Nails

Would You Say the New Chanel Black Pearl, Pearl Drop and Peche Nacree Nail Polishes Live Up to the Hype?

December 23rd, 2010 by Karen 52 Comments

Chanel Black Pearl Peche Nacree Pearl Drop

Merry Christmas Eve-Eve! I braved the mall today to peep the new Les Perles de Chanel spring collection up close and personal. Yup, to say “the mall was crowded” would be like saying “I like Chanel.” Duh.

I think the last time I was at a mall two days before Christmas was when my friend Jen and I both worked together at The Limited in 1994 (I hawked a lot of ugly purse wallets, yo). Ah, memories…

I couldn’t wait to see the three new limited edition Le Vernis Nail Colours — Black Pearl, Pearl Drop and Peche Nacree ($23 each). There’s been some serious brouhaha about ’em, especially Black Pearl (is that Jack Sparrow?!), which has been hyped as Chanel’s next big thing.

Take a look, and let me know if you think they’re worthy of the buzz. 🙂

Chanel Black Pearl
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With the Sonia Kashuk Reach for the Stars Nail Trio, Sonia Hopes You’ll Reach for Your Wallet

December 13th, 2010 by Karen 41 Comments

Sonia Kashuk Reach For the Stars Nail Trio Holiday Set swatches

When the goin’ gets tough, the tough paint their nails! Okay, so maybe that’s not exactly how the saying goes, but you know what I mean. 🙂 And when a nail polish goes on with near perfect application, like the pretty polishes in the Sonia Kashuk Reach for the Stars Nail Trio ($10), well, ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride.

The limited edition holiday set comes packed to the gills with glitter in three full-size bottles — a warm peachy gold (looks like a sunset!), a gunmetal gray and a magenta. Sonia filled all three with pounds of pigment and sparkle to spare.

Where’s the party at?! I ask because these festive shades hit all the right notes, but the formula’s what elevates these polishes from good to great. The smooth, thin texture goes on without any streaks (reminds me of OPI’s texture), and because they’re so pigmented, the color is easy to build up with layers. Last week I painted my toes with the gunmetal gray, and it was one of the fastest and easiest at-home pedicures I’ve given myself in ages. Just two coats produced a solid, opaque layer of color. Heck, I probably could have gotten away with one layer if I’d been in hurry.

Sonia Kashuk Reach For the Stars Nail Trio Holiday Set swatches gray

Sonia Kashuk Reach For the Stars Nail Trio Holiday Set swatches gray and gold
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Burt’s Bees $6 Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream Makes Nails Cuter and Cuticles Better

December 11th, 2010 by Karen 22 Comments

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Oh, Burt, baby, where’ve you been all my life? Your $6 Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream ($6) has been like manna from heaven to the shredded carrots I call cuticles. The rich, all-natural nail treatment smoothes the dry, cracked crevices around my nails while strengthening the nails themselves with sweet almond oil, vitamin E and cocoa butter. It keeps cuticles moisturized for hours, and the light lemony scent smells downright delicious.

The thick wax-like consistency takes longer to massage in than my trusty Sephora Cuticle Pen, but because of it the product also feels more substantial on my tips, which I like. I use it off and on throughout the day, but my favorite time to use it is right before bed, on both my fingernails and toenails (so it can work its magic overnight).

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream box
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Essie Winter Collection 2010: Have We Met Before?

December 2nd, 2010 by Karen 77 Comments

essie winter collection 2010 reviews swatches photos

De ja vu — the feeling you are doing something you’ve done before.

De ja vu…

I started feeling kinda funny when I was swatching the new Essie Winter Collection, and I’m pretty sure it’s not because of jet lag (I’m back in the Bay, by the way… haha, I just made a rhyme).

About halfway through I figured out why the de ja vu had set in; the limited edition collection ($8 per bottle or $48 for a boxed set of six) kinda looks a little like their last one.

Essie Winter Collection 2010 (left) and Essie Fall Collection 2010 (right)

Anyone else get the feeling Essie was going for a remixed version of fall? The colors aren’t exactly the same, but both collections share some strong similarities, like a single pop of green, a red shade and two purplish polishes.

Essie aimed for mysterious, decadent and elegant colors with the new release, and I think she nailed it (heh) with the darker Luxedo (a blackend purple), Masquerade Belle (a blackened blood red reminiscent of Chanel Vamp), Hot Coco (a creamy brownish taupe) and Smokin’ Hot (a graphite grayish purple).

The two lighter shades, Going Incognito (a jade green) and Silken Cord (a bright red), feel a little out of place with the others because they’re so… sprightly. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas colors are cool, especially if you’re in the mood for a festive holiday mani/pedi, but when I see these two together I can’t help but think of Santa’s elves running around the workshop in pointy shoes and green tights. Not exactly mysterious, decadent and elegant, ya know?

All the shades in this release have a creamy finish and lots of shine. With the exception of Going Incognito (streaky!), they went on smoothly, taking just two thin coats for full opacity.

Take a peek at the swatches below and let me know watcha think.
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$4 Petites Color Fever Nail Polishes: Another Reason to Love Rite Aid (and Drugstores in General)

November 28th, 2010 by Karen 15 Comments

Written by OIga

Let’s meet Olga of MakeUpAcademia at Rite Aid this afternoon so we can shop for new colors for our nails. She recommends a bangin’ budget line to try in today’s guest post.

After trying and being put off by a few drugstore nail polish brands before (including the regular Petites line), I’ve been sticking to my Sephora by OPI’s. Luckily, however, one day while I was browsing my local Rite Aid beauty section (is there anyone else who finds that therapeutic?), a small bottle of pretty grayish taupe polish caught my eye. It turned out to be a higher end Petites line called Color Fever.

I’ve purchased two Color Fever polishes so far — Periwinkle (525) and Vintage Gray (519) — but if I was not trying to cut down on my makeup expenses, I would have bought a lot more. 🙂

There are some very interesting colors in the line (although many of them are hard to find in stores), and in terms of quality both of the polishes I own are on a par with OPI. For the sake of comparison, the brush is slightly narrower and shorter than that of the brush that comes with a bottle of Sephora by OPI.

These are creamy opaque shades that go on beautifully and last a decent amount of time (up to a week with a top coat).

The Petites Color Fever polishes are more expensive than an average drugstore polish ($3.99 for 0.25 oz, but that’s versus close to $9 for 0.5 oz for Sephora by OPI), but I would still prefer these over OPI polishes — really, how often do we use up even half of a full-sized nail polish before it dries?

PRICE: $3.99
AVAILABILITY: Rite Aid
RATING: 10/10 overall

Written by OIga

This post was written by Olga from MakeUpAcademia, originally from Russia, but currently a graduate student in Baltimore, MD. She is passionate about physics equations, beauty and skincare products, travel photography and her cat Saathi.

Chanel Riva Le Vernis Nail Colour: Like the Ocean in a Bottle

November 17th, 2010 by Karen 108 Comments

chanel riva le vernis nail colour review swatches photos with necklace

Um, can you say swoon? I’ve been dying — DYING! — to see the new Chanel Nail Lacquer in Riva ($27) ever since it popped up on the runway at the Chanel Cruise fashion show last May. I’ve lusted over Riva more than I’ve lusted over the abs of the official “Sexiest Man Alive,” aka Ryan Reynolds.

Needless to say, that’s, um, a lot of lust.

The limited edition shade just launched online and in select Chanel stores as part of the five-piece Chanel Cote D’Azur resort collection. Also included in the release are four Rouge Coco lipsticks in Sari Dore, Perle, Taffetas Rose and Chintz ($30 each).

Have you ever seen the sun reflect off a tropical sea on a hot day? Yeah, Riva’s like that! 🙂 It’s a mesmerizing pastel blue, and when the light hits it just so, a hint of azure iridescence peeks through.

When I have it on my nails I feel like I’m sitting on my surfboard, waiting for the next wave, watching my hands as they caress the crystal blue water surrounding me. *DROOL!* It’s like the ocean in a bottle.

chanel riva le vernis nail colour review swatches photos nails 2

chanel riva le vernis nail colour review swatches photos nails 1
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Lovin’ the Sephora Stimulating Lavender Cuticle Oil Pen

November 9th, 2010 by Karen 55 Comments

sephora stimulating lavender cuticle oil review

The only thing that could possibly make Sephora Stimulating Lavender Cuticle Oil pens ($12) better would be if you could buy them at bulk prices in packs.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but this pen’s the frickin’ bomb-dot-com, particularly if your cuticles look like Snooki after a long night at da club…

Still lovin’ ya, Snickers!
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Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Nail Strengthener: Keeps the Chips Away So Nails Can Play

November 5th, 2010 by Karen 18 Comments

Written by Kris

Wave, and the whole world waves with you, especially if you use the lovely nail product Kris describes in today’s guest post.

I’m one of the many people who suffer from thin, slow-growing nails. Many times I’ve had an issue or another arise and have sought the help of Sally Hansen. Sally Hansen products have helped cure my broken cuticles, clean up my messily-applied manicures and have now helped my nails grow super fast!

Most recently, I sought help for my suddenly fragile nails, which were breaking easier than normal and starting to peel. Oh, no! I went to my local Wal-Mart for Sally Hansen’s tried and true results. I browsed the wall and found the “Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Nail Strengthener” ($6.98). The packaging stated, “Bonds & Seals Weak Fragile Nail Layers to Resist Breaking”. Yep, I needed that! It also promised a high gloss finish and instantly stronger, more flexible nails…. “Guaranteed”. Sold! I grabbed it and headed to check-out. I came home and immediately read the instructions to begin healing my poor, distressed fingernails.

The instructions said to shake gently and apply one coat to clean, bare nails and let dry. If you want to paint your nails, you’re encouraged to apply a second coat over your nail color to seal and protect. So, you’re getting a base coat and a healing top coat all at the same time.

I applied as directed with a nail color on 10/22, making notes as I went along. The Sally Hansen Green Tea & Bamboo Nail Strengthener dries pretty fast as a base coat. It smells like a regular polish but possibly not quite as strong.
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