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Nails

The Party Is Poolside with China Glaze and Neon Nails

February 15th, 2010 by Karen 74 Comments

Put down that snow shovel, ladies, and grab your swimsuit, sunscreen and your stunna shades, because you and I are heading Poolside. 🙂

Don’t worry if you’re snowed in and/or haven’t shaved your naughty bits in months (yo, been there, done that), it’s not that kind of pool. For this pool, all you need is nails.

The six new summery shades in the China Glaze Poolside collection ($6.50 each) are available now, and to put it mildly, they’re BRIGHT!

For a look at the 2010 fall collection…
  • China Glaze Vintage Vixen
  • What’s brighter than bright?

    Neons are notoriously streaky and can take forever to apply, but Kiwi Cool-Ada and Towel Boy Toy are a breeze to apply. They’re smooth (like Tabs) and apply evenly, only requiring two layers to look fully opaque. Definitely my faves of the bunch!


    Kiwi Cool-Ada


    Towel Boy Toy

    As for Pool Party and Flip Flop Fantasy, I think they’re also relatively easy to apply, but getting opaque coverage with them seems to take a third layer. No problem at all, though, because I think they’re totally worth the time. Oh, hello there, muscular surfer dude telling me how great my hair looks and oh, sure, you can fetch me another piña colada and come back and have a seat beside me on the sand under my umbrella…

    Sorry! Lost my train of thought! 🙂
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    There are 74 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: Nails

    I’m Matte as Hell about MAC Riveting Nail Lacquers!!!

    February 13th, 2010 by Karen 40 Comments

    For a good time, call 1-800-GO-MATTE. 🙂

    LOL! So, last night I decided to play around with MAC’s three new Riveting matte Nail Lacquers ($12), but they turned out to be more trubs than I bargained for.

    Both Black Enough? and Wham, Bam, Glam were crazy thick and streaky, but I liked how they looked after three coats. Three coats, though… That’s probably more patience (they say it’s a virtue!) than I have. I prefer my polishes easy like Saturday/Sunday morning.

    Of these, the star for me is definitely sparkly Studded. It goes on smooth and glimmers like a galactic exploding disco ball, BAM!


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    There are 40 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: MAC Makeup, Nails

    Pedicure Me with Essie Art of Spring

    February 10th, 2010 by Karen 45 Comments

    Heya, ladies. 🙂 It’s official: we defeated Wednesday, WOOT! And to celebrate our victory, I plan to enjoy a glass of wine while I watch Burn Notice and paint my shaved toes with one of the colors from Essie’s new Art of Spring collection.

    Can you help me decide which color to use ?


    [Continue reading…]

    There are 45 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: Nails Keywords: essie

    Cupid Better Swatch Out for These Shu Uemura Egerie Nail Enamels

    February 2nd, 2010 by Karen 25 Comments

    As an English Lit major back in school, I spent A LOT of time reading flowery fiction and pulling symbolism outta my arse. Showers weren’t merely showers; they signified rebirth. 🙂 Missing the bus didn’t simply mean I’d be late for class; it foreshadowed a late dinner, which in turn was my hungry soul’s cry for real life experience! LOLZ…

    Perhaps this underlying need I have to find great significance in everyday things is why the two new nail enamels in Shu Uemura’s Egerie collection (Pink and Black, $18 each) remind me of the sweet and sour sides of this crazy thing we call love.

    I blame Valentine’s Day. 🙂

    Are you and Cupid on good terms this year? If so, consider warm Pink, a salmon with a touch of pearl. It’s a sweet, innocent pink, like the gooey rush of getting to know someone new.


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    There are 25 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: Makeup, Nails

    What Are You Wearing on Your Nails Today?

    January 30th, 2010 by Karen 61 Comments

    G’morning, ladies. 🙂 How’d you sleep, and did you do anything fun last night? I had pizza, again (third week in a row!), and then just messed around with Tabs and painted my nails at home. I’d meant to watch Caprica but got home a little too late.

    Here’s what I picked for my nails: NARS Purple Rain ($16). It’s the sole nail color in their spring collection.

    I feel like I could lose myself in that deep violet shimmer…

    The formula was thicker than I expected and bubbled a wee bit (took me a couple tries to get it right), but I like how it turned out.

    Are you wearing anything on your nails today or sportin’ nekkid claws? 🙂

    Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

    Karen

    There are 61 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: Just For Fun, Nails

    Swatch Me I’m Falling for Barielle’s New Wildflower Nail Polishes

    January 21st, 2010 by Karen 32 Comments

    Mornin’, ladies. 🙂 I’ve been up since four (WHEE!) and wasn’t able to fall back to sleep, so instead of dreaming about Ryan Reynolds I spent the wee hours this morning listening to Debbie Gibson (LOL!) and painting my nails.

    I used Barielle’s new Wildflower collection for spring ($8 each).


    From left to right: Blossom, Snap Dragon and Daring Dahlia

    Barielle says their inspiration for the six new shades came from two things: 1) spring flowers and 2) the many women close to the brand who are still battling against, or have lost their fight with, ovarian cancer.

    Three of the colors — A Bouquet for Ava, June Bug and Myrza’s Meadow — are actually named after three of these special ladies, and 100% of the proceeds from sales of the shades through ocrf.org will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (what an awesome idea). 🙂


    From left to right: A Bouquet for Ava, June Bug and Myrza’s Meadow

    Of course, like Barielle’s other polishes, the six Wildflower shades are free of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl-phthalate — potentially harmful compounds commonly found in lesser-known, off-market nail polish brands.
    [Continue reading…]

    There are 32 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: Nails

    What Would You Get from Essie Art of Spring?

    January 15th, 2010 by Karen 24 Comments

    Today I thought of a scene from The Devil Wears Prada, the one where Meryl Streep’s icy Miranda Priestly schools her dowdy assistant Andy (Anne Hathaway) on the influence that high fashion has on everyday American life.

    Remember Andy’s cerulean blue sweater?

    The color, Miranda says, walked down a runway long before it ever found its way to a major retail store.

    That scene left a total impression on me… Now, as I try to follow beauty trends, I’m always fascinated by how many color and style trends begin life on a runway.

    Take Essie’s new nail polish collection, Art of Spring…
    [Continue reading…]

    There are 24 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: Just For Fun, Nails Keywords: essie

    The Chanel Les Impressions Nail Polishes and My Thursday Manicure

    January 14th, 2010 by Karen 29 Comments

    chanel-les-impressions-de-chanel-particuliere-top

    Ladies, can I get a little help? The MAC mani I rocked earlier this week now features more chips than a Cheetos convention (that’s what I get for skipping the top coat, DOH!). It’s time for something new.

    I’m in the mood for springy, like one of the three polishes from Les Impressions de Chanel ($23 each). Have you had a chance to see ’em yet?

    Particuliere goes on like a creamy grayish brown. I really dig the color and coverage, and two coats is all it takes for opaque nails with nary a streak. Of all three spring shades, it’s the one I’m guessing will have the widest appeal, looking great on ladies with skin tones from warm to cool, light to dark. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

    Chanel Particuliere Les Impressions de Chanel Spring 2010 1
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    There are 29 comments on this post. Leave yours.

    Categories: Nails Keywords: chanel

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