Nails

Plot a Course for Adventure, Your Lips and Tips on a New Romance With the New NARS 413 BLKR Lipstick and Nail Polish

August 8th, 2013 by Karen 35 Comments

Wearing the new NARS 413 BLKR Lipstick and Nail Polish

Where are we heading today, babe? I’ll drive if you navigate. (Please excuse my messy Mazda! I really need to clean it…)

I know you need to swing by Petco to get your cat her gravy, and we both want to visit DSW to look at shoes…but can we also stop by 413 BLKR to see what’s happening at NARS?

Silly goose! Of course I’m not suggesting that we drive from San Francisco to the company’s flagship boutique in New York, although I give you mad makeup props for remembering the address of the store (it’s on 413 Bleecker Street). I’m referring to the NARS 413 BLKR collection.

Early this month, NARS added two new pieces to the fam — 413 Lipstick ($26), a stunning rosy brown, and moody blue BLKR Nail Polish ($19).

Check it…

NARS 413 BLKR Nail Polish Lipstick — The new NARS 413 BLKR Nail Polish on the left and 413 BLKR Lipstick on the right

NARS 413 BLKR Lipstick is a deep rosy brown with a semi-matte finish ($26)

NARS 413 BLKR Nail Polish Swatch — Three layers of 413 BLKR Nail Polish, a midnight blue ($19)

NARS 413 BLKR Lipstick Swatch — 413 BLKR Lipstick…

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These Inglot O2M Nail Enamels Say to Nails, “Don’t Forget to Breathe”

July 26th, 2013 by Karen 17 Comments

When you hear the term, “breathable beauty products,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Let me guess — it wasn’t nail polish, right? 🙂

Lacquer isn’t exactly the first thing that pops into my head when I think about “breathable beauty products.”

Breathable foundation? Sure, I can see that. Don’t want mah precious pores gasping for air.

But breathable nail polishes?

Hmm…

Well, with these new Inglot O2M Breathable Nail Enamels, it’s their schtick.

Their designed to allow oxygen and water to pass through the enamel to the surface of the nail.

Kinda cool, although I’ve never actually thought of my nails as suffocating beneath my polish, but ok. Inglot says the formula is supposed to contribute to healthier nails.

I do have to say that when I wore six of the 16 numerically-named (grr) shades a while back, my nails did seem like they were in pretty decent good shape when I removed the polishes.

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Unsung Makeup Heroes: Chanel Black Satin Nail Polish

July 24th, 2013 by Karen 22 Comments

About the Author
The following guest post was written by Kelly Keeton of Vampy Varnish. You can also find Kelly on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.

Do you own a shade of eyeshadow, lipstick or nail polish that started you down a long and perhaps expensive makeup collecting path? I sure do, and her name is Chanel Black Satin (available now in the Chanel permanent collection).

I’ve been into nail polish for as long as I can remember, but there have been phases where I didn’t really think about it much for months at a time. I was in one of those slumbering “dry spells” when Chanel Black Satin came out.

When I first saw it in fashion magazines, I liked it, but I wasn’t completely smitten . I was, however, very interested in any black nail polish that had fashion editors and people in general going gaga.

The long-running Unsung Heroes series features much-loved permanent collection products from a variety of bodacious beauty brands.

Previous to Chanel Black Satin, black nail polishes weren’t really ever seen on anyone other than musicians, artsy types and those into various genres of music, like punk rock, heavy metal and goth. Now, all the sudden it was going mainstream. After seeing it over and over, it started this spark within me that grew and grew, and I knew I HAD TO HAVE IT.

I searched high and low but couldn’t find it anywhere in stores. Finally, I resorted to eBay and spent more on it than I had ever spent on any nail polish before. A whopping $35! At the time, that seemed completely outrageous, but now, after many years of collecting, I can say that it’s not the most I’ve ever spent on a nail polish (yikes!).

Black Satin, as the name implies, has a black base with a silver satiny shimmer running throughout. It has a great smooth and creamy formula, and covers perfectly in two coats.

It might not be the most unique black polish out there anymore, but this beauty definitely started bringing dark nail shades back into the spotlight, and for that, I am grateful!

What item in your makeup collection do you have a great fondness for?

– Kelly

About the Author
This guest post was written by Kelly Keeton of Vampy Varnish. You can also find Kelly on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.

Like Real Pixie Dust, Zoya’s Glittery PixieDust Polish Collection Is Pretty Magical

July 23rd, 2013 by Karen 34 Comments

Zoya PixieDust Nail Polishes for Fall 2013 — The six-piece Zoya PixieDust collection for Fall 2013

Some textured nail polishes make me feel a little queasy…

Oh! — especially the flat matte ones that feel extra gritty (eww, my skin just crawled).

But even if textured lumps and bumps aren’t your cup o’ tea, I think the six polishes in Zoya’s new PixieDust fall collection are worth a look/feel.

Why?

Because they glisten with gallons and gallons of glitter and cray-cray pigment!

Yeah, and not just cray pigment, but crayÂ². In fact, four of the six — orange Dhara, magenta Arabella, green Chita and blue sunshine — only need a single coat.

The other two — Golden beige Tomoko and purple Carter (my fave!) — are two-coaters, but that doesn’t make me like them any less. Both still coat my nails completely, covering them in opaque color and buckets of glitter.

The intense jewel tones in the release remind me so much of fall that I almost feel like putting away my flamingo shorts.

Zoya Carter PixieDust Nail Polish — Carter PixieDust

Zoya Dhara PixieDust Nail Polish — Dhara PixieDust

Zoya Arabella PixieDust Nail Polish — Arabella PixieDust

Zoya Chita PixieDust Nail Polish — Chita PixieDust

Zoya Sunshine PixieDust Nail Polish — Sunshine PixieDust

Zoya Tomoko PixieDust Nail Polish — Tomoko PixieDust

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I Left My Heart in San Francisco and Put the OPI San Francisco Collection on My Nails

July 16th, 2013 by Karen 54 Comments

The OPI San Francisco Collection, New for Fall/Winter 2013

Before I met El Hub and moved across the Golden Gate Bridge from the city to Marin County (oh, the things we do for love!), I called San Francisco’s Outer Richmond district my home.

I lived in an apartment at the corner of 36th and Geary, about five minutes from the often foggy beach. At night, the 38 Geary Bus would rumble past my window as low fog horns from the Bay lulled me to sleep.

I was in my 20s then, savoring life in the city right at the height of the dot-com boom. I loved the excitement and everything the city had to offer, but truth be told, the experience also kicked my @ss…in a good way though.

I learned a lot — about myself, about what I wanted out of life, what I didn’t want, and even after a decade removed from the city, I’m still awestruck every time I cross the Golden Gate and see the city skyline.

I love that town. 🙂

Needless to say, I’ve been hella freakin’ over the moon about the new OPI San Francisco collection.

And, yes, I said hella. Because that’s how we do it here, babe.

The 15-piece release, new for fall/winter 2013, feels authentic to me, like OPI did their research. It’s like they took postcards of some of the city’s most iconic places and spaces and poured them into the bottles.

May I be your tour guide? I’d love to show you around San Francisco by OPI 🙂

For starters, I think it’s fitting that OPI chose fall for a San Francisco collection, seeing as how it’s such a wonderful season around here. Generally sunnier, warmer and less crowded than summer (yup, it’s the micro-climates here). September through early- to mid-November is my favorite time of year in the city.

Very much like a song sung about SF, the collection embodies the urban aspects of SF — sure, it’s a city — but it also has some very beautiful parks and lush outdoor areas, like the greens of Golden Gate Park and Land’s End (could you imagine a shade of green inspired by the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill?? I die!).

Instead of going that route, though, OPI chose something more street chic, with nautical blues, sandy taupes, foggy grays, Golden Gate/Chinatown reds, burgundies and browns. It’s not urban in an industrial way. More like a hike up and down steep city streets surrounded by epic views and high-rise buildings.

One of the city’s many piers with Angel Island on the right…

The collection features 12 shades in OPI’s regular polish formula, encompassing a mix of creams and shimmers, as well as three textured Liquid Sand shades, and the entire color palette is meant to go with fall’s fashion trends, specifically looks with military details and winter whites.

For me, most of the polishes require two coats, although some of the more glittery shades, like Haven’t the Foggiest and Alcatraz…Rocks, work well with one. They all boast OPI’s signature bad-@ss brush, which is nice and full and wide and makes it very easy to cover an entire nail evenly in two or three swipes.

Hop aboard this cable car with me, and let’s take a look. 🙂

OPI A-Piers to Be Tan — A-Piers to Be Tan

A-Piers To Be Tan is a creamy orange-brown. Call me cat lady, but it reminds of Tabs’ tum more than anything else. It’s one of my least favorite shades here, but I do like the way it contrasts with the rest of the colors in the collection.

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Years From Now Lip Lovers Will Say, “The Revolution Started at Urban Decay.” New Products For Lips, Brows, Faces and Nails From Urban Decay for Fall 2013

July 7th, 2013 by Karen 43 Comments

From the Urban Decay Fall 2013 collection, Revolution Lipstick in Bag, Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powder in Naked Dark, and Brow Box in Brown Sugar

Â¡Viva la lipstick revoluciÃ³n!

Say hasta luego to products with paltry pigments and sapless shine. A new line of lipsticks leads Urban Decay’s pack of fall products to shelves, and they’ve got plans to plant plenty o’ creamy, pigmented kisses on lips.

The Revolution Lipsticks

A completely new line of permanent collection products, the Revolution Lipsticks ($22 each) are the stars this fall.

Available in a range of pigmented, shiny colors from nudes to bold brights, and with a creamy, moisturizing formula that contains jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter and shea butter, there’s something for everyone.

I’m really impressed by the formula and thick texture with these. SO rich and smooth. Even the pale nudes, which can often apply patchy, go on smoothly with even coverage.

I’m still testing, but I have high hopes for these… From what I’m seeing so far, these could be nice alternatives to full-coverage Dolce & Gabbana-style lipsticks at a lower price point.

24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils

Joining the Revolution Lipsticks are 16 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils ($19 each) being relaunched into the permanent line. Ozone (the clear shade) and Naked (a revamped version of it) are holdovers from earlier appearances, but the rest of the colors are new. Containing vitamin E, jojoba and cottonseed oil, they’re designed to deliver moisture to parched pouts while keeping the color from feathering.

Naked Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powders

But lips aren’t the only stars lighting up the sky above Urban Decay headquarter. The company is also launching a new line of face powders to go with their Naked Foundation and Beauty Balm called the Naked Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powders ($24 each).

Designed to be virtually invisible on the skin, the powders have optical blurring pigments to minimize imperfections, cut shine and create a soft-focus effect.

They’re oil-, paraben-, alcohol- and fragrance-free and come in five shades — Naked (works well with shades 0.5-3.0), Naked Medium Light (for shades 2.0-4.0), Naked Medium (4.5-6.5), Naked Medium Dark (6.0-8.0) and Naked Dark (8.0-12.0). All are en route to UD’s permanent line.

Brow Box

The fall bold brow trend also gets some lovin’ with the newly redesigned Brow Box ($29).

Urban Decay revamped their existing Urban Decay Brow Box by including an additional angled brush, so now there are two — one for powder and one for wax.

That’s not all. The kit also comes with two shades of brow powder to mix and match your own custom color, as well as a pan of setting wax for precision shaping and to keep hairs in position, and a pair of tiny tweezers, all to create defined, natural-looking brows.

The Brow Box comes in two shades — Brown Sugar (dark brown and a light brown) and Honey Pot (dark blonde and light blonde), and yup! — it’s permanent.

Nail Colors

But wait, there’s more. 🙂 Nails.

Two limited edition, seasonal Nail Colors at $15 each in Vice, a rich, deep purple with red and blue micro-shimmer, and Addiction, a smoky, metallic gunmetal with multidimensional, high-shine micro-sparkle.

Dang… Multidimensional, high-shine micro-sparkle? Now that a cool phrase.

Each one has a 400-strand brush, which is supposed to help ’em latch onto more product for clean, precise application. All of them are toluene-, formaldehyde- and DBP-free.

According to Urban Decay, we can expect to see two new Nail Colors every fall and spring, so if you’re a collector, this could be a fun place to start.

Availability

Fall 2013 arrives on Urban Decay counters soon, and should be popping up on urbandecay.com Tuesday, July 9.

Are your eyeballs braced for pics? I hope so, because here they come! Pics and swatches of the entire collection down below.

I wonder what the standouts will be… Let me know what you think.

Revolution Lipsticks, $22 each

Urban Decay Shame Revolution Lipstick 1 — Shame, a deep berry

Urban Decay Venom Revolution Lipstick 2 — Venom, a bright plum

Urban Decay Jilted Revolution Lipstick 3 — Jilted, a deep fuchsia shimmer with blue shift

Urban Decay Anarchy Revolution Lipstick 4 — Anarchy, a bright fuchsia

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Item No. 1 on My Beauty Bucket List Takes Us to a Sicilian Seaside Town: Say “Ti Adoro!” to the Five Vibrant, Energetic Nail Polishes in the Dolce & Gabbana Love in Taormina Collection

June 25th, 2013 by Karen 23 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Love In Taormina Collection 2 — Say *“Ciao!”* to the five new nail polishes in the Dolce & Gabbana Love In Taormina collection, docking at U.S. ports next month.

I have a new list.

Because, you know, what I really needed in my life was a new list to go with the many lists I already have.

Some of my other lists…

9 Things: People Never Told Me

9 Things: Lessons Learned from Going Away to College

9 Things: I Would Like to Try

9 Things: Times You Took a Chance

9 Things: I Feel Like I’m Always…

9 Things: Simple Pleasures (Summer and Otherwise)

9 Things I Never Expected

This new list is called my “Beauty Bucket List,” and only beauty-related things that border on outrageous and/or far-fetched are allowed to go on it.

That’s because it’s a bucket list, not a grocery list, so I figure the things I add to it should be a little out there, ya know? I mean, what’s the point in daydreaming, if we aren’t going to dream big?

Today I’m adding my first item to it…

1. To wear the five new Dolce & Gabbana nail polishes from the Love in Taormina collection actually in the town of Taormina

And that means holiday in Sicily! 🙂

I’m still working out whether I should wear one color per day while I’m there (this is still in the fantasy planning stages, BTW) or all five colors on my fingers at the same time.

I do know that I don’t want to mix colors on my toes, because whenever I do that I look like I have monkey feet…

Ideally, the trip would take place in summer, since the Love in Taormina collection was inspired by flowers that are supposed to bloom in the summertime there.

I’d try to find a sun-dappled garden somewhere, and look for flowers in the same shades as my freshly painted nails.

And eat gelato…

Lots and lots of gelato.

Ideally, my hair will also look great, and I won’t be dressed like a 12-year-old skater boy.

It’s a floral affair

What lovely colors.

I really can see the floral influences in the shades, and when I see them on my nails, I almost feel like I’m there, in Taormina, standing on the sidewalk by a cobblestone street to admire a lush garden, and take a break from my busy Italian holiday…

But unlike gelato, these colors aren’t necessarily sweet, not like the desaturated pastel florals you’d find on Laura Ashly prints or Jessica McClintock dresses from the 1980s.

No, these aren’t exactly the kinds of colors one imagines herself wearing for a chaste peck on the cheek. I think these are more intense than that, like when your lover grabs your hand, and a jolt of electricity shoots up your arm. Bzzzz! And you feel like jumping his/her bones right there.

These vibrant, energetic colors are a little on the lusty side, but that’s Dolce & Gabbana. 🙂 They aren’t known for prim and proper.

These pigments are CAH-RAY-ZAY!

Dolce & Gabbana Love In Taormina Collection Swatches Iris — Iris (two coats)

I realized just how pigmented these polishes are last night after my nightly shower…

Yeah, who paints their paws right before bed? Answer: this girl.

With these as pigmented, opaque and smooth as they are, you could probably get away with applying a single thick coat or two lighter ones. Either way, though, you’re covered. Your nails should be completely covered.

Like a trip through the seasons from spring to summer and fall

Dolce & Gabbana Love In Taormina Collection Swatches Bouganville Swatch — Bouganville (two coats)

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Friday Morning Mental Fog and the Orly Mash Up Collection

June 21st, 2013 by Karen 16 Comments

Day five of a really long week…

The cat woke me up this morning by leaping off my tum (specifically, my bladder). It was shocking. My pillow was wet with drool.

Two cups of coffee and I have yet to find my mojo. Where is it? Cloudy, cloudy, cloudy in my brain…

I lumber back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, out of sorts, my feet sliding along the tiles like a zombie dragging its foot. What should I be doing? What day is it? Why is that large cat stalking me?

In the living room, I see the bottles on a white table, a mish-mash of sparkling green glitter, creamy pastel, a bright orange like a highway worker’s vest and a deep, dark purple that looks like the paint job on a 1970s muscle car.

“How random,” I mumble into my coffee cup. “A mash-up of nail polish colors.”

My right eye twitches and time escapes me. I lose consciousness in a fog of bright color and swatches with the six-piece Orly Summer Mash Up Collection while the Millionaire Matchmaker drones in the background.

This is my Friday morning so far…

Orly Pretty-Ugly — Pretty-Ugly (three coats), a baby blue with subtle shimmer, really does need babying, but I love how it looks.

Orly Mayhem Mentality — Mayhem Mentality (two coat), totes reminds me of those orange highway worker vests. It’s bright! And pretty smooth, too.

Orly Choreographed Chaos — Choreographed Chaos (two coats) has been SO hard to work with because it’s thick, and the brush splayed, making it quite streaky. Not my favorite color of the bunch.

Orly Harmonious Mess — Harmonious Mess (one coat). Super thick and opaque, and again, trouble with the brush, which I think struggles with the thicker formulas.

Orly Beautiful Disaster — Beautiful Disaster (two coats), a shimmery plum. This one’s easygoing, and no streaks!

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