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Nails

I’m Sanguine About Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick and Nail Color in Gash

March 31st, 2015 by Karen 18 Comments

urban decay gash
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick and Nail Color in Gash ($22 and $15 respectively, both available now online)

Please try not to stare at my T. rex claws…but of course now that I’ve brought them up, you’re going to be staring. 🙂

“RrrrAAAaarr!” T. rex!

I’m holding a purse here because I’ve discovered — well, actually, I’ve know this for a long time — that it’s very hard to take pictures of your hands near your face, because when you have your hands near your face, it makes your hands look huge. Or, conversely, your face looks really small.

I thought I’d be all crafty and clever by holding this purse here to showcase new Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick ($22) and Nail Color in Gash ($15).

Is it working? I don’t know…

Probably not. My hands still look pretty big.

These two products — you may recognize the Revolution Lipstick. It’s a re-launch. The nail polish, however, is new. They’re both available now online.

That’s an interesting name isn’t it? Gash? I don’t want to be too morbid, but let’s just say — I don’t know — we were surfing one day and charging the waves really hard (yeah, those 3-foot waves) when we accidentally crashed into each other on our surfboards and cut our shins.

Not terribly, though. Just a few scratches. Not a lot of blood, because if there were a lot of blood, I’d probably pass out.

The color does kind of remind me of what’s pumping through our veins, though, and I have to say, it’s a pretty accurate representation. I know this because I broke a glass once when I was 19, and it cut my hand…

This was shortly before I told my parents that I didn’t want to go to medical school. I remember standing there in the kitchen holding the glass, and feeling kind of feint watching the blood drip down my hand, and thinking, “It’s probably not a good idea to go to medical school…”

And it happened really slowly, like, “I t ‘ s p r o b a b l y n o t a g o o d i d e a t o g o t o m e d i c a l s c h o o l . . .”

The blood was the exact same color.

urban decay gash
Lipstick in Gash

urban decay gash
Nail Color in Gash

[Continue reading…]

There are 18 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Lips, Makeup, Nails, Product Reviews, Urban Decay

The Accent Nail Files: Find Common Ground to Create Unexpected Pairings Like Purple and Burgundy

January 20th, 2015 by Karen 24 Comments

Smith & Cult Check the Rhyme paired with Lo-Fi
Smith & Cult Check the Rhyme nail polish teamed up with Lo-Fi lacquer

ME: “Oh, Magic 8 ball, will my attempt at nail art today turn out to be epically flawless and fabulous and absolutely everything I’ve ever dreamed nail art could be?”

MAGIC 8 BALL: “All signs point to hell naaaaw!”

That particular accent nail combo up top was the result of an epic nail art fail last Sunday.

I’d started out trying to do something involving negative space and jerry-rigged Band-Aid cutouts and… Anyway, it didn’t work out, but it led me to the purple and burgundy combo here, ’cause you know I’m all about that accent nail life. 🙂

After the Band-Aid cutout disaster (long, sad story), I started thinking about creamy purple nails and got this picture in my head of a hand with bright violet nails wrapped around a glass of red wine.

So I dug through my stash and pulled out this vibrant violet shade by Smith & Cult called Check the Rhyme, which I paired with a burgundy called Lo-Fi, also from Smith & Cult.

By the founders of Hard Candy, Smith & Cult is a new line with some really cool colors, packaging and names. They only came out a few months ago. Wear time is OK, like 4-5 days with a base and top coat, so not as sturdy as OPI, but good enough if you like to swap out your polish every few days. The bottles are kind of expensive though at $18 each, but I like a lot of their colors.

Smith & Cult Check the Rhyme paired with Lo-Fi
The purple: Check the Rhyme. The burgundy: Lo-Fi.

[Continue reading…]

There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Makeup Tips/How To, Nails, Smith & Cult

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

January 14th, 2015 by Karen 56 Comments

Chanel Nail Colour in Tenderly and Deborah Lippmann Polish in Dream Weaver
I’m wearing Chanel Nail Colour in Tenderly with Deborah Lippmann Polish in Dream Weaver as an accent nail… I’m also holding one of my favorite scents du jour, Aerin Beauty Iris Meadow Eau de Parfum (available now at Neiman Marcus stores and online).

Ya all about that accent nail life, babe? You know I am. 🙂 Right now I can’t even fathom the idea of wearing the same color on all 10 claws. It would just seem…wrong.

There are too many cute colors to choose from!

So my mani mantra these days has been, “So many polishes, so little time.”

Today’s mani mixes two different finishes and plays with lovely lavender.

The main star of the show is Chanel Tenderly ($27), from the spring 2015 collection. It’s a creamy limited edition lavender with an undercurrent of tenacious tough girl grayish taupe and a faint whisper of traditional springy pastel.

Yeah, like something a tough-but-tender biker gal might wear on Easter Sunday.

FYI, if you’re going to take on Tenderly, treat her with kid gloves/paws. I sandwiched two coats between my standard issue base and top coats by Givenchy, thinking that altogether they’d last at least five days, but bah! — two significant chips appeared the very next day.

Don’t even think about doing a full sink of dishes without wearing a pair of gloves.

Heck, just leave the gloves in there, and then maybe your husband will take care of them. 🙂 (hint-hint) Or, perhaps that magical housecleaning fairy that you’ve been wishing for and dreaming about for the past 30 years will materialize… You never know.

Chanel Nail Colour in Tenderly and Deborah Lippmann Polish in Dream Weaver

To tango with the violet tones in Tenderly, I used Deborah Lippmann’s Dream Weaver ($18) as an accent nail. It’s a moody, iridescent peacock polish that leaves me weak in the knees. The fine, complex shimmer complements Tenderly’s creamy sweetness nicely, methinks.

Ooh! I love this shade… The first time I saw it flash from forest green to deep teal to dark purple, my heart fluttered, and even though it’s “officially” (air quotes) a winter color from the Deborah’s holiday 2014 collection, it has killer summertime pedi polish painted all over it. 🙂

Next time I wear this mani, I’m going to use Dream Weaver as the main shade. I also seem to have better luck with Lippmann polishes lasting longer. With a base and top coat, this shade should stay chip-free at least six or seven days.

So, friend, tell me about your mani situation right meow. What are you wearing on your claws?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy hump day.

There are 56 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Chanel, Deborah Lippmann, Just For Fun, Nails

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

December 18th, 2014 by Karen 34 Comments

MAC Modern Movement Studio Nail Lacquer

Creamy, pale lavender MAC Modern Movement. Two coats.

It’s quite a break from the dark, moody colors I started this season wearing, but who le cares, right? 🙂

It’s from the new MAC Lightness of Being collection, which is filled with pastel shades and shimmery Mineralize Skinfinishes.

Kind of uncharacteristic for winter, but maybe that’s why I like it.

That name — Modern Movement — makes me think of the dance classes I used to take.

Not modern dance, but hip-hop. There was a place I went to down in Mill Valley a couple times a week, and I miss it terribly.

I actually did also try taking a few modern dance classes, but my mind and body had a hard time processing the concept of flexed feet, LOL!

MAC Modern Movement Studio Nail Lacquer

Anyways! Modern Movement is one of two Studio Nail Lacquers in the 29-piece Lightness of Being collection arriving online December 23, 2014, and coming to stores and counters December 26 (through February 6, 2015).

Hakuna frittata!

Have you ever made frittata? They’re SO GOOD!

They’re kind of like a crustless quiche that you can fill with whatever you have/want — vegetables, cheese, etc.

(NOTE: Great way to feed a lot of people and/or use up extra veggies in your fridge.)

I was craving one last night, so I riffed on the recipe in this how-to article on thekitchn.com.

It looks like it would be hard, but it’s not at all. I only used a single pan, and with frittatas, you can totally tweak them along the way.

Yeah, frittatas are the sh*t. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 34 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: MAC Makeup, Nails

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

December 5th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquers
The new MAC Red, Red, Red collection Nail Lacquers ($10 each)

I’m undecided at the moment…but I think I’ve narrowed it down to one of the three shades in the new MAC Red, Red, Red collection (available now at Nordstrom for $10 each).

Down below on my nails that’s Rouge Combustion (#1 – the sparkly pinkish red); Red, Red, Red (#2 – the creamy orangey red); and Impassioned (#3 – the warm bright pink).

What do you think?

MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquer Swatches from the left: 1) Rouge Combustion; 2) Red, Red, Red; 3) Impassioned
My “trying to decide what to wear” swatches from my pointer finger down: 1) Rouge Combustion; 2) Red, Red, Red; and 3) Impassioned

What should I wear on mah nails?

View Results

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MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquers in Rouge Combustion; Red, Red, Red; and Impassioned
MAC Red, Red, Red Collection Nail Lacquers from my pointer finger down in Rouge Combustion; Red, Red, Red; and Impassioned

How ’bout you, babe? What are you wearing on your nails on this (most likely) cold and wintry morning?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF!!!

There are 26 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, MAC Makeup, Nails

What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?

November 20th, 2014 by Karen 29 Comments

Smith & Cult Tenderoni
Smith & Cult Nail Lacquer in Tenderoni ($18)

I’m almost ashamed to admit this (but apparently not ashamed enough to keep it to myself): when I was 15, I was obsessed with Bobby Brown.

Not the makeup maven (Bobbi), but the R&B one (Bobby), as in the former member of New Edition/ex-husband of Whitney (RIP, Whit).

I knew all the choreography in the Every Little Step video, had a picture of him on the front of my geometry folder (he was wearing a shiny gold and purple suit, wha?!) and, on more than one occasion, slow danced to Roni, Bobby’s ode to cute girls looking for love in all the wrong places.

I also may or may not have thought of myself as a Tenderoni.

Um, barf!

I do have a point with all this, and here it is: when I saw that this creamy taupe nail lacquer by Smith & Cult was called Tenderoni, something in me clicked. I had to get it on my paws!

Smith & Cult is a new nail line by Dineh Mohajer, the founder of Hard Candy, and they get my vote for “Most Clever Nail Polish Names, Ever” (like Dirty Baby, Cut the Mullet, Bitter Buddhist, and Feed the Rich). Each of the 30 shades in the line is inspired by different key life moments…and apparently this one relates to when I was 15 and had designs on marrying Bobby Brown, LOL! Ew…

Well, at least I can look back at that clueless but lovable Karen and laugh my @ss off now. Yup, nothing but mad love for that girl. 🙂

Smith & Cult Check the Rhyme
Check the Rhyme ($18)

So, of course, with this mani I had to do an accent nail. The creamy purple is Check the Rhyme, also by Smith & Cult.

With both shades, I’m wearing two layers and a base coat.

Smith & Cult Nail Lacquers are $18 each, and if you’re curious (and how could you not be? That packaging is killer!), you can check out the full collection online now.

Let those fingers do the typing, and let me know what you’re currently wearing on your nails. Bonus points if you also happen to have an embarrassing story from your teenage years. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 29 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun, Nails, Smith & Cult

When Halloween Spirits and Team Spirit Collide: The Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Fast Dry Nail Colors in Pumpkin Queen, OMGhost, Night Fright and Scaredy Matte

October 27th, 2014 by Karen 32 Comments

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Colors from the left: Night Fright, Pumpkin Queen, OMGhost and Scaredy Matte, $5 each
The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Colors from the left in Night Fright, Pumpkin Queen, OMGhost and Scaredy Matte ($5 each)

world-series-mani-2014In line at Target last Sunday afternoon…

GIANTS SUPER FAN LADY WEARING HEAD-TO-TOE ORANGE AND BLACK GIANTS GEAR: “I like your Giants nails!”

ME: “Oh! Thanks!”

ME (INSIDE VOICE): I probably shouldn’t tell her that I know nothing about baseball…or that this is actually a Halloween-inspired mani.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color Halloween Shades

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “That offense in game four…”

ME: “…nothing short of amazing.”

ME (INSIDE VOICE): What the hell am I doing?

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “How about that Sandoval?”

ME: “Right!? Amazing!”

ME (INSIDE VOICE): Change the subject, change the subject, change the subject…

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “I hope he gets over that stomach bug soon.”

ME: “Me too. Tummy troubles are the worst!”

Awkward pause…

ME: “You should totally do a Giants mani to match your Giants gear.”

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color in Pumpkin Queen
Clockwise from my thumb: Night Fright (glossy black), Pumpkin Queen (glossy orange) and Scaredy Matte (matte black)

GIANTS SUPER FAN: “I’d love that! But geez, I don’t have time to paint my nails.”

ME: “These Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Nail Colors would be perfect for you then. They only take five minutes to dry.”
[Continue reading…]

There are 32 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Drugstore Beauty Finds, Nails, Sally Hansen

What Are You Wearing On Your Nails?

October 7th, 2014 by Karen 37 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in Fiamma
Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in Fiamma ($25)

I’m wearing deep, creamy red Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in Fiamma. It’s an LE lacquer in D&G’s new fall collection.

These pics are circa two days ago, with two layers of Fiamma sandwiched between Guerlain base and top coats. I see a little bit of slight, barely noticeable chipping and fletching at the tips now, but it’s held up well so far!

Deep reds like this usually show every bit of wear and tear, but Faimma has already held up to probably 10 solid hours of typing and half a dozen dish washing sessions (not to mention the opening of at least 10 cans of gravy). 🙂

It’s $25 and available now with the rest of the fall collection from Dolce & Gabbana.

Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in Fiamma

Oh, and public service announcement based on personal experience: if you buy one of those cute pie pumpkins from Trader Joe’s with the intention of baking an actual pie with it, you might not want to name it.

Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in Fiamma

Because I did. I named it Hal, and then when I got ready to make the pie, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I looked at the knife…then at Hal…then at the knife…then at Hal.

Couldn’t do it. So no pie for me.

Dolce & Gabbana Nail Lacquer in Fiamma

Especially not with Marguerite watching. She’s Hal’s small, spunky friend. 🙂

What are you wearing on your nails?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

There are 37 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Dolce & Gabbana, Just For Fun, Nails

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