Archive for September, 2008
The Nail Files – Behind the Scenes at NYFW with CND – Part 2
Previously on the Nail Files, we looked at CND’s involvement in New York Fashion Week. The planning, prep and history. In this installment we’ll go in depth, talking about custom tips including the labor intensive design/production process and how to take these looks from the runway to the real world.
With no formal training in art, let alone nail art, it is the pure genius and creativity of CND Education Ambassadors Kristina Baume and Shelena Robinson that bring these amazing creations to life. Each season, the CND team meets with the designers to discuss their concept, inspiration and desired nail look. When custom tips are requested, it is up to Kristina and Shelena to take take those ideas back to the production suite and create multiple nail looks to present.
With a 1920s theme to inspire them, some of the concepts presented to Kimora Lee Simmons for her Baby Phat and KLS collections included black on black, textural designs (see right) and meticulously detailed stained glass tips (below right).
Get the look: Shiny Black on Matte Black. Apply two coats of CND Voodoo and one coat of matte top coat, CND Ridge Out or use gray side of nail buffer on dry CND Speedy. Use a thin nail art brush to apply CND Shiney in desired pattern.
The intricate designs on the stained glass nails took up to six hours to create. For just ONE nail. Though once chosen, the process is fine tuned to make production easier. After all, they have to create eighteen tips for each model to make sure the on site artists can find the right fit. No wonder they pull all-nighters.
The look Kimora chose – black, Swarovski encrusted, almond shaped tips that took ten hours to create. Though the image really doesn’t do them justice. In person, the reflectiveness and shine are captivating.
At The Blondes, the theme was the movie Legend. You know, the magical fantasy film from the 80s starring Tom Cruise (when he was still drool-worthy) and Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller’s girlfriend).
Examples of some of the extremely inventive designs CND presented include a unicorn horn, animal skins, fur, jewels, even a mini Lord of Darkness (pictured right).
Get the look: Distressed Leather. Apply two coats of gold lacquer as a base color. Dilute an Amber polish with a bit of acetone and use a sea sponge to apply it on top.
Get the Look: Leather-like Texture. Apply two coats of Voodoo. While tacky, press balled cellophane wrap gently onto the surface. Apply a thin layer of top coat after the polish has completely dried.
In the end, the designers chose glittery, blingtastic, jeweled tips to accompany their designs (see right). Pairing a different nail tip with each model.
Get the look – Jeweled & Glittery. Jeweled – apply small nail art stones along the smile line (between the pink & white part of the nail) or apply 1-2 stones at the tip. Glittery – ice tips in glitter polish or apply a thin layer as a wash. Try CND VIP Status, Pulse, Last Call or Disco Ball.
In Part 3 of this journey, I’ll show you some of the gorgeous custom blend polishes made just for the runway. You won’t believe the colors they use to get just the right look. You’ll find out how they’re made and how to re-create them at home.
China Glaze Bahama Blues for Winter 2008
Kids, China Glaze keeps hitting it out of the park. I can’t even handle it. I’m already on serious color overload after Rodeo Diva and Operation Colour. Now a collection of all blues?? You know how I love my blues.
OK I know what you’re thinking. How many are repromotes, dupes, etc? China Glaze already has a bunch of amazing blues, how can they put out more? Well, I don’t know HOW they did it but I can attest to not having a SINGLE dupe for any of these shades. I own practically every blue China Glaze has produced.
For Winter 2008, China Glaze is whisking us away from the cold, drab bleakness and transporting us to the warm, vibrant tropics. Blue skies, sandy beaches, crystal clear waters. Can you feel it? Girls, I am so in need of a vacation. You don’t even know. As I was testing the colors, I couldn’t help but wish I was back in the Caribbean. On a cruise, a beach in Belize, a swim-up bar in Mexico, wherever. Get me out of the Cleveburg!
Bahamian Escape dries darker and more vibrant than the robin’s egg bottle color would suggest. It’s a very opaque creme that hardly needs two coats. As you can see below it’s not the Color Club Blue Light dupe I expected it to be.
Caribbean Blue‘s speckled silver micro-glitter is what drew me in. The color has a slightly dusty quality which keeps it from becoming garish. It’s my favorite color in the collection.
Blue Island Iced Tea will charm all of you Stroke of Midnight fans. It has the same micro-glitter packed jelly formula that made me fall in love with China Glaze in the first place. This unique deep sky blue has a foil-like finish depending on the lighting but it’s a bit sheer so you need an extra coat. Love it! LOVE IT!
Blue Paradise falls somewhere between cornflower and denim on the blue scale. Its metallic shimmer does equal brush strokes but if you’re careful they aren’t too problematic.
Bermuda Breakaway is a fantastic indigo creme. What some may call burple. It flowed fantastically on the nail. In fact it was thinner in consistency than Blue Paradise yet just as pigmented.
Calypso Blue is the only color that didn’t make me jump for joy. It’s a blue-black and we’ve seen a lot of those. Though I give it credit in its application, pigmentation and glossy finish. And while I didn’t have a dead on dupe, it’s so dark that only true fanatics could tell.
The Bahama Blues collection is on sale now at Head2ToeBeauty.com and 8ty8beauty.com. You can also find China Glaze at Sally Beauty and ULTA but call for seasonal collection availability.
Chanel Haute Chocolat for Holiday 2008
 Hold on to your wallets ladies because CHANEL is calling and you may not be able to resist. Launching in October, the Chanel Holiday collection is filled with warm, rich tones including one super hot chocolate nail polish.
The collection features three nail colours: Rosee Perle - a warm beige pink |
 I’m also excited about the Limited Edition gold highlighting powder, Poudre Precieuse Or. I’m a sucker for gold, shimmery makeup. I covet my Bobbi Brown gold Shimmer Brick so I’m very curious about this powder. |
 One of the things that makes this polish so unique is its origin. Chanel teamed up with Seventeen magazine to give their readers a chance to create a nail shade in the Color Of The Year Contest. Thousands of entries were submitted but it was Amy Gonzo’s nail colour name and inspiration that triumphed. Amy, a 19 year-old from Port Washington, WI, drew inspiration from her favorite holiday drink, hot cocoa, and gave it a name with a french twist, Haute Chocolat. Looking back on her favorite holiday memories, Amy “wanted to combine the comfort and warmth of the season with the chic elegance that is indicative of CHANEL.” |
Chic, elegant and warm are perfect descriptors for this rich chocolaty lacquer but the gold flecks are what really make it stand out. What I love is that it’s dark without looking black, warm yet not overly red and it flows on the nail like pure molten chocolate.
I dug through my box o’ browns to see if I could find you all a dupe but I came up empty. The majority of my browns are very red based or extremely dark. Only OPI Espresso Your Style and Sally Hansen The Good Earth came close but neither one has Haute Chocolat’s sparkle.
The Chanel Holiday collection will be online at Chanel.com and on counter in October with the Nail Colour retailing for $20. Also, be sure to check out the October issue of Seventeen Magazine (already on stands) to learn more about Haute Chocolat’s creator Amy Gonzo.
NY Fashion Week Nail Watch – Tibi
To accentuate the strong, powerful look of Tibi’s Spring 2009 collection, designer Amy Smilovic called upon CND‘s team of nail artists to give her models fiery red tips and toes. In a recent Fanatic Feedback discussion I brought up the theory of red nails exuding confidence. This look certainly propagates that idea. Pairing vibrant red lips with CND Wildfire makes quite a statement.
To make sure that each model’s nails are flawless while stomping down the catwalk, CND Ridge Out is applied as a base. It provides an even surface for the lacquer while a layer of Speedy quick drying top coat helps prevent smudges as the models rush to get dressed.
Thank you to my friend and fellow blogger Jamie from The Beauty of Life for granting All Lacquered Up exclusive use of her backstage images and info.
Rachel Bilson on Page Six Magazine
ALU reader Megan contacted me regarding Rachel Bilson’s recent photo spread in Page Six Magazine. She wanted to know if I could pinpoint Rachel’s nail polish shade.
My immediate thought, that she’s wearing Chanel Kaleidoscope. Considering how unique the shade is and its sellout status, I was willing to bet on it. Fortunately my Chanel contact was able to confirm that the former O.C. princess, who I’ll always think of as Little Miss Vixen, is indeed sporting Kaleidoscope on her tips (see below).
And while Kaleidoscope can only be tracked down on eBay (those damn scalpers) and is a hard shade to dupe, I suggest you try its distant relatives (you know, the ones we don’t talk about at reunions); Essie Steeling The Scene or Boots No 7 Molten (found at Target). Or for something a bit more champagne but in the same metallic vein, Orly Too Much Bubbly.
Do you know of a good Kaleidoscope twin Megan can try? Leave your suggestion in the comments.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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