Archive for January, 2009
High Tech Nail Art with Barbie b-nails
So I’m not really one for the whole nail art thing but this is AH-MAZING! Seriously, I’m all giddy over the idea. The folks at TalkingShopping.com went to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas and discovered this gem from Mattel and Barbie.
What is it that I’m so excited about? Barbie b-nails, an inkjet printer that applies fun, girly nail art like the Barbie logo. Using a special non-toxic ink, designs are printed on the nail and protected with a special top coat.
Being that b-nails is a Barbie product, it will undoubtedly be marketed to little girls but as a long time Barbie fanatic, that won’t stop me from wanting one of my own.
To see how it works, check out video from the TalkingShopping.com team after the jump.
Look at some of the cool designs it can create.
 Now this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this type of technology, it’s just the first time it’s being made available to the everyday consumer. The Imaginail NailJet Pro is a similar product marketed to nail and beauty industry professionals. While Mattel hasn’t released a retail price for b-nails but I imagine it will be less than the Imaginail, which retails for thousands. |
So what do we think? Fun for all or just kids?
images: Droolicious on Babble.com and Flickr.com
Golden Globe Nail Watch – Red & Vampy Ladies
 Happy Friday kids! One more Golden Globe wrap up then I’m done, swear. If it wasn’t my favorite award show of the year, I wouldn’t be so gaga. Of course the Grammy’s are coming up and you KNOW there will be at least a few crazy nail looks on that red carpet. Can’t WAIT!
Anywho, the biggest nail trends of the night were red and vampy shades. Dark nails just won’t go away, not that I’m complaining, and classic reds are huge right now. Can you guess who rocked the looks above? Find out after the jump. |
Get The Look: OPI Got The Blues For Red
Get The Look: OPI Keys To My Karma
Get The Look: CND Tabloid
Get The Look: Lancome Vernis Magnetic in Code Red Vixenish Vamps Get The Look: Zoya Raven
Get The Look: Orly Plum Noir
Get The Look: Chanel Madness
Get The Look: Dior Black Sequins
Were there any looks that stood out to you? Who was your favorite? Or do you just not care about award shows like I do?
Red Carpet Reds
Beautiful, charming and hilarious, Isla Fisher was stunning with her dark red nails. I’m not the biggest fan of the dress but I just find her adorable.
Susan Sarandon mixes a hint of sexy with age appropriate understated glamour. Her classic red nails are the perfect accent.
Evan Rachel Wood transitioned her crimson tips from last week’s Critic’s Choice Awards to a more vibrant robust red.
Anne Hathaway has certainly been all about the red nails lately. She wore red to the Critics Choice Awards and Bride Wars premiere.
Selma Hayek‘s dark nails surprised me. She always struck me as someone who prefers a clean, nude look.
Miss Golden Globe, Rumer Willis, complimented her plum gown with a dark eggplant nail.
Have you read Mindy Kaling‘s blog, Things I’ve Bought That I Love? In one of her posts she discusses how every girl only needs 5 shades of polish. FIVE?? Is she mad? Her pick for vamping it up, what she calls “first date nails,” is from Chanel.
Heidi Klum, never one to shy away from trends or over the top looks, selected a black sparkler for her tips.
Celebrity manicurist, Tom Bachik, gave Beyonce rich brown tips to accentuate her champagne colored gown using Chanel Haute Chocolat.
The ALU Archives – CND Winterfire
 The ALU Archives is a new series focusing on older, beloved shades from the All Lacquered Up stash.
Inspired by all the celebrity red nails I’ve been seeing this past week, I picked through boxes of red polish only to discover a forgotten CND treasure, Winterfire. It came into my life via a MUA swap and sadly it’s been discontinued. I’m hoping that by proclaiming my love for it publicly, CND might consider bringing it back as they revamp their line. Note: CND scaled back their core collection to 40 shades last year and will begin the process of launching new shades later this year. |
Winterfire is a glorious cherry shade, peppered with red micro-glitter that is suspended under the surface. Similar to a jelly finish polish. And the formula, oh my word, the formula. It’s been way too long since I’ve worn a CND polish and it’s like I completely forgot how absolutely fantastic the application is. Smooth as butter. BUTTAH I say!
Now I know people like to complain about the drying time with CND polishes but if you’re willing to wait, it’s SO worth it. I’ve actually had good luck using CND Air Dry. It works like shrink wrap to dry and seal the nail.
Since Winterfire is a discontinued shade, your best bet for scoring a bottle is online. I found two websites carrying it, BuyNail.com ($3) and GoddessOnline.net ($4.92), though I can’t vouch for the reputation of either site.
Chanel Spring 2009 – Vendetta & Django
 When I heard that Chanel was finally coming out with a purple polish, I was beyond thrilled. It’s like Peter Philips had read my mind. A vampy aubergine would be the perfect complement to Chanel’s wildly popular Satin colors (Blue, Black, Pink, White) and now it’s finally here. Of the two polishes in Chanel’s Bohemian Fantasy collection, Vendetta is the color everyone is buzzing about.
Releasing such a deep shade for spring used to seem so odd but for the past few years some very popular darks have come from spring collections. Blue Satin is a good example as is OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue & Black Cherry Chutney. It’s blurring the lines and making it acceptable to wear vampies year round. Most of us fanatics do that anyway but it’s becoming more mainstream. |
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Django is the red-headed step child (no offense to you lovely red-heads). It’s actually quite a refreshing color. As I look outside to see nothing but gray and snow, Django’s shimmery peach color totally brightened my day. It’s not something I would have expected to like but it has an airy feel that is so cheerful. And what I LOVE is that for such a light shade, it is opaque and streak free with just two coats.
Vendetta is exactly what I expected. An eggplant version of Blue Satin. The tonal shimmer is the same as the Satins in that it adds depth and only appears in bright light. The base color is definitely purple, not black, so one evenly applied coat will get you a much brighter look. Like Blue Satin, Vendetta is an “almost black” shade and I was hoping it would be lighter. It’s rich and velvety but more purple in the bottle than on the nail.
I looked for some comparison shades to help you replicate the look at home. What I found is that Vendetta falls between Essie Sexy Divide and China Glaze Midnight Ride in my stash’s color spectrum. If Midnight Ride’s base was purple instead of black, I bet they’d be twins.
The Chanel Spring collection, Bohemian Fantasy, is on sale now at Chanel counters and online at Chanel.com. Vendetta and Django retail for $23.
So what do you think kids? Who’s in? Who’s out? Who already caved?
MAC Dame Enda Nail Polishes – Varicose Violet & Asiatique
Good morning kids! Or should I say possums? After all, we are discussing Dame Edna Everage (aka Barry Humphries). Famed Australian performer Dame Edna teamed up with MAC to create a signature line of makeup based on her campy, big ball of fabulous persona.
Does anyone else remember Dame Edna’s guest spot on Ally McBeal? She played a defendant, Claire Otoms, who ended up becoming a secretary at the firm. I was a big Ally McBeal fan back in the day and Dame Edna’s larger than life personality fit right in with that quirky, dancing baby show.
I love that for her MAC collection, they chose fun, cheeky names like Possum Nose Pink, Kanga Rouge and Varicose Violet to accompany the girly pink, purple and blue shades. And while MAC’s polish formula doesn’t always impress me, they certainly got it right this time.
Varicose Violet is a pink-lilac shimmer that has a blue tinged flash. It was opaque in three coats and glided on the nail. I’ll be honest, this color family just doesn’t work for me. It never has. As much as I love almost any purple shade I come across, these lighter lavendars and lilacs are too hard for me to pull off. It’s pretty, just not on me.
Asiatique is about as classic as red cremes can get. And you know what? It’s WAY pigmented. Like one coat was almost all I needed. I’ve said this before but I’ve always thought MAC’s strong suit in polish was shimmers and glitters in bright or vampy shades but Asiatique has definitely changed my mind. Bravo!
Seriously, how cute is the packaging? And that it matches the nail polish makes it even better. I wish the eye glass detail wasn’t a sticker but c’est la vie.
The Dame Edna polishes are Big 3 Free, retail for $11 and are available now at freestanding MAC stores, department store MAC counters and online at MACCosmetics.com
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
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