.  Dress up your wardrobe with classic colors that carry you through every fashion adventure.


Carry On: Can a color encapsulate the spirit of an entire era? This magnetic mulberry merlot is the one.  Bold, intense, romantic.  Now and forever.


Glamour Purse: This incomparable almond blush is a scene-stealing beauty that creates a stir wherever she goes.  The girl can't help it.


Lady Like:  Etiquette, posture, protocol.  Did we miss anything?  Oh, yes, this pretty, demure pink.  It's just the thing, you know.


Case Study:  This shade of rich camel beige exudes Ivy League charm with a hint of sweet seduction.  A case study in the very meaning of a modern classic.


Very Structrued:  Get down to business with this shade of creamy burnt sienna.  Add this soft tan to your agenda.


Power Clutch:  Nighttime is the right time.  What happens when this enigmatic darkest green comes out to play?  It's just the right amount of impact after dark.


You can purchase essie in a number of locations; check out their website for more.  You can also like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

OPI Play the Peonies

From the Summer 2011 Collection "Nice Stems!" is the soft pink Play the Peonies.  It's a very light pink with a slight shimmer to it.  I used a base coat of OPI Natural Nail, 2 coats of polish and a top of OPI Top Coat.  As soon as I opened the cap however, I was met with this.

Lovely, eh?  I just had to push the white cap (where the brush is stashed) into the very top of the black cap.  It was a bit messy because of the polish on the brush but I lived.

As you can see in the sun, this color doesn't like to hide my wretched ridges.  I definitely need to stick to a ridge filling base coat.  Sorry about that!  This is a light pink as previously mentioned and the silver shimmer is a hard to see but it's there.

In the shade, it's a bit darker but almost more pearly looking than before in the sun.  The shimmer is also a bit hidden here.

Finally indoors with the flash and you can see that shimmer (finally).  I definitely need to get a manicure soon so my nails can be shaped and cuticles can be fixed.  Enough about my nails... this color is nice but kind of blah for me.  I've never been great with light pinks - it's just a bit boring for me.  This collection included "I Lily Love You" which has some flakies but I didn't choose to layer it on this manicure.


OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].  

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

CND Daily Nail 09.11.2011 Pretty Poison Manicures at Jen Kao

Please enjoy the following press release from CND!

The CND Daily Nail 9.11.11

Pretty Poison Manicures at Jen Kao

September 11, 2011 - CND is bringing you the trendiest manicure looks straight from the Spring 2012 catwalk! Today's nails were dangerously beautiful, 70's chic, and Brigitte Bardot-inspired:


Look, but don't touch! For Jen Kao, Wanda Ruiz created "Lethal Love" diffused, gradation manicures that attract the eye with bold shades, but like a poisonous frog, have dangerous undertones. These four uniquely artful manicures were shaded using an airbrush tool, but can be re-created at home using CND Colours in Midnight Sapphire, Anchor Blue, Rouge Red, and Green Scene each combined with Inkwell and topped with Air Dry Top Coat while wet for an ombre finish.

Dean Quinn's 70's-inspired collection of tangerine crush and mild mint pieces were accessorized with "Sunday at Studio 54" manicures designed by Wanda Ruiz using CND Copper Shimmer Effect on the whole nail topped with one coat of CND Colour in Putty and iced along the cuticle in CND Colour in Desert Suede. Nails complemented peachy bronze makeup and intricately woven basket hair buns.

At Joanna Mastroianni, Candice Manacchio fashioned "Luminous Lucite" tips using CND Colours in Desert Suede, Brilliant White, Ivory Coast, and Gold Shimmer Effect on the edges for an illuminated finish with texture.

At Kate Ermilio, Candice Manacchio designed "Baby Bardot" manicures in French pink with subtle, double moons using CND Colour in Creamy Cameo layered with Ice Blue Shimmer Effect. The first moon was created with CND Colour in Brilliant White, and the entire nail was covered with CND Colour in Washed Down White. A second, smaller moon was inserted using Brilliant White for a fantastically femme finish.

OPI Your Royal Shine-ness

Mooooving on down the line on my polishes and today I have Your Royal Shine-ness, a silver metallic from the Glam Slam England collection.  This was definitely a break from the other Glam Slam collections where colors were paired with a Shatter; instead the duo-packs came with Servin' Up Sparkle.  For this manicure, I used a base coat of OPI Natural Nail, 2 coats of polish and a top coat of OPI Top Coat.  The formula was smooth.

As you can see in the sunlight, this is a "grittier" metallic - more shimmer than molten looking.  See Sally Hansen Platinum Chrome to see what I mean.

In the shade, you can see that this color likes to reflect what is in the background - like a mirror.  You can see some red on my nails but that's from my red roof, not anything in the actual polish.

Finally indoors with the flash and totally out of focus... this color didn't want to behave for the cameras but you can see how shiny and shimmery it is.  This is a different type of metallic and while I think it's great for Halloween, layering under a Shatter or New Years, I can't see myself wearing it daily.


OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].  

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

nubar Polished Chic

Please enjoy the following press release from nubar!

Los Angeles, California – September 15, 2011

This season, Nubar brings you eight new and enticing fashion forward colors of our premium carcinogen and cruelty free nail lacquer with the Polished Chic Collection.  Offering contemporary colors perfect for work, casual daytime wear, and even a night out, every woman can look to Nubar's Polished Chic Collection to update her look. 

Always free of DBP (phthalate), formaldehyde, and toluene, the nail lacquers included in Nubar's Polished Chic Collection are:

NPC301 – Classic Camel, an updated buff creme

NPC 302 – Faded Putty, a modern pale putty crème

NPC 303 – Edgy Umber, a deep brown crème

NPC 304 – Beguiling Carmine, a brick red crème

NPC 305 – Vogue Vert, a contemporary light green crème

NPC 306 – Mod Aqua, a light turquoise crème

NPC 307 – Stylish Peacock, a perfect teal crème

NPC 308 – Elegant Indigo, a sparkling blackened blue

nubar offers the salon professional a complete line of manicure and pedicure products, including over 300 shades of nail lacquers, soak-off gels, skin care products, and implements.  An innovator in the industry, nubar has been committed to creating non-carcinogenic, vegan, cruelty-free products for ten years, and is known for exceptional quality and creative colors.  Our expertise in producing safe, exciting products for the salon professional is unsurpassed.