nubar Romance

From the upcoming fall nubar collection called "Simplicity Meets Elegance", this is the lovely Romance, a light purple creme.  I decided to play matchy-matchy and used a base of nubar Foundation, 2 coats of polish and a top of nubar Diamont.  I thought (while in my house) that this applied quite beautifully.  It didn't drag or pull, didn't pool into my cuticles, wasn't thick and wasn't too thin.

When I walked out in the sun, I saw a bit of patchiness.  I probably should have used 3 coats.  Oops.  I really love this purple - it's so elegant (hah!)

Same story in the shade - lovely, simple, elegant.  ROMANTIC.  (Yes, I went there.)

Finally indoors with the flash and again, a bit of patchiness on my pinkie, and a tiny bit on my ring finger but otherwise quite pretty.  I'm having some slight issues with my middle finger cuticle, so while that's mending I'm trying to keep one color on for awhile (yeah right).  Time for Neosporin!  

This collection was debuted at Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas last month but I don't see it on their website just yet.  If I get more information, I'll update this posting.

Edit: The collection is now available on their website.

nubar [Website | Facebook | Twitter] can be purchased on their website for $8.00 a bottle in the US.  They do have international retailers in Russia, Sweden and the UK.  

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

FingerPaints Beach Bound

More on my purple kick, today I have the FingerPaints Beach Bound from the Summer in the City Summer 2012 collection.  This is a great medium purple (like, Barney the dinosaur purple) creme that was very pigmented.  I used a base coat of Poshe, 2 coats of polish and finished with nubar diamont.  Formula was nice and smooth.

As you can see in the sun, this color covers the nail - no bald spots and really no issues with application either.  It reminds me of China Glaze Grape Pop but less blue and more purple.

Same with the shade - good coverage despite the lobster hands I have going on.

And indoors with the flash - nice, pigmented, smooth.  Winner.  The price is right and the color is fantastic.

FingerPaints [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Blog] can be found in Sally's Beauty Supplies stores and online for $4.99 USD each.

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

Layla Cosmetics Fall-Winter 2012

Image Courtesy of Y! PR

It's no secret that I love the nail polishes that come from Layla Cosmetics and that I wish we could get their other lines of cosmetics in the USA, so I was super excited to check them out at Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas again this year.  Once again, Connie and Paula from Luxcon Group (the USA distributors of Layla) were on hand to show all the new lines coming in from Italy, but the big surprise was that Babila Spagnolo, Product Manager for Layla Cosmetics and Tatiana Elleboro (also with Layla Cosmetics) were also there!  It was great meeting Babila and Tatiana and of course seeing Connie and Paula.

Myself and Babila

So, what's new for Layla this year?  Well, first off, major congratulations for winning the Discover Beauty Award for 2012!

A beautiful crystal cube, which didn't want to photograph against anything but black...

But really, let's get to the new lines!  First, somehow I totally missed that 6 new Hologram holographic polishes are launching this fall.

Photo courtesy of Y! PR

I also somehow missed the Mirror Effect display, which are super high shine chrome like polishes. 


But I did see that new Magneffect magnetic colors and four new magnets are on their way!  The heart looks so cute!  This brings the total of Magneffect polishes to 24!

Next is something that I thought was awesome.  First let me say that I love matte polish but I hate how it chips so fast, and if you add a top coat, the matte is gone and you're left with shiny polish.  Layla has the answer.  It's called Softouch and it's the look of matte, without the chipping and a top coat will not alter the matte look!

Here is Babila wearing Ceramic on 2 fingers (shiny) and the Softtouch on the others.  She used a top coat on all fingers shown, but the top coat does not alter the Softouch polish!

Oh but there's more!  Let's take Magneffect and cross it with Softouch and you have my new favorite.  Magneffect Softouch!

I will have swatches coming up.  The following lines will be available in Ulta come fall 2012.  I also found out at Cosmoprof that Ninja Polish sells Layla on their website as well!


For Christmas this year, Layla has a selection of current polishes, laid out in the Christmas in Laylaland display.

Dancing With the Stars, The Butterfly Effect, Killing Red, Green Galaxy and Space Cowboy

How awesome is that purple?!  I feel like it's a lot like Cult Nails Unicorn Puke, but I'll have to do a comparison to find out.  I think Unicorn Puke has more flakie colors in it though.


Layla Cosmetics [Website (Italian)/Website (English) | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube] can be purchased in Ulta Stores or online at Ninja Polish.

SHE by SO.CAP.USA

Before I left for Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas last month, I was contacted by SHE by SO.CAP.USA about a possible meeting with their Director of Sales & Marketing, Joe Guzman.  Even though I'm mainly a nail blogger who dabbles a bit in makeup and skin care, I have a secret passion for hair, so I said I'd love to meet up with Joe.  First off, the man is super passionate about what he does - and that right there is so welcoming of a brand.  He had lots of great information and tips, and loved showing his product to me.  I also got this massive catalog, filled with rich artistic photos and great product pictures, which I will be passing on to a local salon because SHE by SO.CAP.USA is a professionals only product.


SO.CAP originally started in Naples, Italy and came into the USA just five years ago.  They offer strand by strand cold fusion application as well as clip ins.  They have 91 different colors of extensions, all 100% human hair.  They claim to have the most gray colors, the most curly styles, the most wavy styles and the longest hair extensions in the market.  Because they keep two year's worth of inventory in stock, and they ship the day after you order, your extensions arrive super fast.  Extensions come in packets of 10 to 100, and the strand by strand method will last 5-6 months with proper care.


They also offer strands with authentic Swarovski crystal, adding a new dimension of creativeness and color, called the Crystal Line.  I couldn't help but love it for the name but also how beautiful the crystals looked.


The other product that really caught my eye were the "hairpieces".  They are extensions bundled up in a ponytail that wrap around your own ponytail'ed hair and bobby pin into place.  They can add instant straight (Dea) or wavy (Jana) length to your hair in a variety of colors.

Sampling of the wilder colors of SHE by SO.CAP - all 100% human hair!

Some of the more "normal" of the 91 colors.

They also have a line off Argon products called Argan For You which includes a shampoo, mask (conditioner), cream and oil spray.  I'm still new to this world of Argon oil, so I can't talk much about it.

The last thing that Joe wanted to talk about was the Pink Hair for Hope charity, in which they have helped raise $2.3 million for the American Cancer Society.  SHE by SO.CAP donates pink hair to salons, salons donate their time and labor, and the net proceeds go to the ACS.  Britney Spears wore pink hair by She by SO.CAP.USA in her music video "I Wanna Go" (and if you saw the video, you know how vibrant her hair was!).


So!  Where can you find strand by strand cold fusion or clip in extensions from SHE by SO.CAP.USA?  By calling their Customer Service line located on the top of their web page and asking for a salon near you.  If you are a salon interesting in carrying SHE by SO.CAP.USA, you may also contact them through their website.  They are committed to teaching stylists proper fusion techniques via their 20 regional offices where salons can become certified in the product.  They also have telephone "help lines" to answer any technical questions or to offer personalized advice.  They will even customize their pamphlets with your salon's information on the back panel so you can share with your clients and clients-to-be about the services that SHE by SO.CAP.USA offers, from the hair pieces, to the crystal line, clip ins, Argan For You, other accessories and of course the strand by strand cold fusion.

Nail Art - Artistic Expression?

I got this press release in my email and point blank, I was a bit confused and also strangely interested.  Nail art.  We're awesome.  Also shout out to ChalkBoardNails - I recognized her nails immediately!  SERIOUSLY SERIOUS.  Please enjoy the following from PBS Arts.

The latest episode of PBS Arts’ weekly Web series, ‘Idea Channel’ – a program that looks at modern creative enterprises and compares them with artistic movements throughout history – focuses on nail art. According to host Mike Rugnetta, nail art can actually be viewed as an argument in the continuing battle between art and craft.

For as long as art has existed, it has lived alongside other activities that are thought to be creative pursuits, but are considered more functional and lacking in higher meaning. The ongoing argument between art and craft comes down to what the beholder considers to be a “serious idea”, but nail art can transcend that line – to some, the time and thought required of some designs can, at times, go beyond basic craftmaking and push this creative pursuit into the realm of artmaking.