Archive for August, 2010
All Cracked Up with Crackle Nail Polish
Who remembers the old CoverGirl Crackle Lacquers? I know they were popping up in dollar stores a few years ago but I was never lucky enough to score one. I did find one old bottle of purple Crackle in my Caboodle at my parents house a while back but it was dried and crusty. And yes I realize I just totally dated myself with the Caboodle reference.
With nail art hitting a fever pitch it’s no surprise that this look would come back. Between nail stampers, water marbling, nail art pens, ombre nails and crackle nail polish DIY nail fanatics have endless options when they want to amp up their nail style. I’m still unsure of how I feel about the crackle look but I figured I’d give it a whirl. As I mentioned in my Link Love post on Sunday, my friend Sara from Bit By The Beauty Bug had a crackle pedicure at her salon in Boston. Sara told me about it just before I went to Vegas and mentioned that her tech got her bottle from overseas. So of course while I was at Cosmoprof I scoured the International section looking for crackle nail polish. I hit the jackpot when I visited the Mia Secret booth. |
My Manicures Are Having A Moment On MTV Style
After spotting my recent “Out of the Blue” manicure, the editor behind the new MTV Style blog contacted me to contribute an article to their site featuring the gradation manicure. So fun, right?
In the post I share a few options for recreating the look at home in fun color ranges like turquoise/teal and orange but give more conservative alternatives like taupe and pink. Head on over to MTV Style and check out the look that’s having a Manicure Moment.
Also, if you’re into custom mixing, check out my original post on the look and see My Twist on the Ombre or Gradation Manicure.
CND Monday – Another Perspective on CND Shellac
In this special edition of CND Monday, ALU’s new contributor Christine shares her CND Shellac experience with us.
As I mentioned in my Cosmoprof Recap, Christine is a fellow polish fanatic who I met through the Specktra message boards. Like me, she’s all about nails, makeup and hair but what’s funny is that as a chemical engineer she spends a lot of her day out in the field, surrounded by guys, wearing a hard hat and getting dirty! Not very girlie. But one thing Christine is known for at work is her crazy colored manicures. She always has some fun color or nail art going on. While I still refuse to take the plunge into Konad-land she has fully embraced it. Since I tried Shellac way back in February I thought it would be fun to get another perspective on the product now that it’s fully launched. Thankfully CND was able to accommodate us during Cosmoprof so Christine could get the full Shellac experience. Here’s her take: Getting the opportunity to attend Cosmoprof with Michelle was in itself exciting. I had my own Press Pass! How cool is that? When Michelle told me she scheduled me an appointment to get Shellac’d at CND, I could not have been more thrilled! After all, I am your typical DIY nail polish fanatic. I change my polish so often, it doesn’t pay to get regular manicures, but I was really looking forward to having a little pampering. |
ALU Link Love 8-15-10
Seriously, where did this summer go? I can’t believe we’re already halfway through August. These past few weeks have been BUSY. I’ve been planning my trip to NYFW at the beginning of September. The boyfriend and I have been talking about buying a boat for next summer and scoping out marinas. And we’ve had something planned pretty much every weekend of the summer. I’m actually starting to look forward to Fall/Winter and not having as much on my social calendar. I’m not complaining mind you but I want a weekend to do nothing at all.
I’m so behind on my blog feed reader that I have over 1000+ posts to comb through though a big part of that is due to my celebrity blog obsession (Perez Hilton & Go Fug Yourself). I did manage to rake my way through some more recent updates and here are my faves of the week.
Disney & MAC fans will want to scurry on over to check out Temptalia’s coverage of the Venomous Villains collection including the special press trip she attended at Disney Land. FYI her site is loading a bit slow right now, undoubtedly due to major traffic overload. btw, is Orly & MAC in cahoots? Two of the three polishes are dupes.
Annie from BellaSugar tried CND Shellac. Check out her take on the product in a BellaTV video.
British Beauty Blogger raved about a nail treatment called Re:Fusion that has me extremely intrigued. Has anyone spotted this in the US?
After reading about it on Style.com’s Beauty Counter Blog, I am dying to get my hands on this USLU Airlines polish, ONE, inspired by the US Dollar.
I discovered a fantastic new site thanks to my pal Meredith from Retrodiva’s Beauty. It’s called Beauty and the Bullshit written by a former cosmetics industry insider. It’s rather new but the writer behind it is all about demystifying the claims cosmetics companies spew at us. Love it!
NYC gals head over the Lucky.com for an exclusive discount on services at Rescue Beauty Lounge. The discount is good from now through August 23rd.
Carla from Product Girl swatched the NYX 10-color Palettes and I’m thinking the neutral Runway Collection is perfect for travel.
MTV Style gave us a close-up look at Keri Hilson’s striped manicure and tips on how to recreate it. What do you think of the look?
And now for a little shameless self promotion…
Victoria from Makeup.com asked for my take on the multi-colored manicure. Are skittles nails only appropriate for tweens?
Also, my friend Sara from Bit By The Beauty Bug went out of her dark nail comfort zone to get a crackle pedicure and asked my input on the look.
I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend. I’m hoping the rainstorm that hit out west of Cleveland stays away until later tonight as we’re heading down to the The Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy. Just like everyone is Irish on St. Paddy’s Day, everyone in Cleveland is Italian during The Feast. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday Funday!
butter LONDON Fall 2010 Collection Swatches & Review
As an editorial manicurist and butter LONDON Creative Director, Nonie Creme merges the world of fashion with nail color. So it should come as no surprise that when the fashion community experienced the loss of the brilliant Alexander McQueen, Nonie thought to pay tribute to his genius.
The butter LONDON Fall 2010 Collection polishes All Hail McQueen and Bumster are both nods to the designer. Marrow is Nonie’s second collaboration with the designers behind Vena Cava and Victoriana is a faded blue inspired by vintage British fabrics. |
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
