Archive for June, 2010
New York Magazine’s Nail Polish Shop-A-Matic Featuring ALU’s Summer Faves
Fanatics I have some fun news to share. Last year I raved about New York Magazine’s Shop-A-Matic feature and how much I loved that they did one focusing on nail polish. Well this year, Editor Diana Tsui invited me to be a guest editor selecting my favorite colors of the season to be included in their comprehensive listing. Talk about a thrill and a challenge. Narrowing down my top picks for Summer 2010 to a short list of 19 was no small feat.
If you haven’t browsed the NY Mag Shop-A-Matic in the past you’re missing out. Each polish is shown in the bottle, on the nail and as a color blob. They also include shopping information for the NYC area and online availability.
All the polishes are categorized by color and can be sorted by price but if you want to see my picks, select that option from the “Color” drop down menu.
Of the 19 polishes I selected, Diana asked me to share with her my Top 3. Find out my choices later today on The Cut.
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Exclusives Pre-Sale
Get your wallets ready for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Each year during Nordstrom’s annual celebration they release a plethora of Beauty Exclusives in the form of limited edition products and sets. As in years past, Essie and Deborah Lippmann are part of the festivities.The Beauty Exclusives are available now for pre-sale with a ship date of July 16th. This year we’re getting a sneak peak at Essie’s fall colors with the early sale of the collection’s mini set and Deborah Lippmann is starting her 2010 glitter party with her Fallcolors and Anniversary boxed set. |
Get The Look – The CND Ruffian Matte Moon Manicure
Brian Wolk and Claude Morais, the designers behind Ruffian, have declared the “moon manicure” their signature nail. After two seasons of incorporating the moon mani into their runway look, the nail world went nuts for the crescent moon inspired design from their Fall ’10 show (shown left).
Each season it’s not just about a moon manicure it’s about invoking a specific look or reference. The Fall ’09 ruby colored moon (below right) was inspired by a vintage Vogue cover while the Spring ’09 raspberry and black art deco design (below left) was pulled from a tapestry.
For Fall ’10 the nail came together in a magical way. After meeting with the designers, CND’s Jan Arnold was walking the Manhattan streets when she looked up to see a crescent moon glowing against the midnight blue sky. The moon had a golden cast to it and she was immediately inspired. When she spoke to the designers, they had also seen the moon and had the same thought to translate it onto a nail. |
Dashing Diva Design Nails on the Go
Ever since Beyonce made Golden Lightening Minx an international hit, nail fanatics worldwide have been looking for a way to replicate the look at home. Brands have been putting out “Minx-like” polishes but no lacquer can truly achieve that blinding chrome finish.
Now thanks to Dashing Diva’s Design Nails on the Go… you can bling your nails like Beyonce for a fraction of the Minx service price. These full coverage stick-on nails come in range of chrome finishes and animal prints. I had the good fortune of running into Pattie Yankee, Product Development Advisor and Lead Educator for Dashing Diva Professional, backstage during Fashion Week where she showed me these fun tips. She sent me home with a set in Gold Digger to try out and they are just what I was looking for. |
The Arsenal – Nubar Foundation Base Coat
I get a lot of questions and comments regarding the tools and treatment products I use to keep my nails healthy and in tip top shape. Since my routine changes as I test new products, I’ve launched, The Arsenal, to share with you the items that are “must haves” in my nail kit.
The bare bones basics of any good manicure is base coat, top coat and color. I’ve shared with you one of my all-time fave top coats but I’ve never dedicated a post to base coats. Obviously this is long overdue!
I’ve been a fan of CND Stickey for forever and a day. I even posted about the “Stickey Sandwich” method back when ALU was just a baby. However Stickey has a major competitor for the “holy grail” crown in Nubar Foundation Base Coat.
I’ve had bottles of Foundation Base Coat floating around the polish room for years now but it wasn’t until I ran out of Stickey that I discovered its magical powers. It doesn’t dry tacky like Stickey or Orly Bonder but Foundation Base Coat grips on like glue. I get amazing wear every time I use it. And although it’s not a ridge filler, it provides a smooth surface for the polish to glide along even in spite of my less than stellar nail beds. I told you it was magic.
Nubar Foundation Base Coat can be purchased online from ByNubar.com for $6.99. The shipping is steep though so I suggest banding together with some friends to hit the $75 limit for free shipping.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
