Archive for November, 2007
The Next Big Thing – Chanel Blue Satin
Get ready for the next big polish craze. Chanel Blue Satin is going to fly off the shelves, I guarantee it.
Designed by Directors of Makeup Creation Dominique Montcourtois and Heidi Morawetz, Chanel’s Spring 2008 Makeup Collection is inspired by the clean, airy colours of fresh starts and new horizons: a springtime spectrum of blues, soft pinks, and opalescent whites. From the innocence of palest robin’s egg to the drama of deep indigo, blues make a perfect companion to a flawless complexion.
The Nail Colour lineup includes Blue Satin, Rose Satin, White Satin and Azur.
A shimmering inky blue, Blue Satin, is a highly pigmented lacquer that flows evenly on the nail. I know Chanel is big on the whole “Satin” naming thing but if it were up to me, I’d name this one Blue Velvet because that’s what it reminds me of in the bottle, a snuggly blue velveteen blanket. On the nail this blackened navy is very dark and only shows it’s true shimmering brilliance when well lit but that’s true of most dark polishes. And in a true moment of serendipity I looked out my window to see sun, actual sun, so I went a little overboard on the swatch pics for you.
Now you know that I am the last person to tell you to run out and plunk down more than $10 on a polish but I can honestly say that, for me, this one is worth it. But please don’t buy it just to have it. If you’re not a lover of blue polishes, this one won’t magically change that. And for all you bargain shoppers, I’m going to work up some comparisons.
The official Chanel release is scheduled for January 2008 but I would get on a waiting list now. As of today you can pre-order Blue Satin on the Neiman Marcus website with an anticipated ship date of December 14th.
So who’s giving in to this one? Who’s abstaining? Will anyone be checking out the other shades?
China Glaze Spring 2008 Preview
After a reading about how few lucky MUA nail boarders stumbled across some never before seen China Glaze polishes at a local beauty supply, the board went into a frenzy. With holographic polishes given techno savvy names like DV8, IDK, QT and LOL and brights named Flying Dragon, Sacred Heart and Blue Sparrow how could they not. Of course, I had to investigate further.
Hide your wallets now ladies because China Glaze is hitting us with three, THREE, new color collections this spring. Something for the chat-addicted sparkle fanatics, the eco-conscious lacquer lover and the bold artists in all of us.
OMG! – Fingers are the focus when flying across the keypad. For today’s texters, having beautifully manicured digits is so important. New OMG!– 12 micro particle holographic lacquers–gives the stylish and tech-savvy women of today something to get their hands on. Two palettes—one hot, one cool– plus Wireless Holographic Top Coat. Text in colour.
ECOllection – In Blahniks or Birkenstocks, going green is always fashionable. Reminding everyone to tread lightly, ECOllection shades represent sun, clouds, trees, water, sand and earth. Printed on recycled paper. Conserve in colour.
INK – Tattoo art has moved out of back alley parlors onto the couture collections of fashion’s top designers. INK is a collection of neons for brilliant self expression. China Glaze wants every woman to get inked. Comes with nail art decals.
I don’t have an official release date but I’ll update you when I do.
Images & Info: Courtesy of China Glaze
NYC Beauty Tour – Dashing Diva
My first night in Manhattan started off with a stop at the newest Dashing Diva salon at 149 3rd Ave. for a manicure and cosmos. Ever since I read about their fab Girl’s Night Out experience I’ve been wanting to witness it for myself so, you can imagine my excitement when I found out we were going.
Walking into a Dashing Diva salon is like entering girlie heaven. You can’t help but feel like a giggly princess inside the pink, modern but inviting decor. Being the giant polish hound that I am, I immediately zeroed in on the color wheel of lacquer. Can you guess what caught my eye? That’s right, blues and greens and they have quite a good range. Not all the colors are listed on the Dashing Diva website but I hope that it’s just because they are new because all my green and blue lovers should be able to snag a bottle for themselves. One color in particular, C347, really sparked my interest with it’s olive green shimmery goodness but a steely blue gray (C350) ended up being my polish of choice. Dark gray is a great neutral with a chic edgy feel.
What really impressed me was the cleanliness and pristine condition of the salon. I know it’s a new location but we’ve all walked into those nail shops that have dust on anything standing still and in my opinion Dashing Diva could never become that. They are most definitely on their A game.
Each nail station has room for two customers so you can gab with your best pal or make a new friend while your hands are pampered and polished. Now I watch every manicurist like a hawk; to pick up their tricks, techniques and the occasional mistake and two things really stood out about their process.
1. There was not a cuticle nipper in sight. Color me wowed. I can’t stand having my cuticles cut. I don’t agree with the technique so being in a shop where I didn’t have to fight to keep mine intact was a major bonus.
2. You can choose the scent for your hand treatments. I chose orange. What a great personalized touch. Many people are sensitive to scent or hate certain ones, like my aversion to all things coconut, so giving their customers a choice was a wise decision.
The Basic Diva Manicure touts a “Flash Dry” finish that keeps you from smudging your nails as you “dash” out the door. So as I sat at the drying table, outfitted with flat screen monitors to keep me occupied, I couldn’t help but be skeptical about this top coat claim. Way too many times I’ve reached into my purse for money, keys, rings, etc and wrecked a perfectly good manicure. It’s one of the reasons I prefer to do my own nails. So when I was told that I could move safely about the salon, I was just waiting for the wreckage as I grabbed for my rings. And as you can see below, I survived smudge and dent free.
I wish we had the time to indulge in a pedicure but considering the cold weather and my lack of open toed footwear, it would have been a waste. Next time I’m in the city I’ll have to find time to cozy up on the big pink couch with a cosmo.
And for gals in a super hurry, Dashing Diva carries an assortment of ready-to-go tips for your last minute nail needs.
OK so now it’s time for Dashing Diva to open a salon in Cleveland. Please, please, please!! And all you Cleveland nail shops out there, take a page from the Dashing Diva playbook and step up your game. Not only do they deliver a top shelf nail experience, the price is uber-reasonable at only $15. So until I get a Dashing Diva here, I’ll continue to hate on all you gals that have ‘em.
Nail Tip Of The Week – Filing
As I was sitting down to change my Dashing Diva manicure from my trip to New York City, I thought about how much I labor over filing my nails to get the perfect shape. Filing takes up the majority of my manicure routine. It’s just my nature to be anal about having smooth edges, symmetry and uniform length. So for your Nail Tip Of The Week I thought I’d share my filing techniques.
File Angle: The angle at which you hold your file makes a huge difference in the results you get. I hold my file on a 45 degree tilt under the nail. And even though the old rule is to only file in one direction, I’m not going to be a hypocrite and tell you the same. I file in both directions, I just do. I guess I’m not satisfied doing it the “proper” way.
Shaping: I find that shaping is so much easier when you have polish on your nails. It makes your nail edge more visible. An added bonus, when you remove the polish you’re also cleaning away any dust or nail shavings. No need to dry out your nails by cleaning them twice.
As far as actual nail shape/length goes, it’s all a matter of preference. I like to keep my nails short and in a squoval (squared oval) shape. A good rule of thumb is to mimic the shape of your nail bed along the cuticle. Of course if you’re a freak like me and have differently shaped edges (some rounded some flat) I think squoval is your best bet.
Snags: Have you ever finished your manicure to end up discovering snags after the fact. Sucks doesn’t it? I always make sure to run a nail under each edge to check for any cling-ons and I flick them off with my file.
Sealing the edge: When I am completely satisfied with the shape and length and have removed any snags I seal the edge by running the file, at an angle, down the edge of my nail (as pictured). This seals the edge to prevent water from damaging the nail and gives you a soft, clean finish.
FYI: I have Dashing Diva Black Diamond on my tips.
NYC Beauty Tour
Thanks to the wonderful people at Total Beauty I have returned from a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple as part of their Blogger Community Advisory Board. I had the most fantastic time hanging with some of the best beauty bloggers on the web.
Even though the weather was gray and rainy and my flight was majorly delayed, I was enthralled with the magic of the city from the moment I left LaGuardia. Over the next week or so I’ll be sharing with you the details of my trip; the sights, sounds and beauty products (oh my!).
I had the good fortune to spend my first afternoon in the city buzzing around town with Erika from Makeup Bag and Annie from Blogdorf Goodman. I shot this moments after we were berated by a big mouth New Yorker for wasting time buying three separate subway tickets, instead of just one to swipe three times. Check out Annie’s gorgeous tips (that’s Zoya Indigo). Oh and make sure you stop by Makeup Bag to see pics of our Prescriptives makeovers.
Our evening began with a trip to Dashing Diva (more on that later this week) and then dinner at Aroma Kitchen in the East Village. The wine flowed, the conversation was scintillating and the meal was incredible. My blogger dinner companions included; Kristen from Beauty Addict, Sara from Bit By The Beauty Bug, Connie and Caroline from The Daily Obsession, Tia Williams from Shake Your Beauty, Annie and Erika.
Then it was back to the Hotel QT for some much needed sleep. Due to a washing machine mishap, I was up the entire night before my flight departed so by midnight I had been up for over 40 hours and used up my 2nd and 3rd winds. Even though I encountered a naked hotel guest outside Annie’s room and some, shall we say, interesting noises coming from a neighboring room I slept like a log on my super comfy king bed.
After a long day of touring through the finest beauty departments the city has to offer and learning about a number of exciting new products, it was dinner with the gals that made me forget about my aching feet. I will never wear heels during a day in the city again. Though I must note that they were really cute shoes.
Stay tuned as the NYC Beauty Tour continues…
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
