Nails

Product Spotlight: Sally Hansen Sheer Color Therapy Nail Polish

March 30th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

If you like pastel paws but don’t want to go full-on painted Easter egg, these sheer Sally Hansen polishes hit the spot. They’re from Sally’s moisturizing Color Therapy lacquer line and are $8.99 each.

Fighting crabbiness one stroke at a time! Now, I’m not saying that the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Sheers will solve all your social distancing dilemmas (like, why is it so hard to find baking soda at the store right now?!), but they should help in a couple key areas, like if your nails need serious TLC! The moisturizing argan oil-infused Color Therapy formula helps reduce chipping and splitting.

And, is it just me, or is there something intensely empowering about a set of freshly painted claws? I feel like a tiny @ss kicker when my nails are done and I’m wearing big hoops.

These sheer shades, which are part of a sub-collection of the Sally Hansen Color Therapy nail polish line, are my new faves. There are only a handful of them, including cool-toned lavender Bare Tint, and cool light pink Bare Kiss, which has a hint of greige.

sally hansen bare kiss — Two coats of Bare Kiss, along with the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Corrector Base Coat and High Gloss Top Coat

sally hansen bare kiss 7 days — Bare Kiss after seven days of wear

Like all of the Color Therapy polishes, these have a flat, extra wide brush that fans across your entire nail to completely coat it with paint in one swipe… Not that I’ve got anywhere pressing to go these days, but manis and pedis are much quicker when I use this brush.

Also of note

[Continue reading…]

TLC for Needy Nails: The Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Beautifiers Base and Top Coats, and a BOMB Cuticle Serum

March 24th, 2020 by Karen 21 Comments

Well, hello, nail polish. NICE TO SEE YOU, OLD FRIEND!

Now that I have a little more time to do something other than an occasional speed mani, I’ve been busting out the accouterments from the new Nail Beautifiers collection in the Sally Hansen Color Therapy Line.

Color Therapy is Sally Hansen’s line of moisturizing polishes infused with argan oil, and I started wearing them a lot after “the gel mani incident.” My nails needed some serious TLC, so I babied them for a couple months and only wore bare nails or Color Therapy until my nails recovered back to their former strength.

There are six treatments in the new Nail Beautifier family, including three base coats, two top coats and a Nail Cuticle Serum.

sally hansen give me a tint — I did this mani while I wrote this post! I used the Nail Corrector, followed by two layers of Color Therapy Sheer in Give Me a Tint, and topped it off with the High Gloss Top Coat. When it dried, I massaged the Nail Cuticle Serum around the base of my nails and my fingertips.

If you’re washing your hands 24/7 like I am…

The Nail Cuticle Serum ($8.99) is THE STUFF. You can use it on bare or polished nails — just apply to the cuticles and nail tips and massage until absorbed. It’s a thick serum, and it isn’t oily, so you aren’t left with slippery, greasy fingers afterwards.

I keep it on my desk and apply it whenever I get a chance, and ever since I’ve been doing this, my cuticles (which had been visibly dry and thirsty and came this close to going full-on raggedy) look and feel so much better.

sally hansen nail cuticle serum — So good!

If you happen to see this online or while you’re out, grab it. Your cuticles will send you a secret love letter ❤️?️ via carrier pigeon declaring their undying affection for your thoughtfulness.

All about the base

If you have some serious ridges like I did after the disastrous gel mani incident, then the Nail Corrector ($8.99), which smooths out dips and drops on the surface of your nails, is for you. It looks like a peachy cream in the bottle, but it applies as a very sheer, barely-there pink.

Do your nail tips chip and split easily? If so, the Strengthening Base Coat ($8.99), which, like the Nail Corrector, looks tinted in the bottle but goes on clear, would be a good choice. Added bonus: It doubles as a top coat in a pinch.

If you’re lucky enough to have healthy nails, grab the Nail Primer ($8.99). It irons out the nails surface just like the Nail Corrector but isn’t as aggressive with the smoothing.

Top it off

Two new top coats reinforce the strength of your nails and the durability of your mani while locking down your nail color. I’m a fan of the High Gloss Top Coat ($8.99), which has a reflective gleaming, glossy shine (so it looks wet even when it’s dry).

Some of my nails tend to split, so I’ll bust out the Strengthening Top Coat ($8.99) and use it on them for added protection.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. On my #stressbaking to-do list this week: SCONES.

I made some terrible ones over the weekend that were just dry and dense and gross and totally inedible.

My first attempt at scones, and for the record…they were terrible!

Do you have a fool-proof scone recipe or any suggestions? Do tell.

Essie Expressie Quick Dry Nail Polish in Crop Top and Roll, Before and After 7 Days

February 25th, 2020 by Karen 5 Comments

essie expressie crop top and roll — Essie Expressie Quick Dry Nail Polish in Crop Top and Roll, before and after seven days

The “after” photo reminds me of the enchantment bewitching the self-checkout monitors at Target! I swear, those cameras could even make Dolly look haggard (and she’s practically invincible, in my book).

So, since the Essie Expressie polishes are quick drying, I wasn’t expecting this to be a super long-lasting mani, but these two layers of Crop Top and Roll held up better than I thought they would. They held up nicely over Connor’s mid-winter break, part of which which I spent chasing butterflies and birds with her and swinging on the monkey bars at the playground.

The really noticeable chips didn’t appear until day four, mostly around the base and tips of my nails, especially on my right hand (I’m right-handed), and the shine from the built-in top coat dulled over the week, but overall the mani looked good through the end of the week.

I have to say, it’s pretty good for quick dry, although I’d advise against waiting a full week to swap it out. I think four days is the max, and that’s fine with me, since the longest I usually ever get to keep the same polish on my nails is three or four days.

I have a friend who swaps out her polish every three days, so if you’re like her and you don’t wanna bother with a base or top coat (they have ’em built in), give it a try! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Saturday Surfing, February 8th, 2020

February 8th, 2020 by Karen 9 Comments

essie second hand first love — Essie Expressie Nail Polish in Second Hand, First Love

Welcome to the weekend, my friend!

Time to rest and recharge your batteries (hopefully!). For me, that means painting my paws, because when my paws are painted, the stars are in alignment. Mercury avoids retrograde. Pluto becomes a planet again… I feel so naked these days because we can’t wear nail polish to work at the bakery for food handling reasons. So the first thing I like to do on my days off is paint my nails. ?

Last night I did a quick mani before bed with one of the new Expressie quick-drying polishes from Essie (grabbed it at Target last night for $9). They have a built-in base, color and top coat and, allegedly, they’re supposed to dry in one minute… Took more like 5 though, which is still pretty good, considering there’s a base and top coat up in the mix. I’m wearing two coats of rosy pink called Second Hand First Love on my fingers.

I like the smoothness and opacity. It looks even from base to tip, sans streaks, and the finish is super shiny and almost gel-like. Two coats was perfect.

No nicks yet as of this morning, but quick-drying polishes are notorious for chipping easily, so I’m not holding onto any illusions that it’ll last more than a few days…but who knows? Hopefully Expressie will prove that wrong.

Either way, it was just what my nails needed for a quick fix.

You know what else I need to do right now? Finish this cup of coffee! ?

That means it’s time for Saturday Surfing.

The only Valentine’s Day gift I really want is this Keanu Reeves coloring book. ?
Here’s what astronaut Christina Koch did in space while she was breaking the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.
This year, give your significant other “flours” for Valentine’s Day with a bouquet of Olive Garden Breadsticks. ?
Love this —-> “Nothing is ever lost by being generous.”
I wonder how many people stepped on Lego when they built this cherry blossom tree out of 800,0000 blocks.
Speaking of Lego, anti-Lego slippers now exist to protect your precious feet!
In a single year, Canada lifted nearly 300,000 kids out of poverty with a program known as a child benefit.

The gal in the black dress and glasses is my hero.

Eyeliner tips for hooded lids: YES, PLEASE

So fun. And I love Lizzo’s blue eye makeup, swoon!

I want to wear this look to Costco (FOR REAL).

Wish we were here

I want all the notebooks…

This is the song stuck in my head at the moment.

The world’s smallest cat

The secret to keeping a new habit? Start small.

Are you doing anything this weekend to refill your well?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

3 Tips to Keep Your Manicure Chip-Free and Fabulous

September 30th, 2019 by Karen 8 Comments

essie blue nail polish — Just say no to chips.

Back in 2008, The New York Times tried to make chipped nails a thing.

Yeah…I’m not about that life. I’m all for purposefully messy hair (fun buns 4 life!), but a messy mani gets a HARD PASS. I’ll take my manicures neat and tidy, thank you very much, with a side of “no chips on tips, please.”

There are a couple things that make it easier to live a chip-free nail life, like 1) finding a base and top coat that can withstand everyday life (for me, those are currently the Smith & Cult Base Coat and Essie Gel Couture Topcoat) and 2) taking a few preventative measures to lessen the likelihood of chips at the tips of my nails, which is where I always get them first.

Here are three things that help keep my nails looking freshly painted all week long:

1. Don’t forget to tip

First, before you paint a layer of polish, paint underneath the tips of your nails, and then run the brush along the tip (holding your nail horizontally, brush the polish on the vertical part of the tip).

Wait about 30 seconds before applying your first legit coat.

Why do this, you might ask? Well, because doing it this way covers your tips in an extra protective layer, so as your nails bang about throughout the week, your tips have an extra layer of armor on them.

Taking this tiny extra step makes all the difference in the world for me. I see fewer chips when I paint my nails.

2. Do a three-day refresh

“Siri, remind me to do another layer of topcoat in three days.”

I usually keep the same polish on my nails for a week, and three days is usually the perfect time to freshen up my manis with another topcoat layer.

I mean, you could do one daily, or every other day (I have friends who do that), but if I do too many topcoat layers, it becomes counterproductive because my polish starts to get thick, and then I’m tempted to peel it off when I get out of the shower.

Note: using a good quick-drying topcoat makes you more likely to actually sit down and do this! Sally Hansen has one called the Insta-Dri Top Coat that’s only five bucks and sets in a minute, but right now I’m really into Essie Gel Couture Top Coat overall. It’s super shiny, and it takes about 10 minutes to dry.
[Continue reading…]

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Essie Angora Cardi

September 19th, 2019 by Karen 11 Comments

What’s an unsung hero in beauty-speak? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup (or polish!) morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. My long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

(Not so) Deep thoughts: do you suppose Cardi B ever wears Essie Angora Cardi?

HMMM… I wonder!

If anybody could actually point me in the direction of a chunky, cozy cardigan that’s the exact same shade as this nail polish, I’ll be forever grateful. I like the idea of having something to match with it because it’s one of my favorite fall colors, and I think it could be one of yours, too.

It’s a deep, creamy dusty rose, $9, and you can find it in Essie’s permanent line, so it’s not going anywhere. Thank goodness, because it’s one of those shades I’ll wear year after year after year, especially this time of year between seasons.

Meet me in the middle

It’s like the transitional ~~booty~~ bootie of the nail polish world. Not quite as light as your “starter” fall colors like Essie Clothing Optional, which I like to wear late August/early September, but not as deep and dark as the full-on vampy colors we see everywhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

So it’s perfect for sweater weather and that in-between time. Because it’s dark, you can definitely see it on your nails, but it isn’t so intense or deep that it mentally signals that we’ve past the point of no return when it’s officially cold every day, and it ain’t turning back for months.

It’s also super shiny, which is something Essie is known for. If you’re the type of person who can’t even bother with a top coat, Angora Cardi is shiny enough on its own.

I’ve got no time for flakes

I also love this shade because it’s one of the most durable Essie nail polishes I’ve ever used. Like every brand’s polishes, Essie’s colors vary in terms of their anti-chipness/durability, and I think this is one of the line’s more durable colors. When I do my nails with it on a Sunday afternoon, by the Friday of the following week, when I’m passing out in my pajamas on my couch at 5:30, I look at my hands and inevitably think, “You know what? This mani did really well!” There may be a few tiny dings on a few tips, but ya know, after a week, that’s great for me.
[Continue reading…]

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Essie Gel Couture Top Coat

September 12th, 2019 by Karen 13 Comments

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Nobody puts baby in the corner, and nobody puts bullsh*t top coats on my nails.

I’ve had the time of my life!

Like the ladies who unabashedly carry hot sauce in their purse, I’ve reached that point in life where I bring Essie Gel Couture Top Coat with me everywhere (no, seriously, I keep it in my touch-up makeup bag), including the nail salon.

On the rare occasion that I get my nails ? done, it’s the ONLY top coat that I know can withstand all of the obstacles the universe throws in my path — the never-ending deluge of dishes, the ferocious onslaught of words inside my head waiting to be unleashed upon this keyboard underneath my fingertips, and, ya know, toddlers. They always have those Lego blocks that need to be pried apart and My Little Ponies that need their manes braided LIKE YESTERDAY.

Gel Couture is a clear, glossy topcoat originally designed to be used with the Essie Couture Gel polishes, but I’ve recently figured out that it’s an excellent topper for ALL polishes, not just the Essie Gels.

For starters, it’s so shiny that it always looks wet (even when dry), which I love.

The texture’s also thick for a top coat, and I think that’s why it functions like the ultimate armor against nicks and chips.

But don’t get it twisted. It’s far from goopy or difficult to paint with.

I’m not a fan of top coats that you’re constantly tempted to peel off whenever you get out of the shower. Gel Couture, thankfully, relieves me of that temptation!

One coat atop whatever I’m wearing (right now it’s the Smith & Cult base coat and two layers of Essie Angora Cardi, a.k.a. THE BEST FALL COLOR), and five minutes later I have a mani that looks just as fresh after five days as it did on day one.

Super great, and it’s relatively affordable at $11.50 a bottle! You can find it at Ulta and beauty supply stores… I’ve also seen it at Target.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Makeup Heroes: Essie Clothing Optional

August 29th, 2019 by Karen 7 Comments

essie clothing optional swatch — I may or may not be wearing pants.

What’s an unsung hero in beauty-speak? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup (or polish!) morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. My long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

It’s that time of year again! (At least here in the Bay Area.). Around the end of August and into early September, the weather here is cray. One day it’ll be 95 degrees, and you’re barely clothed on the way to the pool, and the next day you’re wearing long pants and a sweater to meet a friend for coffee.

It’s that weird weather transitional phase between summer and fall. I feel like that’s a space in the land of nail polish, too, and this color by Essie called Clothing Optional is the perfect color for that in-between phase when you may or may not want to wear super bright summery corals and neons, and you’re also still not ready to dive into Bordeaux, navy and oxblood.

Essie describes it as a sienna brown, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a rad, rich, almost rosy taupe, and from some angles it looks like brick.

And I think it’s a completely different beast in full sunlight, when I’d swear it’s a pinkish peachy brown with microshimmer (but the light has to hit it just right for that to come through).

It’s quite the ? chameleon; I love it.

I also love that even though it’s capable of functioning as a nude nail, especially if you have a tan like I do, it contrasts enough with the skin to be eye-catching and noticeable. It’s not like when I’m wearing a nail polish that just blends into my skin tone.

Sometimes I like being able to see my nails when they’re painted, but I also don’t want to be distracted by them, if that makes sense…especially when I have something like a meeting to go to.

Clothing Optional is perfect for showing that you pay attention to small details, like getting your nails done, but your fingers won’t be distracting to the people you’re chatting with, especially if you talk with your hands a lot like I do.
[Continue reading…]