High Voltage Lacquer Mad Max

After many days of nasty rains & clouds, I finally had a breakthrough of sun, so I really wanted to get some pictures taken!  High Voltage Lacquer is the new nail polish line from tattoo artist & reality tv show star, Kat Von D.  I will admit that I've watched Miami Ink, LA Ink and yes, even NY Ink, and while Kat wasn't my main reason for watching, I did love watching her style change and evolve.  I own almost all her palettes and a couple of her pigments as well but her dabbling into nail polish had me excited.

These bottles remind me a lot of the old Craze Wet n Wild bottles where the cap is almost the size of the bottle.  These are smaller at 0.25 oz but pricey at $12.50.  (To compare, China Glaze is $6 for 0.50 oz - or twice the size.)  This is Mad Max, a "glittering bright sapphire" that had a duochrome purple look online, and is apart of her "My Vida Loca" collection which was all about the bright, bold spirited heritage of the 80s neon.  This polish is supposed to be intensely pigmented (straight from the website) and big 3 free.


I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote and sadly, 4 coats of polish to get it opaque.  For top coat, I used one coat of CND Air Dry.

So oddly, you can see a purple cast on my hand near my thumb, but huh, no purple on the nail.  This is a shimmery microglitter like blue - almost in the same vein of The Painted Nail "Electric Blue".  While I haven't tried it personally, Scrangie had, and Katie from the Painted Nail immediately recognized it.

Anywho.

In the shade, you can see this color did apply smoothly - just took way too many coats.  

Also, the duochrome is completely lost on the nail.  You can see it again here on the right side of the bottle, but on the nail?  Nada.

Finally, indoors with the flash, and you can see I had some opaque issues and almost looks like application issues but that's just the light hitting the microglitter.  Be sure to scrub your hands well after removing as you'll have little blue glitter all over.  Thankfully, this polish did not stain my hands, but you can never be too careful with blues!


High Voltage Lacquer is available on Sephora.com for $12.50 a bottle.  There are only 4 colors currently, but she may be planning more.  Kat's Twitter was all abuzz the past few months with pictures of new products that she's going to be launching soon (mostly makeup, but I have high hopes).

FingerPaints Gumdrops & Lollipops

YAY Spring is here!!!  Please enjoy the following press release from FingerPaints - 4 cremes and 2 shimmers!

Gumdrops & Lollipops

Lemon Sour
(yellow creme)

Circus Peanuts
(orange creme)

Choco Mint
(mint creme)

Blue Raspberry Taffy
(blue creme)

Pop Rock Pink
(pink shimmer)

Grape Gumball
(purple shimmer)

In stores and online starting March 2012.  $4.99 each.

CND Daily Nail 2.12.12 Plum Cherry Nails at Malandrino

Seriously, I love looking at the nails from NYFW - I just need to go to New York already!

The CND Daily Nail 2.12.12

Plum Cherry Nails at Malandrino

February 12, 2012 - During Day 4 of The CND Daily Nail, the runway was filled with custom blended jewel tones, gorgeous nudes, fishnet nails, metallic manis:


At Malandrino, CND's Angi Wingle custom blended a strong plum cherry shade using CND Colours in Plumville and Dark Ruby and topped with two coats of high shine CND Air Dry Top Coat for a biker chic manicure to match leather accents and tough girl graphic eyes.

For Victoria Beckham, CND's Roxanne Valinoti created the ultimate luxe manicure - a perfect neutral of CND Colour in Putty layered with Marshmallow Rose. This nail complemented the tailored clothing and vibrant lip. According to Victoria Beckham, this collection is back to what she wants to wear...and the nails reflect that as well, as her everyday nail look is very natural.

At Joy Cioci CND's Candice Manacchio created a seductive fishnet tipped nail in CND Colour in Blackjack and Putty. The sleek, chic nails perfectly accessorized bold prints, cobalt blues, leather texture, and chiffon fabrics seen in the collection.

At Behnaz Sarafpour, Roxanne Valinoti created an array of high shine gold and metallic manicures. These nail looks went well with the collection's high-tech feminine feel. Fans of this look can recreate the manicure at home with CND Colours in Gold Chrome and Silver Chrome.

Stay tuned for The CND Daily Nail during Fashion Week for show-by-show reports from:


• Alexandre Herchcovitch
• Karen Walker
• Milly
• Naeem Khan
• The Blonds
• Theory


To read Jan Arnold's daily backstage blog, please visit cnd.com. Track @CNDWorld during Fashion Week, on Facebook, Pinterest and on YouTube.

Nail Rock & Meadham Kirchhoff Collaboration

Please enjoy the following from Nail Rock!

NAIL ROCK, the designer nail wraps which just launched stateside, collaborated with famed British designer Meadham Kirchhoff to create an exclusive set of bespoke nail wraps for their SS12 Collection. Fashion darlings and co-designers Ed Meadham and Ben Kirchhoff worked closely with Nail Rock’s Creative Director Zoe Pocock to craft their own signature nail wraps based off their trademark pieces of dazzling femininity from their “A Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing” collection. 

Premiered during London Fashion Week and sported by each of the models, this candy-colored sweet collection will be available for purchase at TopShop & Nordstrom.

CND Daily Nail 2.11.12 Flirty Flowers at Rachel Antonoff

More fashion week news - this time from CND!  Check out the great looks that they created.

The CND Daily Nail 2.11.12

Flirty Flowers at Rachel Antonoff

February 11, 2012 - Welcome to the third installment of The CND Daily Nail at Fall 2012 Fashion Week! Today's manicures were whimsical, Mexican inspired, Edwardian and velvety nude. Here's the scoop:


At Rachel Antonoff, CND's Candice Manacchio designed three playful nails for the gal with a sense of adventure:


• "Starry Night" evoked the nighttime sky on a lake with two coats of CND Colour in Midnight Sapphire with sponged overlay of Eclectic Purple and Studio White, with a coat of CND Effects in Sapphire Sparkle.

• "Flirty Flower" was created with two coats of bold red CND Colour in Flashpoint with hand detailed ferns using CND Colours in Brilliant White and Anchor Blue.

• "True Red" was created with two coats of CND Colour in Flashpoint.

At Christian Cota, Candice Manacchio crafted a "Terra Cotta" manicure to accessorize bright, bold, Mexican inspired patterns in the collection. The manicure's ombre effect was created with CND Colour in Chocolate Milk and Putty. DIY with the help of a makeup sponge by applying Chocolate Milk from the cuticle to half way down the nail, then add Putty from half way to nail end. Use CND Super Matte Top Coat to combine the two colors while still wet to finish the look.

At Wes Gordon, Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" met "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" with a "Midnight Noir" nail designed by Shelena Robinson. This manicure was custom blended with CND Colours in Eclectic Purple, Inkwell and Blackjack, serving as a gorgeous complement to a luxe jewel toned collection.

For Monique Lhuillier, CND's Wanda Ruiz crafted a "Velvet Manicure" with CND Colour in Putty and CND Super Matte Top Coat. This nail was paired with elegant leather and silk contrast gowns in navy, black and red fabrics.

Stay tuned for The CND Daily Nail during Fashion Week for show-by-show reports from:


• Alexandre Herchcovitch
• Behnaz Sarafpour
• Catherine Malandrino
• Joy Cioci
• Karen Walker
• Milly
• Naeem Khan
• Skaist-Taylor
• The Blonds
• Theory
• Victoria Beckham


To read Jan Arnold's daily backstage blog, please visit cnd.com. Track @CNDWorld during Fashion Week, on Facebook, Pinterest and on YouTube.