Princess Polish

Two Royal Wedding posts in a row - sorry!  Told you I was a little obsessed.  Since I have immersed myself in all things R.W., I am being inundated with images and ideas of ways to make your nails picture-perfect for the occasion.  

Exhibit A: Wah-Nails tweeted a few to-die-for images.  I WISH my nails were done up like this for the weekend's festivities!

Exhibit B: British Nail Polish Company Nails Inc. has come up with a few limited edition bottles of Royal Wedding inspired nail polish.  The bottles themselves scream "glamour!" (spelled the Brit way intentionally.)

  

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This Royal Collection includes Will - red lacquer in a crystal Union Jack bottle, and Kate - nude polish in a sapphire crystal bottle (symbolic of the bride's Lady Di ring.)  

Who is tuning in in the wee hours tomorrow?  What polish will you be wearing?

I've got the fever...

...Royal Wedding Fever!  Yes, it's true, I am totally and hopelessly addicted to all things Royal Wedding.  I've started following BBC Royal Wedding updates on Twitter.  I've bought numerous magazine emblazoned with Will and Kate on the cover.  I am even helping one of my friends host a Royal Wedding Party and Bar Crawl (travelling reception) this Saturday.  

 In the interest of keeping this post nail-polish related, I bring you Butter London's limited edition nail polish, No More Waity, Katie: 

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This glittery gray shade is obviously a play on the Princess-to-be's unfortunate nickname.  Lucky for her, her wait is up tomorrow.  Lucky for us, this elegant shade is still available!  Visit Butter London's website for more info on this lacquer, as well as some of their other pretty shades.  

***Bonus***

Butter London has also come up with a No More Waity, Katie Lippy!  Sure to help you snag your very own prince, this sheer lavender gloss flecked with lilac glitter is meant to make your lips look shiny and fuller-perfect for snogging.  

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It's Electric!

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When I read Refinery29's tweet about American Apparel's limited edition neon nail polish today, I freaked!  I realize what a ridiculous sentence that was, but it's true.  I'm addicted to A.A.'s decadent polish (I swear you only need one coat!) and neon is a fun summer trend again this year.  While I would love to say I am brave enough to embrace neon like these runway looks, I don't think full-on neon is in my color wheel.

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I know that head to toe neon is beyond difficult to pull off, but showcasing summer's brights and your nails and toes makes this trend totally wearable.  Hurry into your local American Apparel though, word is they will sell out fast - only 2000 bottles per color were made!  

Until next time...

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Dying to try....

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While perusing one of my many daily gossip blogs, I stumbled upon this little tidbit - Lauren Conrad (she'll always be L.C. to me) has started a new Beauty Site.  The Beauty Department  is full of hair and make-up ideas and tutorials courtesy of L.C., along with her longtime hairstylist and make-up artist gal pals.  While the site is clearly brand new it looks like it has a lot of potential.  She already has a step by step (photo) tutorial for chic vintage looking hair.  I'll be eager to see what tips and trends this California fashionista has to impart. 

I am already buzzing over the idea of Ombre Nails.  I think this look really pops in fun bright colors (like the blue shown above), but as Ms. Conrad is quick to point out, it would also look fab in nudes or pinks.  I'll definitely be rocking this look sometime soon.   

One Hit Wonder

As I've admitted before, I was a hard-core nail biter for the first 25 years of my life.  It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually began to grow nails of any reportable length.  I can credit this nail breakthrough to one product alone: Rejuvacote by Duri.  This miracle potion is bottled in Brooklyn and can be difficult to find.  My mom gave me a bottle of the good stuff a few years ago after a friend recommended it to her.  LIFE-CHANGING.  I actually just had to cut and file down my nails because typing was becoming an issue.  I mean, this stuff will not only make your nails grow like weeds, it will also make them super strong.  At the rate I am talking about this polish I feel like I should be getting paid (I'm not)!  For best results, I apply one coat to clean nails before polish and one coat over polish, like a top-coat.  Every other day or so, I'll throw another coat on top (but let's face it, I'm already changing my color by then.)

Don't let the semi-ghetto packaging fool you, this nail potion is the real deal.  I usually have to order it online, as Rejuvacote is not typically in drugstores or salons, but I was elated to find it in Ricky's this weekend.  I truly hit the nail polish jackpot on Sunday.  

Shopping "Spree"

I use the term "spree" loosely because I went a little crazy buying nail polish - not exactly a fashion binge.  While I am DYING for some new spring and summer clothes, I decided that new lacquer was a more budget friendly form of retail therapy for me at the moment.  I picked up three new shades that I have had my eye on in American Apparel.  I love their polish (it's really smooth and dries without any streaks), and all of their shades were 3 for $15!  While they have so many amazing colors, I quickly narrowed my search down to these three:

Make Up - Army Jacket - Summer Peach

I've had my eye on Summer Peach for a while now, but have only been shopping around for a khaki/olive green shade.  As luck would have it, I found both!  I'm currently wearing Army Jacket on my nails and Summer Peach on my Toenails.  I'm looking forward to sporting Make Up with fun gold accents (or if I'm feeling crazy, a gold accent nail!)  Here's a shot of my nails - I refuse to post a picture of toenails of any kind on this blog, so you'll have to take my word that the peach really pops!

Gettin' Crafty

I got a little crazy last night.  I was stuck in Jury Duty all day dying of boredom and I knew that a fresh coat of polish was just what I needed to cheer me up.  I stopped at Duane Reade on my way home and picked up Kiss Nail Artist Kit.  Basically this kit consists of some french manicure shaped stickers and some v-shaped stickers as well as three bottles of nail polish with the tiniest brushes you've ever seen.  I wasn't steady enough or brave enough to free-hand any designs, so I applied the V stickers and sort of did a paint-by-numbers type look.  Here are the results:

If you look closely you can see the imperfections, however I am pretty pleased with how this turned out.  I'm wearing American Apparel polish in Mount Royal, Brucci polish in Cindy's Lilac Rose, and the Kiss nail art polish in Teal.  

I'm working my way up to achieving the fabulous Wah-Nails "Aztec" look seen below:

Nail Polish in the News

I'm pretty sure all of America has heard about the J. Crew nail polish "scandal" by now.  I think it is beyond absurd that this would even make trashy news, let alone CNN and the Today show.  Here is the image that has sparked so much controversy:

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The caption run under this ad portraying J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons and her son Beckett read "Lucky for me I ended up with a boy whose favorite color is pink.  Toenail painting is way more fun in neon."

Why is this news???!!!  Because some conservative freaks have turned this adorable moment captured between mother and child into a major gender-bending crisis.  I'll spare you specific details, but come on, do you really think that a child wearing (or not wearing) toenail polish will have any effect on their sexuality later on?  No.  I cannot tell you how many times I've told my precious 4 year old students "colors are for everyone, not only boys or only girls."  There is a constant conversation on pink being a girls color and blue being a boys color.  I'm not a fan of the song, but in the words of Lady Gaga, we were born this way.  Gay, straight, tomboy, whatever let's find something a little more serious to put on the news than this (and this is coming from a nail polish addict).  

In lighter yet still related news, I am wearing this SAME COLOR on my toenails right now!  It's called Pink Parka by Essie.  I highly recommend, it, looking at my bright toes instantly lifts my mood.  Beckett must have been on to something...

Update: Marble Madness (literally)

I researched the technique online and it sounded simple enough.  It was not:

1.  Paint your nails with a base coat (optional)

2.  Cover skin surrounding nail in cuticle oil (also optional, but it sounded much easier than trying to remove polish from all over your fingers)

3.  Drop one color of nail polish into room temp. water.  Immediately drop second color on top of first.  Swirl with toothpick.

4.  Quickly dip and hold nail in swirled polish.

5.  Remove nail, repeat on next finger.


Ummm...I consider myself to be pretty crafty when it comes to nail polish and inventive nail techniques.  However, I think I would have had more success performing open heart surgery today.  I did two nails and became so incredibly frustrated (and also spilled cuticle oil everywhere) so I called it quits.  I feel that I may have been taking out my frustration of watching the Masters all day onto this delicate nail technique.  I'd be willing to give it another try with fewer distractions and maybe some assistance.

*I refuse to even put up any of the pictures I took of the process because my blog would lose all credibility and you might begin to wonder if I was totally drunk or in the middle of a seizure while manicuring myself today.

Marble Madness

I have been seeing some amazing marble nail designs as of late.  I can mostly credit these looks to images tweeted by Wah Nails, the uber-chic British nail salon chain.  I know I've bitched blogged before about missing the opportunity to hit up Wah Nails while in Dublin, but now that I see their summer marble look I am really kicking myself.  Here is the image that started it all:

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I am dying for everything about this look.  LOVE the mango/periwinkle combo - very fresh and summery.  I am definitely going to research salons that can manage this technique in NYC.  I have a feeling this will not be a DIY kind of project.  

40 Days and 40 Nights...

Disclaimer: Though this posting may be of a religious nature, please let it be known I am an equal opportunity blogger and nail enthusiast.

Now that Lent is about half-way over, I feel that I can let out a little Catholic steam.  When it came time to think of what to "give up" this year, many a friend suggested I give up painting my nails.  I just didn't see the point.  I did however, want to give up something challenging (last year, it was booze, I know I'm crazy).  I have decided to dedicate this posting to what me and my nails have been without for the past 20 (and future 20) days:

1.  WINE

What I wouldn't give to see my manicured hand wrapped around a glass of the good stuff.  It's not like I drink wine daily I don't, I swear!  It's just totally my "gateway drink" and laying off of it has not been easy.

2.  CHEESE

Sad but true, I haven't laid a finger on cheese in almost a month.  I can assure you all that after I march myself to church on Easter Sunday I will not pass go or collect $200 until I am seated at some sort of adorable outdoor table with a glass (bottle) of wine and cheese plate in front of me.

I realize that I haven't given a single nail "tip" today, but the issue at "hand" is this - these bubblegum pink nails are ready to be showcased with a chilled New Zealand Sauvingnon Blanc and an assortment of fromage!

In the meantime, I have kept myself busy drinking vodka-sodas  with some more Sally Hansen Salon Effects. This look, All Laced Up, received mixed reviews.  I think that it was a little darker and more wintry than I had anticipated.